I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals—
I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting—
I know why he beats his wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—
I know why the caged bird sings!
Notes
The above poem was published in Lyrics of the Hearthside by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1899.The above poem was published in Lyrics of the Hearthside by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1899.
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This is the poem that inspired Maya Angelou's poem.
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/13414-Dr--Maya-Angelou-I-Know-Why-The-Caged-Bird-Sings
In a published book
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Dear Paul
I've read your poem a hundred times in the last thirty years. I remember coming across your works those many years ago.
It was the first time I believed in serendipity.
It would thrill you to know that today we have an African-American President of the United States.
We miss you, and cannot think of American poetry without thinking of you.
John -
This is indeed an excellent poem!
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So beautiful in so many ways and I agree, so beautifully creative and poetic to relate the oppression of slavery to that of a caged bird. There is emotion in every word. Truly poignant, this.
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5 years on
I've re-read the comment I made 5 years ago and I can answer my own question. This poem, in particular the final stanza was in fact the catalyst for May Angelou to write her work: 'I know why the caged bird sings' she also gives Dunbar full credit for his inspiration.
This too is a poem to make one think deeply and to understand the connection. ~ Von -
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Bliss
This is my favorite of Dunbar's.
"When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;"
Is that beautiful? And the way he worked the refrain line... what a piece of poetry. -
A Great Poem
I love the extended metaphor. how he uses a caged bird to represent slavery/slave. there is a lot of figurative language in this poem. Metaphors and alliteration. he did a good job representing sorrow of the "caged bird". -
I wonder if this beautiful, poignant poem was the inspiration for Dr. May Angelou's 'I know why the caged bird sings'. Mr Dunbar inspired her so much - they are both of equal value and carry similar metaphorical messages.
Von
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