Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE RIVER OF RUIN, by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR Poet's Biography First Line: Along by the river of ruin Last Line: To the desolate sea of despair. Subject(s): Despair | ||||||||
ALONG by the river of ruin They dally -- the thoughtless ones, They dance and they dream By the side of the stream, As long as the river runs. It seems all so pleasant and cheery -- No thought of the morrow is theirs, And their faces are bright With the sun of delight, And they dream of no night-brooding cares. The women wear garlanded tresses, The men have rings on their hands, And they sing in their glee, For they think they are free -- They that know not the treacherous sands. Ah, but this be a venturesome journey, Forever those sands are ashift, And a step to one side Means a grasp of the tide, And the current is fearful and swift. For once in the river of ruin, What boots it, to do or to dare, For down we must go In the turbulent flow, To the desolate sea of Despair. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE DAY THAT WAS THAT DAY by AMY LOWELL MAN IN THE STREET OR HAND OVER MOUTH by HEATHER MCHUGH BURIAL RITES by HAYDEN CARRUTH THE CAMPS; FOR MARILYN HACKER by HAYDEN CARRUTH A BANJO SONG by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR |
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