James Weldon Johnson (Джеймс Уэлдон Джонсон)

The Black Mammy

O whitened head entwined in turban gay,
O kind black face, O crude, but tender hand,
O foster-mother in whose arms there lay
The race whose sons are masters of the land!
It was thine arms that sheltered in their fold,
It was thine eyes that followed through the length
Of infant days these sons. In times of old
It was thy breast that nourished them to strength.

So often hast thou to thy bosom pressed
The golden head, the face and brow of snow;
So often has it 'gainst thy broad, dark breast
Lain, set off like a quickened cameo.
Thou simple soul, as cuddling down that babe
With thy sweet croon, so plaintive and so wild,
Came ne'er the thought to thee, swift like a stab,
That it some day might crush thine own black child?

1. The Color Sergeant
2. Her Eyes Twin Pools
3. A Banjo Song
4. Answer to Prayer
5. Down by the Carib Sea. 6. Sunset in the Tropics

Распечатать (Print)

Количество обращений к стихотворению: 1132

Последние стихотворения

To English version