James Weldon Johnson Poems

Girl of fifteen,
I see you each morning from my window
As you pass on your way to school.
I do more than see, I watch you.
...

Three students once tarried over the Rhine,
And into Frau Wirthin's turned to dine.
...

The snow has ceased its fluttering flight,
The wind sunk to a whisper light,
An ominous stillness fills the night,
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W'en de banjos wuz a-ringin',
An' de darkies wuz a-singin',
Oh, wuzen dem de good times sho!
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Her eyes, twin pools of mystic light,
The blend of star-sheen and black night;
O'er which, to sound their glamouring haze,
...

I
Sunrise in the Tropics

Sol, Sol, mighty lord of the tropic zone,
Here I wait with the trembling stars
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Cuddle down, ma honey, in yo' bed,
Go to sleep an' res' yo' little head,
Been a-kind o' ailin' all de day?
Didn't have no sperit fu' to play?
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I'm back down in ole Georgy w'ere de sun is shinin' hot,
W'ere de cawn it is a-tasslin', gittin' ready fu' de pot;
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Young man—
Young man—
Your arm’s too short to box with God.
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O, brothers mine, take care! Take care!
The great white witch rides out to-night,
Trust not your prowess nor your strength;
...