Poem by James Weldon Johnson

The Awakening

I dreamed that I was a rose
That grew beside a lonely way,
Close by a path none ever chose,
And there I lingered day by day.
Beneath the sunshine and the show'r
I grew and waited there apart,
Gathering perfume hour by hour,
And storing it within my heart,
  Yet, never knew,
Just why I waited there and grew.

I dreamed that you were a bee
That one day gaily flew along,
You came across the hedge to me,
And sang a soft, love-burdened song.
You brushed my petals with a kiss,
I woke to gladness with a start,
And yielded up to you in bliss
The treasured fragrance of my heart;
  And then I knew
That I had waited there for you.

1. Brer Rabbit, You's de Cutes' of 'Em All
2. Answer to Prayer
3. Sence You Went Away
4. An Explanation
5. You's Sweet to Yo' Mammy Jes de Same

Dora Sigerson Shorter The Awakening ("Once she woke to fairyland")

Print

1830 Views

Last Poems

To Russian version