Keep A-Pluggin' Away
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
I'VE a humble little motto
That is homely, though it's true, —
Keep a-pluggin' away.
It's a thing when I've an object
That I always try to do, —
Keep a-pluggin' away.
When you've rising storms to quell,
When opposing waters swell,
It will never fail to tell, —
Keep a-pluggin' away.
If the hills are high before
And the paths are hard to climb,
Keep a-pluggin' away.
And remember that successes
Come to him who bides his time, —
Keep a-pluggin' away.
From the greatest to the least,
None are from the rule released.
Be thou toiler, poet, priest,
Keep a-pluggin' away.
Delve away beneath the surface,
There is treasure farther down, —
Keep a-pluggin' away.
Let the rain come down in torrents,
Let the threat'ning heavens frown,
Keep a-pluggin' away.
When the clouds have rolled away,
There will come a brighter day
All your labor to repay, —
Keep a-pluggin' away.
There 'll be lots of sneers to swallow.
There'll be lots of pain to bear, —
Keep a-pluggin' away.
If you've got your eye on heaven,
Some bright day you'll wake up there,
Keep a-pluggin' away.
Perseverance still is king;
Time its sure reward will bring;
Work and wait unwearying,—
Keep a-pluggin' away.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 25, 2023
- 1:05 min read
- 606 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | abCdbCeeeCfgChgCiiiCjkClkCcccCamCnmCoooC |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,151 |
Words | 209 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 40 |
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"Keep A-Pluggin' Away" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/28764/keep-a-pluggin'-away>.
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