Poet
Paul Laurence Dunbar
American poet · 1872–1906
We Wear the MaskSympathy
Paul Laurence Dunbar, the son of formerly enslaved parents, became the first African American poet to reach a national audience. He published his first collection while working as an elevator operator in Dayton, Ohio, selling copies to his passengers.
"We Wear the Mask" and "Sympathy" — whose line "I know why the caged bird sings" later gave Maya Angelou her title — remain two of the most anthologized American poems. He died of tuberculosis at just 33.
10 poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar
Full text, free to read — all in the public domain.
Sympathy
Paul Laurence Dunbar · 1899
I know what the caged bird feels, alas!When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
21 lines · lyric
We Wear the Mask
Paul Laurence Dunbar · 1895
We wear the mask that grins and lies,It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—This debt we pay to human guile;
15 lines · rondeau
- Common ThingsI like to hear of wealth and gold,…20 lines
- EncouragedBecause you love me I have much achieved,…4 lines
- EncouragementWHO dat knockin' at de do'?…56 lines
- Life's TragedyIt may be misery not to sing at all,…16 lines
- Little Brown BabyLittle brown baby wif spa'klin' eyes,…32 lines
- Merry AutumnIt's all a farce,—these tales they tell…40 lines
- My Little March GirlCome to the pane, draw the curtain apart,…24 lines
- Summer in the SouthThe Oriole sings in the greening grove…12 lines
- SympathyI know what the caged bird feels, alas!…21 lines
- We Wear the MaskWe wear the mask that grins and lies,…15 lines