Smartyfair
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!
Paul Laurence Dunbar
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95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up
We Wear the Mask, final stanza; Complete closing stanza. Acknowledges hidden suffering and the burden of concealing it; not a claim that hardship disappears. Public-domain text from the Academy of American Poets.
Work
We Wear the Mask, final stanza
Sources checked
  • poets.orgChecked using manual, 20 October 2026We Wear the Mask, final stanza; Complete closing stanza. Acknowledges hidden suffering and the burden of concealing it; not a claim that hardship disappears. Public-domain text from the Academy of American Poets.

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