I do not fear To walk the lonely road Which leads far out into The sullen night. Nor do I fear the rebel, wind-tossed Sea that stretches onward, far, Beyond the might of human hands Or human loves. It is the Brooding, sharp-thorned discontent I fear, the nagging days without A sound of song; the sunlit Noon of ease; the burden of Delight and—flattery. It is The hate-touched soul I dread, The joyless heart; the unhappy Faces in the streets; the Smouldering fires of unforgiven Slights. These do I fear. Not Night, nor surging seas, nor Rebel winds. But hearts unlovely, And unloved. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...JOY (2) by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON SORROW SINGERS by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON A PLANTATION BACCHANAL by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON DOWN BY THE CARIB SEA: 2. LOS CIGARILLOS by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON MARTHA WASHINGTON by SIDNEY LANIER |