quote · Legacy record
An old, worn Harp that had been played Till all its strings were loose and frayed, Joy, Hate, and Fear, each one, assayed To play. But each in turn had found No sweet responsiveness of sound. Then Love the Master-player came With heaving breast and eyes aflame; The Harp he took all undismayed, Smote on its strings, still strange to song, And brought forth music sweet and strong.
An old, worn Harp that had been played Till all its strings were loose and frayed, Joy, Hate, and Fear, each one, assayed To play. But each in turn had found No sweet responsiveness of sound. Then Love the Master-player came With heaving breast and eyes aflame; The Harp he took all undismayed, Smote on its strings, still strange to song, And brought forth music sweet and strong.
Approximate author period: c. 1889 AD · industrial
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Paul Laurence Dunbar
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Approximate author period: c. 1889 AD · industrial
author lifetime midpoint (1872–1906)
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- The Optimist’s Good Morning (1911) (1911 AD)
Complete signed selection 98; printed byline: Paul Laurence Dunbar; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1911; printed copyright 1907
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.