Zora Neale Hurston, "Reveries" (1922)
Whence come I to this world of stife,
This sphere of love, this vale of sighs?
What called me to this form of life,
This street of truth, this trough of lies?
Where shall I go when I have done?
Will nothingness my soul then claim?
Must naught come of the struggles won?
Shall I be called to praise or blame?
But, let me question as I will,
Enthralling silence answers me.
My whence is hidden to me still,
My hence is wrapped in mystery.
Published in Negro World, April 1, 1922