Drink in moods of joy! Why should the sky be lonely? Neither sun nor moon-- How my heart is shy of night Like Autumn’s leaf brown pendants. IV Cold against the sky The blue jays cried at dawning. The larks where are they? Heavily upon the air My ears tuned in to listen. V So this is the reed? The very pipes for singing-- Life plays me new songs. Wistfully from out the dawn The crows broke across the sky! VI And now Spring has come Blossoming up my garden. I alone unchanged. Moving in my house of Autumn. One leaf alone saves a tree. VII By the pool of life Willows are drooping tonight I can see no stars. What dances in the water? O my clouds dripping with tears. VIII Could I hear your voice O but this silence is sweet Words mar all beauty. Turn then into your own heart And pluck the roots from the soil-- JAPANESE HOKKU O apple blossoms Give me your words of silence, Yes, your charming speech. * * * * * If you would know me, Do not regard this display; Mingle with my speech. * * * * * Why sit like the sphinx, Watching the caravan pass? Join in the parade. * * * * * What if the wind blows? What if the leaves are scattered, Now that they are dead? * * * * * While trimming the plants I saw some flowers drooping. I am a flower. * * * * * This is but my robe, His Majesty gave to me. Garments will decay. * * * * * On the flowering twig, Lo! the robin is singing. It must be spring. * * * * * Looking up the hill The road was long before me. This road is longer. * * * * * Death is not cruel From what I have seen of life; Nothing else remains. * * * * * Life is history. Turn not away from the book. Write on every page! * * * * * If you had not sung Then what would I imitate, Happy nightingale? * * * * * Sitting by the pool, I looked in and saw my face. O that I were blind! DAY AND NIGHT The day is a Negro Yelling out of breath. The night is a Negro Laughing up to death. The day is a jazz band Blasting loud and wild. The night is a jazz band Moaning Blues songs, child. The day is the sunshine Undressed in the street. The night is the sunshine Dressed from head to feet. I am like a rainbow Arched across the way. Yes, I am a rainbow Being night nor day. STERLING A. BROWN