We Wear the Mask
We 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, O 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!
Quick facts about “We Wear the Mask”
- Author
- Paul Laurence Dunbar
- First line
- We wear the mask that grins and lies,
- Length
- 15 lines in 3 stanzas
- Time to learn
- about 8 minutes
Questions about “We Wear the Mask”
Who wrote “We Wear the Mask”?
“We Wear the Mask” was written by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
What is the first line of “We Wear the Mask”?
The first line of “We Wear the Mask” is: “We wear the mask that grins and lies,”
How long is “We Wear the Mask”?
“We Wear the Mask” is 15 lines long, in 3 stanzas.
How long does it take to memorize “We Wear the Mask”?
Plan on about 8 minutes in the Memorizun trainer, which hides words and letters step by step so you recall the text instead of rereading it. A few short sessions on separate days help it stick.
What is the best way to memorize “We Wear the Mask”?
Read it aloud once or twice, then use the trainer to hide more of the text each round until you can say it without looking. Learn it stanza by stanza, then join the stanzas together. Review it again the next day.
