Jean Toomer

Jean Toomer was an American poet and novelist of the Harlem Renaissance. His poetry is known for its lyrical blending of African American folk traditions and modernist techniques. Biography ↓More ↓

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Jean Toomer

Reapers

Black reapers with the sound of steel on stones Are sharpening scythes. I see them place the hones In their hip-pockets as a thing that’s done, And start their silent swinging, one by one. Black horses drive a mower through the weeds, And there, a field rat, startled, squealing bleeds, His belly close to ground. I see the blade, Blood-stained, continue cutting weeds and shade.

Biography

Jean Toomer was an American poet, novelist, and playwright associated with the Harlem Renaissance. His poetry is known for its lyrical blending of African American folk traditions and modernist techniques, exploring themes of identity, spirituality, and the American South. Toomer is best known for his 1923 work Cane, a hybrid of poetry and prose that became a landmark of African American literature. His writing often reflects a search for unity across racial and cultural divides. Toomer's literary significance lies in his innovative form and his influence on later writers of the Harlem Renaissance.

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