Key Information:
- Title: “The Weary Blues”
- Poet: Langston Hughes (1910-1967)
- Published: 1926, Opportunity.
Theme: The Pain and Beauty of Black Art.
Literary Device: Simile, Metaphor, Alliteration, Repetition.
Summary
The poem “The Weary Blues” was written by Langston Hughes in 1925 during the Harlem Renaissance. During this time, African-Americans gained fame as artists and musicians. It was published in Opportunity magazine in 1926. In the poem, the speaker goes to a concert on Lenox Avenue at night where a black American sings out his pain.
The singer at the concert was an African American. He was playing the Black People’s famous music “Blue”. He is swinging and playing the piano slowly. But his lyrics were very serious. Every line of this song is an expression of the oppression of Black Americans. The singer portrays the injustice done to them by White Americans through his lyrics. The poet observes that music has an extraordinary power. Through music, their sorrow and pain have been beautifully revealed.
Here the speaker describes the singer, piano, etc perfectly. The words of the musician reveal their immense suffering. There is no one to support them in this world. He is not happy with his current situation. He said it is better to die than to live in such a condition. Through this, his pain will also decrease. No more suffering he has to suffer in the future.
After that, the poet said, it was a long night to sing. The moon and stars in the night sky slowly blend in. The musician stopped playing at one point and fell asleep next to him like a dead man. And this is where the poem ends.
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