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by Claude Mckay (1890 - 1948)

The Harlem Dancer
Language: English 
Applauding youths laughed with young prostitutes
And watched her perfect, half-clothed body sway;
Her voice was like the sound of blended flutes
Blown by black players upon a picnic day.
She sang and danced on gracefully and calm,
The light gauze hanging loose about her form;
To me she seemed a proudly-swaying palm
Grown lovelier for passing through a storm.
Upon her swarthy neck black shiny curls
Luxuriant fell; and tossing coins in praise,
The wine-flushed, bold-eyed boys, and even the girls,
Devoured her shape with eager, passionate gaze;
But looking at her falsely-smiling face,
I knew her self was not in that strange place.

Text Authorship:

  • by Claude Mckay (1890 - 1948), "The Harlem Dancer" [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "The Harlem Dancer", 2009 [medium voice and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anna Siemsen ; composed by Alexander Zemlinsky.
      • Go to the text.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2003-11-04
Line count: 14
Word count: 105

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