And yet I have the satisfac- tion of having labored earnestly not to impose upon the reader any scrap of work the reading of which might be re- garded as a waste of time the chief aim of all writing being either to instruct or amuse the reader. Of the accumulated mass of matter which I have com- posed for my own amusement and pastime during the past twenty-five years, I found by far the larger part more adapted to the grate than the public eye and, perhaps, much that has been preserved and presented in this volume might more appropriately have been committed to the flames because, after all is said and done, we are more partial to our own progeny, of whatever sort, than others can be, and blind to faults in it which become apparent to others upon the most superficial observation. A piece of work which, at the age of twenty, we may regard as being well nigh perfect, is more than likely to be regarded as being very tame and commonplace and faulty at forty. The confidence of youth is replaced by the skepticism of maturity. In our youth we are carried forward in every effort by an enthusiasm and a confidence which defy obstacles and laugh at criticism and judicious advice in maturer age we are governed by a philosophy which comprehends in its calculation every obstacle, and invites rather than repels criticism and judicious advice. Very few men go to sleep unknown and wake up famous, as Byron did, while they are yet young it more often happens that such good fortune comes after years of patient toil and waiting, and when the capacity to enjoy success is lacking. During twenty years of active journalism in New York I have found it to be true that the successes we achieve in life, of whatever character, usually cost us so much in effort and anxiety that very little capacity for the enjoyment of the fruits of our labors is left us. IN submitting this collection of verse to the public I do not seek to gratify any personal vanity. The Wild Waves Toss the Driftwood High,190 THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED BY THEIR FATHER, WHOSE AFFECTION AND DEVOTION HAVE BEEN AN African American Poetry (1870-1927) : A Digital Anthology Main Menu Full Text Collection: Books Published by African American Poets, 1870-1927 Author Pages: Bios and Full Text Collections Areas of Interest: Topics and Themes The Beginnings of the Harlem Renaissance: Overview and Timeline of Key Events Black Poetry Before the Harlem Renaissance: Overview and Timeline Periodicals: African American Poetry Published in Magazines African American Poetry: Anthologies of the 1920s Exploring Datasets related to African American poetry About This Site: Origins and a Mission Statement Further Reading / Works Cited Amardeep Singh c185e79df2fca428277052b90841c4aba30044e1 Timothy Thomas Fortune, "Dreams of Life: Miscellaneous Poems" (Full Text) (1905) 1 T11:37:24-05:00 Amardeep Singh c185e79df2fca428277052b90841c4aba30044e1 213 3 plain T10:02:45-04:00 Amardeep Singh c185e79df2fca428277052b90841c4aba30044e1 DREAMS OF LIFE: MISCELLANEOUS POEMS Please enable Javascript and reload the page. If a song plants an idea or a feeling in a mind, it has already changed the world.This site requires Javascript to be turned on. An invitation to slip into somebody else’s skin for a little while. The idea that life could be, should be, better than this. What happens then? Feelings and ideas happen. But sometimes, they land in a mind that is ready. Often, usually, they land on barren soil and don’t take root. “Where will these song-seeds land? It’s the Parable of the Sower. Dean recognizes “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding),” “Strange Fruit,” and “The Trail of the Lonesome Pine.” Others, Dean can’t identify, but the hardboiled press pack look on. Who knows where they’ll land? Or what they’ll bring?” Jasper leans into the mic and, without a wisp of self-consciousness, sings a miscellany of single lines from nine or ten songs. Songs, like dandelion seeds, billowing across space and time. ‘Where do ideas and feelings originate?’ My answer is, ‘Others. ‘Who or what influences the minds of the people who change the world?’ My answer is ‘Ideas and feelings.’ Which begs a question. People invent, kill, make babies, start wars.” Jasper lights a Marlboro. People pass laws, riot, hear God, and act accordingly. “Songs do not change the world,” declares Jasper.
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