The Weary Blues

by Langston Hughes · 1925 · 1 min di lettura · 35 righe

In breve

“The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes is a poem about a Black musician whose late-night performance expresses loneliness, sorrow, and a wish for relief. A listener describes hearing him on Lenox Avenue beneath an old gas light. The musician sways on a rickety stool, moving his hands across the piano keys and making the instrument seem to moan. His first song admits that he is alone but imagines setting his troubles aside. His tapping foot leads into another verse, where dissatisfaction deepens into a wish for death. He keeps singing far into the night, until the stars and moon disappear. Finally, he goes to bed, but the blues continue in his mind, and his heavy sleep resembles both rest and death.

Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,I heard a Negro play.Down on Lenox Avenue the other nightBy the pale dull pallor of an old gas lightHe did a lazy sway. . . .He did a lazy sway. . . .To the tune o’ those Weary Blues.With his ebony hands on each ivory keyHe made that poor piano moan with melody.O Blues!Swaying to and fro on his rickety stoolHe played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool.Sweet Blues!Coming from a black man’s soul.O Blues!In a deep song voice with a melancholy toneI heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan—“Ain’t got nobody in all this world,Ain’t got nobody but ma self.I’s gwine to quit ma frownin’And put ma troubles on the shelf.”Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.He played a few chords then he sang some more—“I got the Weary BluesAnd I can’t be satisfied.Got the Weary BluesAnd can’t be satisfied—I ain’t happy no mo’And I wish that I had died.”

And far into the night he crooned that tune.The stars went out and so did the moon.The singer stopped playing and went to bedWhile the Weary Blues echoed through his head.He slept like a rock or a man that’s dead.

Il significato, riga per riga

Righe da 1 a 8: The speaker recalls hearing a Black musician play on Lenox Avenue at night. The dim gas light and the musician’s slow swaying establish a tired, subdued mood. Repeated descriptions of his movement, along with the opening sounds and rhythms, make the poem seem to move with the performance.

Righe da 9 a 18: The focus shifts to the musician’s hands, his unstable stool, and the piano’s mournful sound. Describing the piano as moaning makes it seem to share his feelings. The speaker’s brief calls to the blues interrupt the description, emphasizing that the music is both sorrowful and sweet.

Righe da 19 a 24: The musician’s own words enter the poem. He sings about having no one but himself, then declares that he will stop frowning and put his worries aside. That turn suggests an effort to manage sorrow rather than simply surrender to it. His foot’s repeated thumping carries the music into the next verse.

Righe da 25 a 30: The next verse replaces the earlier effort at relief with repeated dissatisfaction. The singer says that happiness is gone and expresses a wish that he had died. Repetition gives these feelings musical structure while also making his unhappiness sound persistent and difficult to escape.

Righe da 31 a 35: The performance continues deep into the night before the musician finally goes to bed. Although the playing stops, the blues remain in his head. The final comparison links his heavy sleep with both a rock and a dead man, leaving rest closely connected to the death wish in his song.

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Tre domande su cui riflettere

How do the musician’s movements and the piano’s sounds shape the mood of the performance?
What changes between the singer’s first attempt to set troubles aside and his later verse?
How does the final description of sleep connect with the feelings expressed in the song?

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200.000+ classici. Ogni formato, gratis per iniziare.

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