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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


DREAMS (2) by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR

First Line: WHAT DREAMS WE HAVE AND HOW THEY FLY
Last Line: UPON OUR SOULS, ALL DREAMS -- AH! DREAMS.
Subject(s): DREAMS; NIGHTMARES;

WHAT dreams we have and how they fly
Like rosy clouds across the sky;
Of wealth, of fame, of sure success,
Of love that comes to cheer and bless;
And how they wither, how they fade,
The waning wealth, the jilting jade --
The fame that for a moment gleams,
Then flies forever, -- dreams, ah -- dreams!

O burning doubt and long regret,
O tears with which our eyes are wet,
Heart-throbs, heart-aches, the glut of pain,
The somber cloud, the bitter rain,
You were not of those dreams -- ah! well,
Your full fruition who can tell?
Wealth, fame, and love, ah! love that beams
Upon our souls, all dreams -- ah! dreams.



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