{"id":655,"date":"2019-11-17T19:24:10","date_gmt":"2019-11-17T19:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english528fa19\/?page_id=655"},"modified":"2019-11-17T19:24:10","modified_gmt":"2019-11-17T19:24:10","slug":"gwendolyn-b-bennett-to-usward-1924-heritage-1923-song-1926","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english528sp2020\/texts\/gwendolyn-b-bennett-to-usward-1924-heritage-1923-song-1926\/","title":{"rendered":"Gwendolyn B. Bennett"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/a>

To Usward (1924)<\/h2>\n

Let us be still
\nAs ginger jars are still
\nUpon a Chinese shelf.
\nAnd let us be contained
\nBy entities of Self \u2026
\nNot still with lethargy and sloth,
\nBut quiet with the pushing of our growth.
\nNot self-contained with smug identity
\nBut conscious of the strength in entity.
\nIf any have a song to sing
\nThat\u2019s different from the rest,
\nOh let them sing
\nBefore the urgency of Youth\u2019s behest!
\nFor some of us have songs to sing
\nOf jungle heat and fires,
\nAnd some of us are solemn grown
\nWith pitiful desires,
\nAnd there are those who feel the pull
\nOf seas beneath the skies,
\nAnd some there be who want to croon
\nOf Negro lullabies.
\nWe claim no part with racial dearth;
\nWe want to sing the songs of birth!
\nAnd so we stand like ginger jars
\nLike ginger jars bound round
\nWith dust and age;
\nLike jars of ginger we are sealed
\nBy nature\u2019s heritage.
\nBut let us break the seal of years
\nWith pungent thrusts of song,
\nFor there is joy in long-dried tears
\nFor whetted passions of a throng!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n<\/a>

Heritage (1923)<\/h2>\n

I want to see the slim palm-trees,
\nPulling at the clouds
\nWith little pointed fingers \u2026
\nI want to see lithe Negro girls,
\nEtched dark against the sky
\nWhile sunset lingers.
\nI want to hear the silent sands,
\nSinging to the moon
\nBefore the Sphinx-still face \u2026
\nI want to hear the chanting
\nAround a heathen fire
\nOf a strange black race.
\nI want to breathe the Lotus flow\u2019r,
\nSighing to the stars
\nWith tendrils drinking at the Nile \u2026
\nI want to feel the surging
\nOf my sad people\u2019s soul
\nHidden by a minstrel-smile.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>

Song (1926)<\/h2>\n

I am weaving a song of waters,
\nShaken from firm, brown limbs,
\nOr heads thrown back in irreverent mirth.
\nMy song has the lush sweetness
\nOf moist, dark lips
\nWhere hymns keep company
\nWith old forgotten banjo songs.
\nAbandon tells you
\nThat I sing the heart of race
\nWhile sadness whispers
\nThat I am the cry of a soul \u2026
\nA-shoutin\u2019 in de ole camp-meeting-place,
\nA-strummin\u2019 o\u2019 de ole banjo.
\nSingin\u2019 in de moonlight,
\nSobbin\u2019 in de dark.
\nSingin\u2019, sobbin\u2019, strummin\u2019 slow \u2026
\nSingin\u2019 slow, sobbin\u2019 low.
\nStrummin\u2019, strummin\u2019, strummin\u2019 slow \u2026
\nWords are bright bugles
\nThat make the shining for my song,
\nAnd mothers hold down babies
\nTo dark, warm breasts
\nTo make my singing sad.
\nA dancing girl with swaying hips
\nSets mad the queen in the harlot\u2019s eye.
\nPraying slave
\nJazz-band after
\nBreaking heart
\nTo the time of laughter \u2026
\nClinking chains and minstrelsy
\nAre wedged fast with melody.
\nA praying slave
\nWith a jazz-band after \u2026
\nSingin\u2019 slow, sobbin\u2019 low.
\nSun-baked lips will kiss the earth.
\nThroats of bronze will burst with mirth.
\nSing a little faster,
\nSing a little faster,
\nSing!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To Usward (1924) Let us be still As ginger jars are still Upon a Chinese shelf. And let us be contained By entities of Self \u2026 Not still with lethargy and sloth, But quiet with the pushing of our growth. Not self-contained with smug identity But conscious of the strength in entity. If any have … Continue reading “Gwendolyn B. Bennett”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":24,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"class_list":["post-655","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english528sp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english528sp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english528sp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english528sp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english528sp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=655"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english528sp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/655\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english528sp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english528sp2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}