Sunday, May 22, 2011

In Memoriam: Langston Hughes Feb. 1, 1902--May 22, 1967

Afro-American Fragment

So long,
So far away
Is Africa.
Not even memories alive
Save those that history books create,
Save those that songs
Beat back into the blood--
Beat out of blood with words sad-sung
In strange un-Negro tongue--
So long,
So far away
Is Africa.

Subdued and time-lost
Are the drums--and yet
Through some vast mist of race
There comes this song
I do not understand,
This song of atavistic land,
Of bitter yearnings lost
Without a place--
So long,
So far away
Is Africa's
Dark face.

-- Langston Hughes --
from Selected Poems of Langston Hughes

8 comments:

  1. Excellent poem, Fred. I like how Hughes says the memories are stirred up by the songs - it preserves the memory of Africa. I take it he means the African-influenced music and songs like Jazz, Blues, and Spirituals. It makes me hear that music in a different way, now. Thank you for posting this!

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  2. Cheryl,

    Yes, music does play an important role here. In fact, one might almost see the poem as a blues song.

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  3. What timing. We just watched the one man play Thurgood about Thurgood Marshall. Langston Hughes is mention numerous times in it.

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  4. Thanks for sharing this-not long ago I read and posted on what I think is his most famous short story "thank you m'am"

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  5. Scott,

    I wasn't aware of any connection between them. Was it a personal relationship or did they use Hughes' poetry as background for mood or theme setting?

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  6. mel u,

    I've never looked at any of Hughes' fiction as best as I can remember, as I'm only familiar with his poetry, and not very familiar at that. These posts on his poetry are actually an eye-opener for me.

    I should look around for his fiction.

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  7. Here's a link to that short story "Thank you, M'am".

    http://tinyurl.com/2xrrfc

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  8. Cheryl,

    Thanks for the link. I'll check it out.

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