Gardner Goldsby, "The Crown" (1907)
In a tiny little cell,
And, although it spoke no language
Far as common folk could tell
Yet by means of unseen conduits,
Built by Nature to the soul
From the crystal little dewdrop,
What awondrous message stole!
He who sent the crystal dewdrop
That bedecks the petal rare,
Like a tiny ball of beauty
Nestling on its bosom fair,
Will reward each faithful worker,
When the day of life shall close,
With a crown that gleams in splendor
Like the dewdrop on the rose.
Published in The Voice of the Negro, March 1907