The Black Mammy
James Weldon Johnson 1871 (Jacksonville) – 1938 (Wiscasset)
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?
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 42 sec read
- 130 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCDCDEFEFGHIH |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 720 |
Words | 140 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 16 |
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"The Black Mammy" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/20731/the-black-mammy>.
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