WE WEAR THE MASK
by: Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)
E wear the mask that grins and lies, - It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes--
- This debt we pay to human guile;
- With torn and bleeding hearts we smile
- And mouth with myriad subtleties.
- Why should the world be over-wise,
- In counting all our tears and sighs?
- Nay, let them only see us while
- We wear the mask.
- We smile, but oh great Christ, our cries
- To Thee from tortured souls arise.
- We sing, but oh the clay is vile
- Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
- But let the world dream otherwise,
- We wear the mask!
1 comment:
Wow this piece is very powerful in describing the false strength that we express to the world. In reality, as he states "We smile, but oh great Christ , our cries to Thee from tortured soul arise" shows that our despair of sin is masked from the world but we can not hide from God. Dunbar expresses the flaws of human beings as hypocracy. We claim to be happy thorugh our masks in the social world. In other words "We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile" which means that we all have flaws. Regardless of hiding behind a mask, God sees our despair within our "tortured souls." We are unable to hide our hurt from God.
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