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1871–1938

THE AWAKENING

James Weldon Johnson

I dreamed that I was a rose That grew beside a lonely way, Close by a path none ever chose, And there I lingered day by day.

Beneath the sunshine and the show'r I grew and waited there apart, Gathering perfume hour by hour, And storing it within my heart,

Yet, never knew, Just why I waited there and grew. I dreamed that you were a bee That one day gaily flew along,

You came across the hedge to me, And sang a soft, love-burdened song. You brushed my petals with a kiss, I woke to gladness with a start,

And yielded up to you in bliss The treasured fragrance of my heart; And then I knew That I had waited there for you.

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THE AWAKENING · James Weldon Johnson · Poetry Cove