Negro Folk Rhymes / Wise and Otherwise: With a Study

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

27195

Title

Negro Folk Rhymes / Wise and Otherwise: With a Study

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Thomas W. Talley's *Negro Folk Rhymes* preserves a unique cultural heritage, collecting secular verses from the African American experience during slavery and beyond. This anthology captures the rhythm, humor, superstition, and resilience of a people who created art under adverse conditions. With an illuminating study by the author, the book offers a vital window into the inner life, tribal memories, and enduring artistic impulses of a race, presenting lyrics that range from playful dance rhymes to poignant ballads of love...

Summary up to 500 words

Compiled by Professor Thomas Washington Talley of Fisk University, *Negro Folk Rhymes / Wise and Otherwise* stands as a pioneering record of African American folk verse, preserving a vast collection of poetry created through oral tradition. Published in 1922, the volume is divided into two distinct parts: a section containing the rhymes themselves and a scholarly study analyzing their origins and evolution. The rhymes are meticulously categorized into sections such as Dance Rhymes, Love Rhymes, Nursery Rhymes, and Wise Sayings. These verses reflect the daily lives, superstitions, and imaginative simplicity of singers who often lived in bondage or were just emerging from it. The collection features playful verses like "Jonah's Band Party" and "Captain Dime," alongside dramatic ballads such as "Promises of Freedom" and "Caught By The Witch." The accompanying study by Talley provides essential context, explaining how these songs evolved from communal authorship, embodying ancestral wisdom and racial memories handed down through generations. The introduction, written by Walter Clyde Curry, praises the collection for its authenticity and literary value. Curry notes that despite the crude phraseology or winter-starved imagery resulting from the singers' harsh environments, the songs possess a rhythmic perfection and pathos that resonate deeply. He argues that these works demonstrate the persistence of artistic impulses even under the most disheartening circumstances of slavery. The book serves as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, offering a valuable heritage for understanding the thought and feeling of a folk. It captures the universal shared lore of a people, crystallizing their experiences in lyrics and ballads that, when properly presented, reveal a dignity and worth often overlooked. The volume remains a crucial resource for students of comparative literature and those seeking to recreate the life of a tribe or nation from its song and story.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Poetry
• Folk Songs
• African American Literature