Hello and welcome back to the Daily Poem here in the Close Reeds Podcast Network. I'm David Kern.

Today's poem is by a poet that you absolutely must know. That's Langston Hughes, James Mercer,

Langston Hughes, lived from 1901 to 1967. He was a poet, activist, novelist,

playwright. He is perhaps best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance in New York City,

wrote jazz poetry, as it's sometimes called. Given that the Harlem Renaissance was one of the

most important artistic movements

in American history, I do hope that you know Langston Hughes, at least a little bit.

Today's poem is called The Negro Speaks of Rivers. It's a poem that was written when

Langston Hughes was just 17, and according to Hughes' own telling, was written while

he was on the way to visit his father in Mexico. This is how it goes. I've known rivers. I've known

rivers. Ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood and human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. I bathed in the Euphrates

when dawns were young. I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. I looked upon

the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. I heard the singing in the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln

went down to New Orleans and I've seen its muddy bosom turn the singing in the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans,

and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset. I've known rivers, ancient

dusky rivers. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. This is one of those poems that will stick with you.

It sticks with me.

I find it haunting and hopeful at the same time.

Lankston Hughes, of course, was speaking on behalf of so many African Americans

who'd been enslaved and persecuted and treated so badly for so many centuries.

His poem is one about freedom, but it's also one about death.

I've heard it said that this is a poem both about death and deathlessness,

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