Ah, little road all whirry in the breeze, A leaping clay hill lost among the trees, The bleeding note of rapture streaming thrush Caught in a drowsy hush And stretched out in a single singing line of dusky song. Ah little road, brown as my race is brown, Your trodden beauty like our trodden pride, Dust of the dust, they must not bruise you down. Rise to one brimming golden, spilling cry!
Helene Johnson (1906–1995) was an African American poet associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Her poetry often addressed themes of racial pride, identity, and the complexities of Black life in early twentieth-century America, using vivid imagery and colloquial language. Johnson gained recognition in the 1920s for poems such as 'Sonnet to a Negro in Harlem' and 'Bottled,' which appeared in magazines and anthologies of the era. She was part of a circle of young Black writers in Boston and New York who shaped the cultural movement. After the 1930s, she published little, but her early work remains significant for its voice and perspective. Her poetry is noted for its blend of traditional forms with modern subjects, and for its engagement with issues of gender and race. Johnson's contribution lies in her representation of Black womanhood and urban experience during a pivotal period in American literature.
Apprentissage pas à pas, enregistrements vocaux à partager et rappels de révision.
