Dunbar Poems

Ohio History

Dunbar Bedroom

This old-fashioned typewriter was in Mr. Dunbar’s bedroom. It folded up into a portable carrying case—not unlike a modern-day laptop! He traveled extensively, so I guess he needed it….although I think he wrote drafts by hand first. There was also a nice office upstairs with lots of books for Mr. Dunbar, as well as his mother’s room.

Some of the poems I like most by Paul Lawrence Dunbar are “Sympathy,”
“Little Brown Baby,” and “Not They Who Soar,” but because they're all a bit too long for this post, here is another one I enjoyed:

Life

A crust of bread and a corner to sleep in,
A minute to smile and an hour to weep in,
A pint of joy to a peck of trouble,
And never a laugh but the moans come double;
        And that is life!

A crust and a corner that love makes precious,
With a smile to warm and the tears to refresh us;
And joy seems sweeter when cares come after,
And a moan is the finest of foils for laughter;
        And that is life!