The Negro Speaks of Rivers

The free-verse poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” (1921) is one of the first published works by American poet Langston Hughes. It uses the metaphor of rivers to explore Hughes’s depth of feeling about his life and the experience of African Americans. The poem also connects the African American soul to a series of eras, from the dawn of humanity to the modern day. Though the poem is short and structurally simple, it expresses an experiential depth and complexity—perseverance, wisdom, and a combined weariness and hopefulness.

Hughes is among the most famous and influential poets of the Harlem Renaissance—a literary movement among Black artists living in and around Harlem, New York, during the 1920s—and this poem is arguably his most famous work. It is a staple in the American poetry canon, and many critics regard it as one of the greatest poems of the 20th century.

Poet Biography

Langston Hughes (1901-1967) was born in Joplin, Missouri. He lived in Cleveland, Ohio, for most of his childhood, but he spent almost all of his adult life in Harlem, New York, where he would become a leading member of the Harlem Renaissance and one of the most recognized poets of the era.