The Weary Blues

In this landmark 1925 poem, Langston Hughes gives voice to a jazz musician whose life is told through the rhythms of blues. The narrator recounts his rise from a young performer in small towns to a celebrated singer on stage, and the heartbreak of a love affair that left him broken — all while the music itself carries the story forward. Told in verse with a distinctive musical cadence, it captures both personal loss and the resilience found in returning to one's craft.