Compensation

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Because I had loved so deeply,
Because I had loved so long,
God in His great compassion
Gave me the gift of song.

Because I have loved so vainly,
And sung with such faltering breath,
The Master in infinite mercy
Offers the boon of Death.

This poem is in the public domain.

About This Poem

“Compensation” was originally published in Dunbar’s 1905 collection Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow.

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1872. He wrote numerous books of poems, including Majors and Minors (1895), as well as several novels and a play. He died in 1906 in Dayton, Ohio.

Poetry by Dunbar

Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow

(Bowen Press, 2008)

"Whom You Love" by Joseph O. Legaspi

"The Song of Despair" by Pablo Neruda

"Olney Hymns, I, [Walking with God]" by William Calper

Poem-a-Day

Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends.

Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.

You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend

July 26, 2014