The Weary Blues

A shining star of the Harlem Renaissance movement, Langston Hughes--a poet, novelist, and playwright--was one of the most revered African American writers. His first published collection of poems, The Weary Blues, was a tour de force upon its release. Over ninety years later, it remains critically acclaimed and still evokes a fresh, contemporary feeling. The title poem, "The Weary Blues," influenced by the dialect and rhythm of blues, weaves pain and suffering into haunting melodic prose. "Dream Variation" rings with joyfulness amid oppression. "Epilogue" mimics Walt Whitman in its opening line, "I, too, sing America," proclaiming that the United States will someday fulfill its promise of equality. A powerful reflection of the Black experience, Hughes's words remain prophetic and relevant.