His mother had learned to read in order to help young Paul with his schooling. Her desire was that he might, some day, become a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church — the first independent black denomination in the United States.
He was the only African-American student at his high school, yet became the president of the school’s literary society. One of his closest friends was Orville Wright — who, along with his brother, were early encouragers of Dunbar’s poetry. They presented it to their father who was a bishop in the Church of the Brethren — the denomination that published his first volume, Oak and Ivy (1893).
Paul Laurence Dunbar eventually published twelve poetry collections, eight books of fiction, and he also wrote the lyrics for the first all-African-American musical performed on Broadway — In Dahomey (1903) — which later toured in both the U.S. and the U.K.
Christmas Carol
----Ring out, ye bells!
----All Nature swells
With gladness at the wondrous story,—
----The world was lorn,
----But Christ is born
To change our sadness into glory.
----Sing, earthlings, sing!
----To-night a King
Hath come from heaven's high throne to bless us.
----The outstretched hand
----O'er all the land
Is raised in pity to caress us.
----Come at his call;
----Be joyful all;
Away with mourning and with sadness!
----The heavenly choir
----With holy fire
Their voices raise in songs of gladness.
----The darkness breaks
----And Dawn awakes,
Her cheeks suffused with youthful blushes.
----The rocks and stones
----In holy tones
Are singing sweeter than the thrushes.
----Then why should we
----In silence be,
When Nature lends her voice to praises;
----When heaven and earth
----Proclaim the truth
Of Him for whom that lone star blazes?
----No, be not still,
----But with a will
Strike all your harps and set them ringing;
----On hill and heath
----Let every breath
Throw all its power into singing!
*This is the second Kingdom Poets post about Paul Laurence Dunbar: first post.
Entry written by D.S. Martin. He is the author of five poetry collections including Angelicus (2021, Cascade) ― a book of poems written from the point-of-view of angels. His books are available through Wipf & Stock.
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