The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes

 

About the Poet: James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was a multifaceted literary figure, who was an eminent Black American poet, a social activist, novelist, playwright, and a radical columnist. He hailed from Joplin Missouri. He is also regarded as one of the earliest proponents of the literary genre, known as jazz poetry. Hughes is best known as one of the prominent figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Harlem, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Dreams, I, Too, are some of his notable work of poetry.  

About the Poem: The poem was first published in 1921. According to Hughes, the poem was written while he was seventeen and on a train crossing the river, Mississippi on the way to visit his father in Mexico in 1920. It is also said that he wrote the poem within ten or fifteen minutes.

Summary: In this poem the poet recounts his experience of observing ancient rivers. Rivers have played considerably huge role in the development of human civilization. Since the dawn of civilization, human settlements have been located near the rivers as it had supported their survival. Hughes mentions the names of ancient rivers like Euphrates, Congo, Mississippi and Nile to lend a prehistoric aura to the poem. It is also deliberately done by the poet to evoke certain mental associations. He draws a connection between his blood and soul and the ancient rivers. The implication is far more profound than it seems.  The poem intends to capture the vision of the poet’s inner state as well as recapitulating the history of all his predecessors. The poem is immensely subjective as it talks about his personal experience as a person who belongs to the Black race. The poem also indicates to the root of the poet’s existence of which he is actually very proud and to the brutal, inhuman system of slavery which has left an indelible mark on their generations. By tracing back the human history and its association with ancient rivers, he tries to establish the fact that the connection is deeply rooted and the human spirit will always excel even amid the path full of obstacles.

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