by Langston Hughes (1901 - 1967)
I’ve known rivers
Language: English
I’ve known rivers:
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older
than the flow of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn
all golden in the sunset.
I’ve known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Langston Hughes, The Collected Works of Langston Hughes, University of Missouri Press, 2002
Text Authorship:
- by Langston Hughes (1901 - 1967), "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Gwyneth Walker (b. 1947), "I've Known Rivers", 2007/2018, copyright © 2008 [ chorus or voice and piano or strings and percussion ], from I've Known Rivers, no. 1, E.C.Schirmer Music Publishing
Score: Gwyneth Walker [external link] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-19
Line count: 13
Word count: 103