I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in 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 of 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. | |
Analysis:
Allusion: His life
Tone: Reminiscing
Figurative Language:
1. The river "lulled" him to sleep
2. New Orleans' "muddy bosom"
3. The singing of the Mississippi
Theme: Memories can last through generations
Final Interpretation: I think Langston Hughes is saying discussing his ancestors
