Page 91 - Lavender-B-6
P. 91
No, man of ice,—for shame, for shame!
For ‘Christmas Day’ is no mere name.
No, not for you this ringing cheer,
This festal season of the year.
And not for you the chime of bells
From holy temple rolls and swells.
In day and deed he has no part—
Who holds not Christmas in his heart!
festal: festive —Paul Laurence Dunbar
swells: to become louder
About the poet
Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906) was one of the first African-American poets to gain national recognition. He published
his first poems at the age of 16. In 1893, Dunbar self-published his first collection, Oak and Ivy. By 1895, Dunbar’s poems began
appearing in major national newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times. He published his second collection,
Majors and Minors in1895.
Time to answer
A. Choose the correct answer.
1. Which festival is being described in the poem?
New Year Easter
Onam Christmas
2. Which set of lines tells you that people are happy and joyful?
Within his chamber, dim and cold,
There sits a grasping miser old.
The coasting crowd upon the hill
With some new spirit seems to thrill
Upon a world to him all gray,
And snarls, ‘Why, this is Christmas Day!’
No, not for you this ringing cheer,
This festal season of the year.
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