The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-21
AND
AMERICAN CLASS WAR
CAROLING DUSK. An Anthology
of Verse by Negro Poets. Edited
by Countee Cullen. Harper G. Bro.
Reviewed by LEBARBE.

Reviewed by LEBARBE.
NEVER has the Negroes power to
absorb spirit-a national, rather
than racial spirit-from the soil,
the cities, the surface life of nation
been better shown than in this an
thology Of verse by American Ne
groes, edited by Countee Cullen, who
has sponged up plenty of this spirit
IN the years spent in two of Amer
ica's most eminent knowledge mills.
There are PIG poems in this book,
written by SO poets ga men and IA
women) and 20 of these poets are I'M
der 80 years old. With a few excep-
tons, these poems might have been
written by any white 100 percenter
skilled in the art: by a Harriet Mon
roe or Amy Lowell.
About dozen of them might have
been written by Carl Sandburg, an
Arturo Giovanitti, Michael Gold, or
a Ralph Chaplin and these, l think,
are the poems that save this anthology
from being a pretty pale tome.
The rather ordinary uniformity of
the poems in "CarOling Dusk" is not
necessarily the fault of the Negro
poets. 1t is the fault of the COM
piler, it seems to me. GAS heretical
as it may sound" Cullen writes in his
foreword, there is the probability
that Negro poets, dependent as they
are on the English language, may
have more to gain from the rich back
ground of English and American po-
etry than from any nebulous atavistic
yearnings toward an African inheri-
tance." That is all very we'll if Amer
lean Negro poets are writing primar-
lily for a reputation and a position
approved of by the 100-percenters;
but if they are writing for the ex-
plotted members of their race, l think
they would be wiser to forget little
Of this "rich background" and to
concern themselves with the vital
present and their particular relation
ship to it.
The poems which Mr.. Cullen has
chosen with a few exceptions) show
striking uniformity in their ac-
ceptance of the Negroes inferior posi-
ton in the present social and econ
omic scheme of the United States, as
well as of the "higher traditions of
English verse" Apparently, the edit
or would have his poets write cerebral
verse, smelling of the lamp, rather
than perhaps less beautiful copy
smelling of the arm-pits of a race
still in bondage! AS it is, the anthol-
ogy impresses me as an exercise book
rather than a social document.
Do not misunderstood me. l would
not have the American Negro poet a
tortured job any more than l would
choose to have him pollyannic Eddie
Guest. 1t would be serious artistical-
ly for him to be an isolationist, Just
as it would for him to be a nation
alist. The Negro worker, for exam
pie, must stand shoulder to shoulder
with his white brother in their mu-
tual struggle for economic emancipa-
ton. But l would like to feel that
Negro poetry is his own, whether it
is in the "best English tradition" or
not.
"Caroliag Dusk" certainly is not
wholly bad anthology, but do not
blink it is q consistent anthology.
There are some beautiful, some tech
nically strong, some vital poems in it
as well as some puerile poems. Not
strangely, like best those that come
closest to the rebellious and revolu-
tionary tradition.
l would like to see more work
songs, blues, folk songs, and rebel
songs and fewer of the highly pol
ished sonnets, lyrics, japanese hok-
kus, and French light verses in the
PooIc Doooc,,oI