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Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow/The Death of the First Born

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4644517Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow — The Death of the First Born1905Paul Laurence Dunbar

THE DEATH OF THE FIRST BORN

COVER him over with daisies white,And eke with the poppies red,Sit with me here by his couch to-night,For the First-Born, Love, is dead. Poor little fellow, he seemed so fairAs he lay in my jealous arms;Silent and cold he is lying thereStripped of his darling charms.
Lusty and strong he had grown  forsooth,Sweet with an infinite grace,Proud in the force of his conquering  youth,Laughter alight in his face.
Oh, but the blast, it was cruel and  keen,And ah, but the chill it was rare;The look of the winter-kissed flow'r  you've seenWhen meadows and fields were  bare.
Can you not wake from this white,  cold sleepAnd speak to me once again? True that your slumber is deep, so  deep,But deeper by far is my pain.
Cover him over with daisies white,And eke with the poppies red,Sit with me here by his couch to-night,For the First-Born, Love, is dead.