Section: «Poems»
Verse (ancient Greek ὁ στίχος — row, structure), a term in versification used in several meanings:
artistic speech organized by division into rhythmically commensurate segments; poetry in the narrow sense; in particular, it implies the properties of versification of a particular tradition ("antique verse", "Akhmatova's verse", etc.);
a line of poetic text organized according to a certain rhythmic pattern ("My uncle of the most honest rules").
July In Georgy
I'm back down in ole Georgy w'ere de sun is shinin' hot,W'ere de cawn it is a-tasslin', gittin' ready fu' de pot;W'ere de cott'n is a-openin' an'..
© James Weldon Johnson
De Little Pickaninny's Gone To Sleep
Cuddle down, ma honey, in yo' bed,Go to sleep an' res' yo' little head,Been a-kind o' ailin' all de day?Didn't have no sperit fu' to play?Never min';..
© James Weldon Johnson
Down By The Carib Sea
ISunrise in the TropicsSol, Sol, mighty lord of the tropic zone,Here I wait with the trembling starsTo see thee once more take thy throne.There the..
© James Weldon Johnson
Her Eyes Twin Pools
Her eyes, twin pools of mystic light,The blend of star-sheen and black night;O'er which, to sound their glamouring haze,A man might bend, and vainly..
© James Weldon Johnson
A Banjo Song
W'en de banjos wuz a-ringin',An' de darkies wuz a-singin',Oh, wuzen dem de good times sho!All de ole folks would be chattin',An' de pickaninnies..
© James Weldon Johnson
Ghosts Of The Old Year
The snow has ceased its fluttering flight,The wind sunk to a whisper light,An ominous stillness fills the night,A pause — a hush.At last, a sound..
© James Weldon Johnson
From The German Of Uhland
Three students once tarried over the Rhine,And into Frau Wirthin's turned to dine.'Say, hostess, have you good beer and wine?And where is that pretty..
© James Weldon Johnson
Girl Of Fifteen
Girl of fifteen,I see you each morning from my windowAs you pass on your way to school.I do more than see, I watch you.I furtively draw the curtain..
© James Weldon Johnson
Dat Gal O' Mine
Skin as black an' jes as sof' as a velvet dress,Teeth as white as ivory —well dey is I guess.Eyes dat's jes as big an' bright as de evenin' star;An'..
© James Weldon Johnson
Brer Rabbit You's De Cutes' Of 'Em All
Once der was a meetin' in de wilderness,All de critters of creation dey was dar;Brer Rabbit, Brer 'Possum, Brer Wolf, Brer Fox,King Lion, Mister..
© James Weldon Johnson
From The Spanish
Twenty years go by on noiseless feet,He returns, and once again they meet,She exclaims, 'Good heavens! and is that he?'He mutters, 'My God! and that..
© James Weldon Johnson
From The Spanish Of Placido
Enough of love! Let break its every hold!Ended my youthful folly! for I knowThat, like the dazzling, glister-shedding snow,Celia, thou art beautiful..
© James Weldon Johnson
Deep In The Quiet Wood
Are you bowed down in heart?Do you but hear the clashing discords and the din of life?Then come away, come to the peaceful wood,Here bathe your soul..
© James Weldon Johnson
Fifty Years (1863-1913)
O brothers mine, to-day we standWhere half a century sweeps our ken,Since God, through Lincoln's ready hand,Struck off our bonds and made us men.Just..
© James Weldon Johnson
And The Greatest Of These Is War
Around the council-board of Hell, with Satan at their head,The Three Great Scourges of humanity sat.Gaunt Famine, with hollow cheek and voice, arose..
© James Weldon Johnson
Before A Painting
I knew not who had wrought with skill so fineWhat I beheld; nor by what laws of artHe had created life and love and heartOn canvas, from mere color..
© James Weldon Johnson
Father, Father Abraham
(On the Anniversary of Lincoln's Birth)Father, Father Abraham,Today look on us from above;On us, the offspring of thy faith,The children of thy..
© James Weldon Johnson
I Hear The Stars Still Singing
I hear the stars still singingTo the beautiful, silent night,As they speed with noiseless wingingTheir ever westward flight.I hear the waves still..
© James Weldon Johnson
An Explanation
Look heah! 'Splain to me de reasonWhy you said to Squire Lee,Der wuz twelve ole chicken thievesIn dis heah town, includin' me.Ef he tole you dat, my..
© James Weldon Johnson
A Poet To His Baby Son
Tiny bit of humanity,Blessed with your mother’s face,And cursed with your father’s mind.I say cursed with your father’s mind,Because you can lie so..
© James Weldon Johnson
Fragment
The hand of Fate cannot be stayed,The course of Fate cannot be steered,By all the gods that man has made,Nor all the devils he has feared,Not by the..
© James Weldon Johnson
A Mid-Day Dreamer
I love to sit alone, and dream,And dream, and dream;In fancy's boat to softly glideAlong some streamWhere fairy palaces of goldAnd crystal..
© James Weldon Johnson
Brothers
See! There he stands; not brave, but with an airOf sullen stupor. Mark him well! Is heNot more like brute than man? Look in his eye!No light is..
© James Weldon Johnson
Listen, Lord: A Prayer
O Lord, we come this morningKnee-bowed and body-bentBefore Thy throne of grace.O Lord--this morning--Bow our hearts beneath our knees,And our knees..
© James Weldon Johnson
Beauty That Is Never Old
When buffeted and beaten by life's storms,When by the bitter cares of life oppressed,I want no surer haven than your arms,I want no sweeter heaven..
© James Weldon Johnson