New-York tribune., 1917-12-16

On the mountain-top;
Danced in the deep of the night
The Judge, the holy Nazarite.
Whom ropes and chains could never bind.l
A very real negro Samson came Into my
mind" as / read Mr. Nachcl Lindsay's negro
Sermon" in the birthday number Of Poetry
Cor in my ears owoke ;he strains Of an old
plantation melody. "Gawd's a-gwinc t move
all de troubles away" whose verses tell OF
Samson with all the artless familiarity Of
the true folk-snger. And then, Mr.. Lind
says's use of the phrase, "My Lord is riding
high" vividly recalled to me the triumphant
negro song, "Ridc on, Jesusl" which probably
originated in Shout" as they called those
cxuberant melodies composed in the ectasy
of "campmeet'n," and was evidently inspired
by the description of the Saviour'5 entrance
into Jerusalem, the hosannas, the palms, and
Jesus riding on an ass.
Both these plantations" as the negroes
call the old slave songs, first heard through
colored man from st. Helena's Island, off
the coast of South Carolina, where the popu-
lation is almost wholly negro and the Ian
guage and music typically "black." Though
the songs, being genuine folk-songs, are com
mon property, made careful record OF
them, words and music, just as they are sung
by negroes in the South, and these will be
published in a collection for the benefit of
Hampton Institute, in Virginia. Meanwhile,
IL might perhaps interest those readers of
Poetry" who have been stirred by Mr. Lind
says Sermon" to meet in a purely literary
form these two genuine negro folk-poems. As
the poems were really conceived by their
creators as songs, and the music forms an
integral part of the rhythmic values, / shall
italicize the accented syllables as sung, so
as to reproduce the typical negro syncopation
Of the melody, which, to the songmaker's
mind, was one with the verse. (Not, however,
that every negro in singing would stress
the song in exactly the same way, for the
freedom Of complete indivdualism is the
inalienable right Of every negro bard!) Here
is the first song:
Gawd's a-gwine Z pove al de troubles away,
Gawd's a-gwine t hove oil de troubles away.
Fer Gswd's a-gwinh = move al de troubles away
Sem no more till de com-in--,ay!
Now follow lines about Methuspleh and
Nicodemus, and then the swiftly graphic
verses devoted 70 Samson.
All who are faf liliar with negro folk-songs
understand how subtly and delightfully."- the
vowel "a" pronounced "ah," of course),
tackled on in front of e word or at the end
Of it, gives needed stroke Of emphasis, fur
pishes an Introductory grace'noto or softens
and binds in that fuency demanded by the
negro ear the sterner sXllables of the English
tongue. The graceful little word twill" is a
regro Identification Of our prosaic-sounding
"tll."
A-read about Samson
From his birth
Dc stronges man ever WGikcd on earth
A-read way back
In de ancient time
lie slew ten thou-sGnd Phi-i5-tine
ASamson he wcHt
A-walkin' about,
A-Sam-son's strength-a was never found out
Twill his wife set dO0H
Upon his-kneo
AN a-tell me whar yo' strength-a lies eff yot-
please -
A-Samson's tcife
She done talk so fair
A-Samson tou her. Cut oif-a ma hair
II yo shave ma hdde
Jes rs clean as yo' hon
Ma strength-a will become-a like nateh-oyg mani
For Gawds a-gwine t all de troubles away
etc
The efusion of Samsons confession TO his
"wife" is thoroughly negro in its enthusiasm.
Not content with telling her merely that his
ia, bafr k, d1,r
to bid her shave his head. And as, of course,
the tight-curling negro hair can hardly be
much cut without shaving, we can readily
see that, to the singers mind, Samson is
indeed, as Mr. Lindsay states, n "Jack John
SON" full-blooded black strong man.
The other song, "Ride on, Jesus!" is SUI
perb in the royal dignity and victory of its
melody:
o. Ride on. Jesus,
Ride on, Jesus
Ride on--conquerin King
Want L go { hebbn in de mon-in'.
Ef yo' see ma
Mud-dor Shouted by the solo siHger.J
(Oh. yssO Shouted by tte ehor4s.)
Jes-a tell he
70 me
tOh. ycsJ
10 L meet me tomorrow in Gai-ee--
Want go & hebb'n IN de mO'n-in!
Then come endless verses appointing a
Ike meeting to father, brother, sister, deacon,
preacher, etc. And, next, these glorious lines
shouting a glad certainty Of salvation, the
services Of John the Baptist being now un.
necessary:
Ef yo' sec John
ID Baptist
ooh, BcsD
Jes-s tell him
70 ne
fOh, ycsD
Dat l. bin to de ribber an r. bin baptize'.
Want L so L hebbn in de- m0'n-in'!'
a, . A. -. f.tto,,- ~ ,,,J1.r aasb 80