By the stream I dream in calm delight, and watch as in a glass,
How the clouds like crowds of snowy-hued and white-robed maidens pass,
And the water into ripples breaks and sparkles as it spreads,
Like a host of armored knights with silver helmets on their heads.
And I deem the stream an emblem fit of human life may go,
For I find a mind may sparkle much and yet but shallows show,
And a soul may glow with myriad lights and wondrous mysteries,
When it only lies a dormant thing and mirrors what it sees.


About this poem
"By the Stream" was published in Paul Laurence Dunbar's book "Lyrics of Lowly Life" (Dodd, Mead & Co., 1896).

About Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of the first African-American poets to gain national recognition, was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1872. He published 10 collections of poetry and many short stories and novels before his death in 1906.

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This poem is in the public domain. Distributed by King Features Syndicate