The Weary Blues

The Weary Blues is Langston Hughes's first published collection of poems, immediately celebrated as a tour de force upon its release. Over ninety years after its publication, it remains a critically acclaimed literary work and still evokes a fresh, contemporary feeling and offers a powerful reflection of the Black experience. From the title poem "The Weary Blues," echoing the sounds of the blues, to "Dream Variation," ringing with joyfulness, to the "Epilogue" that mimics Walt Whitman in its opening line, "I, too, sing America," Hughes writes clearly and colorfully, and his words remain prophetic and relevant today.

Immediately celebrated as a tour de force upon its release, Langston Hughes's first published collection of poems still offers a powerful reflection of the Black experience. From "The Weary Blues" to "Dream Variation," Hughes writes clearly and colorfully, and his words remain prophetic.

Introducing Langston Hughes to the Reader by Carl Van Vechten
 
Proem 
 
THE WEARY BLUES
The Weary Blues 
Jazzonia 
Negro Dancers 
The Cat and the Saxophone 
Young Singer 
Cabaret
To Midnight Nan at Leroy’s 
To a Little Lover-Lass, Dead 
Harlem Night Club 
Nude Young Dancer 
Young Prostitute 
To a Black Dancer in "The Little Savoy" 
Song for a Banjo Dance 
Blues Fantasy 
Lenox Avenue: Midnight 
 
DREAM VARIATIONS
Dream Variation 
Winter Moon 
Poème d’Automne 
Fantasy in Purple 
March Moon 
Joy 
 
THE NEGRO SPEAKS OF RIVERS
The Negro Speaks of Rivers 
Cross 
The Jester 
The South 
As I Grew Older 
Aunt Sue’s Stories 
Poem 
 
BLACK PIERROT
A Black Pierrot 
Harlem Night Song 
Songs to the Dark Virgin 
Ardella 
Poem 
When Sue Wears Red 
Pierrot 
 
WATER-FRONT STREETS
Water-Front Streets 
A Farewell 
Long Trip 
Port Town 
Sea Calm 
Caribbean Sunset 
Young Sailor 
Seascape 
Natcha 
Sea Charm 
Death of an Old Seaman 
 
SHADOWS IN THE SUN
Beggar Boy 
Troubled Woman 
Suicide’s Note 
Sick Room 
Soledad 
To the Dark Mercedes of "El Palacio de Amor" 
Mexican Market Woman 
After Many Springs 
Young Bride 
The Dream Keeper 
Poem 
 
OUR LAND
Our Land 
Lament for Dark Peoples 
Afraid 
Poem 
Summer Night 
Disillusion 
Danse Africaine 
The White Ones 
Mother to Son 
Poem 
Epilogue 
 
Alphabetical List of Titles
Alphabetical List of First Lines

A shining star of the Harlem Renaissance movement, Langston Hughes—a poet, novelist, and playwright—was one of the most revered African American writers. His first published collection of poems, The Weary Blues, was a tour de force upon its release. Over ninety years later, it remains critically acclaimed and still evokes a fresh, contemporary feeling.
The title poem, “The Weary Blues,” influenced by the dialect and rhythm of blues, weaves pain and suffering into haunting melodic prose. “Dream Variation” rings with joyfulness amid oppression. “Epilogue” mimics Walt Whitman in its opening line, “I, too, sing America,” proclaiming that the United States will someday fulfill its promise of equality. A powerful reflection of the Black experience, Hughes’s words remain prophetic and relevant.