The Weary Blues
by Langston Hughes · 1925 · Lectură de 1 min · 35 rânduri
“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.
Ce înseamnă, rând cu rând
Rândurile 1–8: 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.
Rândurile 9–18: 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.
Rândurile 19–24: 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.
Rândurile 25–30: 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.
Rândurile 31–35: 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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Trei întrebări la care să te gândești
- 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?
Gratuit timp de 3 luni
200.000+ de opere clasice. Orice format, gratuit la început.
eBookuri și rezumate de 15 minute, iar orice carte poate fi tipărită la preț de cost, inclusiv cu caractere mari.
