Congo

Congo

by Vachel Lindsay

The Congo is one of the best-known poems by American poet Vachel Lindsay (1879-1931). It was revolutionary in its use of sounds and rhythms — as sounds and rhythms — and includes elaborate annotations to guide its spoken performance. Lindsay categorized The Congo as “higher Vaudeville” and was famous for his exuberant performances of it. The poem’s imagery is racist, but Lindsay was a product of his time — born 14 years after the end of the American Civil War in Abraham Lincoln’s hometown, he revered Lincoln and viewed himself as a friend and supporter of African-American culture.(Summary by Kathy Thile)

Authors

Vachel Lindsay image

Vachel Lindsay

United States

Nicholas Vachel Lindsay was an American poet. He is considered a founder of modern singing poetry, as he referred to it, in which verses are meant to be sung or chanted. Lindsay was born in Springfie...

Books by Vachel Lindsay

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

Caedmon's Hymn Cover image

Caedmon's Hymn by Caedmon

Cædmon was an Anglo-Saxon herdsman attached to the double monastery of Streonæshalch (657–681). Originally ignorant of the art of song, Cædmon learned...

The Early Poems of Hart Crane Cover image

The Early Poems of Hart Crane by Hart Crane

These poems are like a siren song, calling us to the edge of the abyss. The Early Poems of Hart Crane is a collection of Crane's earliest work, writt...

おくのほそ道 (Oku no Hosomichi) Cover image

おくのほそ道 (Oku no Hosomichi) by Matsuo Bashō

Oku no Hosomichi (meaning Narrow Road to Oku [the Deep North]) is a major work by Matsuo Bashō.Oku no Hosomichi was written based on a journey taken b...

Shepherdess Cover image

Shepherdess by Alice Meynell

Alice Meynell's "The Shepherdess" is a collection of poems exploring themes of love, loss, nature, and spirituality. Known for her lyrical style and e...

Poems of American History, Volume 5, The Period of Expansion Cover image

Poems of American History, Volume 5, The Period of Expansion by Various

This anthology compiles a collection of poems from various American poets, spanning a crucial period in American history from the Reconstruction era f...

Selection from the Sonnets of William Wordsworth Cover image

Selection from the Sonnets of William Wordsworth by William Wordsworth

This selection of William Wordsworth's sonnets showcases his deep appreciation for the natural world, his reflections on human relationships, and his...

Goodfriday, 1613. Riding Westward Cover image

Goodfriday, 1613. Riding Westward by John Donne

John Donne's 'Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward' is a meditative poem that reflects on the themes of sin, redemption, and the transformative power of...

Railway Train Cover image

Railway Train by Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson's "The Railway Train" is a short poem that uses the imagery of a train journey to explore themes of mortality and the passage of time....

Juvenile Bible Cover image

Juvenile Bible by Anonymous

This book, 'Juvenile Bible', presents a collection of short poems, one for each book of the Bible (both Old and New Testaments). Written in an accessi...

Pan-American Poems: An Anthology  Cover image

Pan-American Poems: An Anthology by Agnes Blake Poor

In this anthology, Agnes Blake Poor introduces to the American public a collection of Latin American poets in translation. The poems are organized by...

Reviews for Congo

No reviews posted or approved, yet...