Happy Valentine’s Day! In honor of this love-celebrating holiday, here are some love poems from Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906), renowned poet, novelist and playwright of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Dunbar’s first poems were published in a Dayton newspaper when he was 14 years old. While much of Dunbar’s more well known (and at the time, more popular) poetry was written in the “Negro Dialect” of the South, he also wrote beautiful poems in standard English form. Here are examples of each: “Invitation to Love” in standard English, and “A Negro Love Song” in dialect. Tell your sons that hip hop artists are following in their creative ancestor’s footprints when they are able to express themselves in both slang and proper English!
Also couldn’t resist sending you on a trip down a more recent musical memory lane, as we just had to include the lyrics and a link to one of the all time greatest Valentine’s Day songs ever, “Valentine Love” by Michael Henderson. Hope you parents know this one, but if you don’t, click the link below and listen to it. Again and again. Then make your sons listen to it, too. A wonderful blast from the past. Enjoy.
Invitation to Love
Come when the nights are bright with stars
Or come when the moon is mellow;
Come when the sun his golden bars
Drops on the hay-field yellow.
Come in the twilight soft and gray,
Come in the night or come in the day,
Come, O love, whene’er you may,
And you are welcome, welcome.
You are sweet, O Love, dear Love,
You are soft as the nesting dove.
Come to my heart and bring it to rest
As the bird flies home to its welcome nest.
Come when my heart is full of grief
Or when my heart is merry;
Come with the falling of the leaf
Or with the redd’ning cherry.
Come when the year’s first blossom blows,
Come when the summer gleams and glows,
Come with the winter’s drifting snows,
And you are welcome, welcome.
Paul Laurence Dunbar
A Negro Love Song
Seen my lady home las’ night,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Hel’ huh han’ an’ sque’z it tight,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Hyeahd huh sigh a little sigh,
Seen a light gleam f’om huh eye,
An’ a smile go flittin’ by–
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Hyeahd de win’ blow thoo de pine,
Jump back, honey, jump back,
Mockin’-bird was singin’ fine,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
An’ my hea’t was beatin’ so,
When I reached my lady’s do’,
Dat I couldn’t ba’ to go–
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Put my ahm aroun’ huh wais’,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Raised huh lips an’ took a tase,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Love me, honey, love me true?
Love me well ez I love you?
An’ she answe’d, “‘Cose I do”–
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Valentine Love
(You can hear the song here)
I’m sending you a Valentine
In hopes that you’re still mine
And if that Valentine
Doesn’t reach you, it’s okay
Now it’s not as bad
Like you thought it would be
Come on, baby, and take my heart
I love you still and I always will
Be yours, be yours
Yours, yours, yours
I’m so in love with you
I’m sending you this Valentine
In hopes that you’re still mine
And if that Valentine
Doesn’t reach you, it’s okay
I can’t make up your mind for you
Just have patience,
That’s all you can do
I love you still and I always will
Be yours, be yours, yours
I’m on my knees
Begging you back, baby
There’s nothing I won’t do
If I could only hold you
In my arms again
Baby, baby, baby, baby
I’m so in love with you
There’s nothing your baby won’t do
If I could just (hold me)
(I’m in love)
I’m sending you this Valentine
I’m sending you this Valentine
I’m sending you this Valentine
I’m in love
Sing it, sing it, sing it, sing it, baby
Don’t give up on me (don’t give up on me)
I’m on your side (on your side)
There’s nothing, nothing I won’t do
I’m down on my knees
Begging you to stay
(Down on my knees)
Darling, please say you
Won’t go away (I won’t go away)
Ooh, baby (woo, baby, I’m in love)
Michael Henderson
