Ode to Ethiopia

"Ode to Ethiopia" is an 1896 poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar, a noted African-American poet who achieved a national reputation in the United States before the end of the nineteenth century.
Summary.
Dunbar presents ideas of Ethiopia as a mother, shows a pride in the African-American people, and encourages hope as well as racial pride. His poem emphasizes a belief in a brighter future ahead for the people of Ethiopia which is based on their own honor and hard labour.
Afro American Symphony.
Part of this poem was used as a prologue to the fourth movement of William Grant Still's Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American":