The Collected Poems
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- Create Date：2021-05-29 10:53:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Langston Hughes
- ISBN：0679764089
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Summary
Spanning five decades and comprising 868 poems （nearly 300 of which have never before appeared in book form）， this magnificent volume is the definitive sampling of a writer who has been called the poet laureate of African America--and perhaps our greatest popular poet since Walt Whitman。 Here， for the first time， are all the poems that Langston Hughes published during his lifetime， arranged in the general order in which he wrote them and annotated by Arnold Rampersad and David Roessel。
Alongside such famous works as "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and Montage of a Dream Deferred， The Collected Poems includes the author's lesser-known verse for children; topical poems distributed through the Associated Negro Press; and poems such as "Goodbye Christ" that were once suppressed。 Lyrical and pungent， passionate and polemical， the result is a treasure of a book， the essential collection of a poet whose words have entered our common language。
Alongside such famous works as "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and Montage of a Dream Deferred， The Collected Poems includes the author's lesser-known verse for children; topical poems distributed through the Associated Negro Press; and poems such as "Goodbye Christ" that were once suppressed。 Lyrical and pungent， passionate and polemical， the result is a treasure of a book， the essential collection of a poet whose words have entered our common language。
Reviews
Cleo
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I can not wait for the follow up book。 If not， I will read more from Langston Hughes。
Jared
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Montage is SO GOOD
Kathleen Louise Madden Hemingway
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This is very poignant collection for our current climate。
Quinesia Johnson
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Yes！！！ I had to revisit this poet。 He gets a lot of checkmarks for what I feel is great poetry writing。 I hated his multiple references to death; however。 I loved how he's an expert in tailoring the perfect length to what he has to say also。 These are good selections from him， I love the grouping。 Totally happy。 Yes！！！ I had to revisit this poet。 He gets a lot of checkmarks for what I feel is great poetry writing。 I hated his multiple references to death; however。 I loved how he's an expert in tailoring the perfect length to what he has to say also。 These are good selections from him， I love the grouping。 Totally happy。 。。。more
Jess d'Artagnan
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I am not a great judge of poetry， but I liked Hughes' work。 One of the things I appreciate about the collected work of Langston Hughes is being able to see his writing mature over time。 He covers a wide range of topics from blues and jazz， to New York City， to social justice。 Well deserving of the praise。 I am not a great judge of poetry， but I liked Hughes' work。 One of the things I appreciate about the collected work of Langston Hughes is being able to see his writing mature over time。 He covers a wide range of topics from blues and jazz， to New York City， to social justice。 Well deserving of the praise。 。。。more
Adam Henry
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This resonated in 2020 so loudly， like a bell’s echo even louder than its gong。 The perfect monthly-read for a very scary year。
Chris Harrison
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“The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes” contains every poem that Langston Hughes ever published。 It is an expansive collection that encompasses his entire 40 year plus career。 Reading it is an enlightening experience！ I loved too many poems to mention。 Here are a few that speak volumes。"The Negro Speaks of Rivers"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 daw “The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes” contains every poem that Langston Hughes ever published。 It is an expansive collection that encompasses his entire 40 year plus career。 Reading it is an enlightening experience！ I loved too many poems to mention。 Here are a few that speak volumes。"The Negro Speaks of Rivers"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。"Advice"Folks， I'm telling you，birthing is hardand dying is mean —so get yourselfa little lovingin between。"Death In Yorkville"（James Powell， Summer， 1964）How many bullets does it takeTo kill a fifteen-year-old kid？How many bullets does it takeTo kill me？How many centuries does it takeTo bind my mind — chain my feet —Rope my neck — lynch me —Unfree？From the slave chain to the lynch ropeTo the bullets of Yorkville，Jamestown， 1619 to 1963:Emancipation Centennial —100 years NOT free。Civil War Centennial: 1965How many Centennials does it takeTo kill me，Still alive？When the long hot summers comeDeath ain’tNo jive。"Me and My Song"BlackAs the gentle nightBlackAs the kind and quiet nightAs the deep productive earthBodyOut of AfricaStrong and blackAs ironFirst smelted inAfricaSongOut of AfricaDeep and mellow songRichAs the black earthStrong as black ironKindAs the black nightMy songFrom the dark lipsOf AfricaDeepAs the rich earthBeautifulAs the black nightStrongAs the first ironBlackOut of AfricaMe and mySong 。。。more
Pat
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What a grand time was the war！ Oh， my， my！What a grand time was the war！ My， my， my！In wartime we had fun，Sorry that old war is done！What a grand time was the war， My， my！Echo: Did Somebody Die？The above is Langston Hughes’ poem， World War II。 Still relevant today， as are so many in this wonderful collection。 Aching and haunting。
Sabrina Voss
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Langston Hughes is such a great poet of the Harlem Renaissance era。 This is a great collection that Could help students during a lesson on the Harlem Renaissance。 Many of his poems are iconic in such a joy to read over and over。
Joseph Spuckler
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Simply amazing。 The poet grows before your eyes。 From simple poems to lynchings， to communism， to the realization that democracy and Jim Crow should not have anything in common。 A powerful and moving voice。
Batya K。
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Honestly English-language poetry reached its peak with Hughes， the rest of us should probably give up。
ruby vozza
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Lovely！ The Weary Blues is probably my favorite
Brendon
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His good poems are incredible and some of my favourites， but the vast majority of these are not at that level。 The collection itself is very thorough and well done， but I am just not enough of a superfan to warrant reading every half-baked idea the guy ever scribbled down。
Jimmy
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It is a lot of reading and not all of it is good， but I loved most of what I read。 What a fascinating man。 I would love to watch some documentaries about his life。
Brad McKenna
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Mr。 Hughes lived up to the hype， a rare feat。 I'd been coming across his name frequently during my PoC reading and finally decided to give him a go。 I'm glad I did。 So many of his poems read like Blues lyrics。 And while The Blues relates some weighty stuff， Mr。 Hughes' poems covered an astounding array of political topics。 From his Communist sympathies early in life to his more Christian leanings later， he also brought up tough questions that people refused to even see let alone answer。 Some of Mr。 Hughes lived up to the hype， a rare feat。 I'd been coming across his name frequently during my PoC reading and finally decided to give him a go。 I'm glad I did。 So many of his poems read like Blues lyrics。 And while The Blues relates some weighty stuff， Mr。 Hughes' poems covered an astounding array of political topics。 From his Communist sympathies early in life to his more Christian leanings later， he also brought up tough questions that people refused to even see let alone answer。 Some of the poems that hit me deep in the feels were:The last poem of the first section， which ends with the 1930 poem， Merry Christmas （132） pulls no punches against oppression around the world。He wasn't subtle about his Communist sympathies but Put One More "S" in the U。S。A。 （177） was blatantly obvious。Ballad of Roosevelt （178） at least during his 1st term FDR was no friend to blacks。The note for Call of Ethiopia （184） learned me that Ethiopia and Liberia were the only 2 independent countries in Africa in 1935Ballad of Ozzie Powell （185） written for one of the Scotsboro boys and is important because it was the first time the Supreme Court declared people have the right to competent legal representation。Southern Negro Speaks （238） isn't happy or hopeful。 It's asking why the US is fighting for freedom in Europe when Jim Crow rules the south。Freedom's Plow （263） continues a trend of tough poems， it's hopeful but not as happy as the first few poems of the decade。 Also the longest poem yet at 5 pages。Beaumont to Detroit:1943 （280） wherein Hitler = Jim CrowWho but the Lord （332） is an example of how police brutality has been around for far too long。On a Pallet of Straw （460） is another day devoted Christian poem。 It's a long way from the Communist tinged poems he wrote a couple decades ago。 。。。more
Cassidy Adams
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“The people do not always say things out loud， nor write them down on paper。 The people often hold great thoughts in their deepest hearts and sometimes only blunderingly express them， haltingly and stumbling say them， and faultingly put them into practice。 The people do not always understand each other。 But there is， somewhere there， always the trying to understand， and the trying to say， ‘you are a man。 Together we are building our land。’”
Thom Sutton
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Exactly what I want for every poetry collection I read:Everything published in their lifetime in chronological order broken down by decade with major books/collections clearly marked。Montage of a Dream Differed and Ask Your Mama are fantastic and the definite standouts for me， but there are tons of rich and powerful poems scattered throughout his career。 It's especially interesting going through it all in order and watching as he gets fixated on certain themes and characters or plays with specif Exactly what I want for every poetry collection I read:Everything published in their lifetime in chronological order broken down by decade with major books/collections clearly marked。Montage of a Dream Differed and Ask Your Mama are fantastic and the definite standouts for me， but there are tons of rich and powerful poems scattered throughout his career。 It's especially interesting going through it all in order and watching as he gets fixated on certain themes and characters or plays with specific symbols and formatting ideas until he gets it down into its bare essence。 。。。more
Becki Iverson
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Much as I read through MLKJ's entire collected works a few pages per day a couple of years ago， this year I chose to do the same with Langston Hughes' poetry。 Going through Hughes' lyrical verse has been a balm throughout quarantine and I'm super proud to have made it through this hefty tome so quickly。 I found several gems in here that I plan to return to and meditate on frequently， and it's really astonishing how vast the breadth of his brush is able to capture in such an economy of language。 Much as I read through MLKJ's entire collected works a few pages per day a couple of years ago， this year I chose to do the same with Langston Hughes' poetry。 Going through Hughes' lyrical verse has been a balm throughout quarantine and I'm super proud to have made it through this hefty tome so quickly。 I found several gems in here that I plan to return to and meditate on frequently， and it's really astonishing how vast the breadth of his brush is able to capture in such an economy of language。 It's also a very jazzy kind of poetry and I could feel the Harlem Renaissance palpably throughout his poems。 Overall there's also a fair amount of "fluff" here （good fluff， but fluff nonetheless） that cluttered up a bit of what I thought were Hughes' standout works， but this is intended to be an entire collection of everything he wrote so I didn't remove stars for that reason。 Overall - this is an easy book to fly through or flip back and forth to savor various sections， and it's worth adding to your list if you're trying to familiarize better with historic Black authors。 。。。more
Christopher Perkins
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read in two days。 Book gives a good scope of Hughes' style & poems。 read in two days。 Book gives a good scope of Hughes' style & poems。 。。。more
Conor Spencer
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The Harlem Renaissance is one of the most interesting movements of early-mid 20th century America。 Hughes poem 'Come to the Waldorf Astoria' still holds up perfectly today in its social and racial critiques。 The Harlem Renaissance is one of the most interesting movements of early-mid 20th century America。 Hughes poem 'Come to the Waldorf Astoria' still holds up perfectly today in its social and racial critiques。 。。。more
Izzy Rizzo
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langston hughes， i suggest a raisin in the sun
Ashton
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This collection was so soulful， free spirited and damp all at once。 I loved a Negro Mother and Freedom Riders a lot and how he champions equality and challenging current democracy while not neglecting to comment on ancestry。 The rhythm he beats to is almost inviting to carry on the conversation for there to be a forward motion。 “We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame。 If white people are pleased， we are glad。 If they are This collection was so soulful， free spirited and damp all at once。 I loved a Negro Mother and Freedom Riders a lot and how he champions equality and challenging current democracy while not neglecting to comment on ancestry。 The rhythm he beats to is almost inviting to carry on the conversation for there to be a forward motion。 “We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame。 If white people are pleased， we are glad。 If they are not， it doesn’t matter。 We know we are beautiful。 And ugly too。 The tom-tom cries and the tom-tom laughs。 If colored people are pleased we are。 If they are not， their displeasure doesn’t matter either。 We build our temples for tomorrow， strong as we know how， and we stand on top of the mountain， free within ourselves。” 。。。more
Austin Evans
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It would be seriously remiss if middle schoolers were not exposed to the poetry of Langston Hughes at some point during their middle education。 There are many brilliant gems in this collection of poems but one of the poems I would have my students read is as follows: "I loved my friend/ He went away from me。/ There’s nothing more to say。/ The poem ends，/ Soft as it began-- / I loved my friend。" The elegantly beautiful poem offers so much with so few words。 It reveals the unspoken sentiments of l It would be seriously remiss if middle schoolers were not exposed to the poetry of Langston Hughes at some point during their middle education。 There are many brilliant gems in this collection of poems but one of the poems I would have my students read is as follows: "I loved my friend/ He went away from me。/ There’s nothing more to say。/ The poem ends，/ Soft as it began-- / I loved my friend。" The elegantly beautiful poem offers so much with so few words。 It reveals the unspoken sentiments of loss while also leaving Love and loss are certainly not strangers to each other。 In order to love something， one has to put part of themselves in to it and there is always a risk of losing that investment。 Middle schoolers are figuring this out as they reach out to and latch on to anything that will help them to ground their identity。 Sometimes though， the friends they pour so much of themselves into stray away。 What happens next is a turmoil， a void where love longs to be again。 This emptiness， frustration， and pain， while perhaps never fully healed， can certainly be processed through the art of expression。 In order to give students the skills to use language as a tool for processing complex emotions like love and loss， I would have them first analyze and interpret Langston Hughes poem in groups。 Their objective in these groups would be to conjecture why Mr。 Hughes is feeling the way he is and what happened to his friend。 After group discussion we would bring the topic to whole class discussion and hear the different theories。 I would then introduce students to the six-word memoir as explained by Kelly Gallagher in Write Like This and have them write about a time they felt loss。 By limiting the amount of words students would be compelled to choose only the most imperative and emotive words to get their meaning across， much like Langston Hughes did in his poem。 。。。more
Max Ritter
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"Let us take a knife / and cut the world in two- / and see what worms / are eating at the rind"There are many reasons that Langston Hughes is one of the finest writers in American history。 He is an exemplar of power and even nuance within simplicity。 He was criticized for writing "easy" poems simply because he didn't sound like the other highly educated （primarily white） poets of his time。 To this today he is criticized for that， and called a communist radical for being an anti-capitalist in the "Let us take a knife / and cut the world in two- / and see what worms / are eating at the rind"There are many reasons that Langston Hughes is one of the finest writers in American history。 He is an exemplar of power and even nuance within simplicity。 He was criticized for writing "easy" poems simply because he didn't sound like the other highly educated （primarily white） poets of his time。 To this today he is criticized for that， and called a communist radical for being an anti-capitalist in the early 1900s。Don't listen to the critics。 And don't coast off of Hughes's reputation: perhaps you've heard of his Dream Deferred poem， but that's not enough。 Truly dig into his writing， and you will find an incredible collection of musings on the American experience of oppression， imbued with bitter patriotism and pained love for community。 Hughes is a titan， who dominated his era and stands as possibly the greatest artist of the Harlem Renaissance era （which is saying something， given how much great art we got from that period）。One of the most fundamental struggles of analyzing American history is defining what America is。 Is it the system that marginalized and killed so many？ Or is it the masses of people who were marginalized and killed by it， fighting for something better？ In other words， is America the institution of slavery， or is it the slaves themselves， who fought to be part of American society？ Langston Hughes would tell you the latter， as he fought for black writers to be accepted into the literary canon。 He succeeded。 Langston Hughes is one of the peaks of American literature， and should be treated as such。This collection is a goliath， there is no reason to read it cover to cover。 But if you enjoy reading， pick it up， and every once and a while read through a few pages。 There's enough genius here to last a lifetime。 。。。more
Lamadia
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I have always had trouble connecting with poetry， even those I thought I would especially relate to。 Unexpectedly， I really connect to Hughes' work and really enjoyed reading this cover to cover。 I have always had trouble connecting with poetry， even those I thought I would especially relate to。 Unexpectedly， I really connect to Hughes' work and really enjoyed reading this cover to cover。 。。。more
Andrew
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Reading the entire collection is very much an ongoing project for me， but it is wonderful。
Holly Allen
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3。5 stars。 Some of these poems really resonated with me but some didn’t。 Gorgeous work if you love interesting word choice and melodic intonation。 This particular volume is massive。
Muhammad
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The completion of this book was almost 20 years in the making。 I began reading Langston Hughes poetry when my mom checked out this volume of poetry from my middle school library for me and she made me read "From Mother to Son"。 I didn't pay much attention then。 I'd skip through， read a poem， skip another 100 pages， read a poem。 It wasn't until last year when I began reading his poetry again that it hit me like a ton of bricks。。。 THIS MAN WAS A FUCKING GENIUS！ So this year， I decided to read them The completion of this book was almost 20 years in the making。 I began reading Langston Hughes poetry when my mom checked out this volume of poetry from my middle school library for me and she made me read "From Mother to Son"。 I didn't pay much attention then。 I'd skip through， read a poem， skip another 100 pages， read a poem。 It wasn't until last year when I began reading his poetry again that it hit me like a ton of bricks。。。 THIS MAN WAS A FUCKING GENIUS！ So this year， I decided to read them all。。。 the whole book and it is now done and I am so much better for it。 His poetry speaks to me。 His poetry is me。 I've always felt an affinity to the more famous of his poems， but even in the ones that don't make major publications。。。。 just。。。。 DAMN！ He is the Poet par excellence for a black man in America， whether during his period， or some 50 years after his death; he's still as relevant as ever！ 。。。more
James Carroll
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I read most of this book for a graduate class on the blues。 Hughes was one of the best writers to take the blues form seriously， and yet his poetry transcends the genre。
Jose
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Langston Hughes is a poet and interpreter of the black american experience and one of the most representative voices of the Harlem Renaissance。 What I also found out in this book with （may be too many） poems is that 1） Hughes had great sense of humour and used it in his poems liberally。 2） He used plain language but with a great ear to rhythm and the expressions of the common man and woman。 c） He did not shy away from addressing racism and oppression but his poems don't fall into rage， rather sa Langston Hughes is a poet and interpreter of the black american experience and one of the most representative voices of the Harlem Renaissance。 What I also found out in this book with （may be too many） poems is that 1） Hughes had great sense of humour and used it in his poems liberally。 2） He used plain language but with a great ear to rhythm and the expressions of the common man and woman。 c） He did not shy away from addressing racism and oppression but his poems don't fall into rage， rather sadness。 d） My favourite poems are those were he adopts a female perspective， there is a certain sass and fight in them。 e） He covers a wide range of themes but dreams and the beauty of his people and a sense of America as hopeful seem to to hover above much of his work。 f） His political poems are probably his most forgettable even though I enjoyed the ones that portray God as a failure。 He addresses the masses towards an ideological revolution while at the same time admitting being baffled at how the obvious beauty of the black folk hasn't brought about the end of discrimination and requires political action。 Great poet of the jazz age。 Here is one I feel goes beyond the anecdote ， makes you smile and touches on love and anger。 Madam and the Phone Company。 You say I O。K。edLONG DISTANCE？O。K。ed it when？My goodness， CentralThat was then！I’m mad and disgustedWith that Negro now。I don’t pay no REVERSEDCHARGES nohow。You say， I will pay it—Else you’ll take out my phone？You better letMy phone alone。I didn’t ask himTo telephone me。Roscoe knows darn wellLONG DISTANCEAin’t free。If I ever catch him，Lawd， have pity！Calling me upFrom Kansas City。Just to say he loves me！I knowed that was so。Why didn’t he tell me some’nI don’t know？For instance， what canThem other girls doThat Alberta K。 JohnsonCan’t do—and more， too？What’s that， Central？You say you don’t careNothing about myPrivate affair？Well， even less about yourPHONE BILL， does I care！Un-humm-m！ 。 。 。 Yes！You say I gave my O。K。？Well， that O。K。 you may keep—But I sure ain’t gonna pay！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Collected Poems
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Collected Poems&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Collected Poems&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0