Page:The complete poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar.pdf/52

 "An' ef he refuse to do it,
 * I will make him rue de houah,

Fu' I'll empty down on Egypt
 * All de vials of my powah."

Yes, he did—an' Pher'oh's ahmy
 * Wasn't wuth a ha'f a dime;

Fu' de Lawd will he'p his chillun,
 * You kin trust him evah time.

An' yo' enemies may 'sail you
 * In de back an' in de front;

But de Lawd is all aroun' you,
 * Fu' to ba' de battle's brunt.

Dey kin fo'ge yo' chains an' shackles
 * F'om de mountains to de sea;

But de Lawd will sen' some Moses
 * Fu' to set his chillun free.

An' de lan' shall hyeah his thundah,
 * Lak a blas' fom Gab'el's ho'n,

Fu' de Lawd of hosts is mighty
 * When he girds his ahmor on.

But fu' feah some one mistakes me,
 * I will pause right hyeah to say,

Dat I'm still a-preachin' ancient,
 * I ain't talkin' 'bout to-day.

But I tell you, fellah christuns,
 * Things'll happen mighty strange;

Now, de Lawd done dis fu' Isrul,
 * An' his ways don't nevah change,

An' de love he showed to Isrul
 * Wasn't all on Isrul spent;

Now don't run an' tell yo' mastahs
 * Dat I's preachin' discontent.

Cause I isn't; I'se a-judgin'
 * Bible people by deir ac's;

I'se a-givin' you de Scriptuah,
 * I'se a-handin' you de fac's.

Cose ole Pher'oh b'lieved in slav'ry,
 * But de Lawd he let him see,

Dat de people he put bref in,—
 * Evah mothah's son was free.

An' dahs othahs thinks lak Pher'oh,
 * But dey calls de Scriptuah liar,

Fu' de Bible says "a servant
 * Is a-worthy of his hire."

An' you cain't git roun' nor thoo dat,
 * An' you cain't git ovah it,

Fu' whatevah place you git in,
 * Dis hyeah Bible too 'll fit.

So you see de Lawd's intention,
 * Evah sence de worl' began,

Was dat His almighty freedom
 * Should belong to evah man,

But I think it would be bettah,
 * Ef I'd pause agin to say,

Dat I'm talkin' 'bout ouah freedom
 * In a Bibleistic way.

But de Moses is a-comin',
 * An' he's comin', suah and fas'