Magnolia Leaves

Mary Weston Fordham

• Editorial: Mint Editions
• Año: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781513221533
• Categoría: Literature
• Categoría: American Poetry

Magnolia Leaves (1897) is a collection of poems by Mary Weston Fordham. Published toward the end of her life, Fordham's only collection appeared in print with an introduction by Booker T. Washington, who saw in its author an undeniable gift which could prove "[t]he Negro's right to be considered worthy of recognition in the field of poetic effort." Meditating on such themes as morality, labor, maternity, liberty, and faith, Mary Weston Fordham displays not only a mastery of poetic form, but a hard-earned wisdom and talent for observing life in all its forms. "With hands all reddened and sore, / With back and shoulders low bent, / She stands all day, and part of the night / Till her strength is well-nigh spent." In "The Washerwoman, " Fordham depicts a woman whose life on earth revolves around labor, for whom life after death means the promise of hard-earned rest, to "be found on the other shore." While many, if not all, of Fordham's poems revolve around Christian imagery and themes, some, including "Chicago Exposition Ode, " "Stars and Stripes, " and "Alaska, " reflect on the promise of freedom and liberty in the aftermath of the Civil War. Her poems strive to depict the diversity of nineteenth century America, such as in "Atlanta Exposition Ode, " which celebrates the end of war and the coming together of former slaves, Union soldiers, and Confederate forces alike. "Song to Erin" and "Highland Mary" depict the immigrant experience, while "The Cherokee" mourns the murder and displacement of America's indigenous peoples. In sixty-six poems, Mary Weston Fordham distils the experience of a lifetime and the wisdom of one who has experienced loss and found the strength to move forward. This edition of Mary Weston Fordham's Magnolia Leaves is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Índice

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introductory
• Preface
• Creation
• Shipwreck
• The Washerwoman
• The Snowdrop
• The Saxon Legend of Language
• The Christ Child
• Bells of St. Michael
• The Exile’s Reverie
• The Snow Storm
• Maiden and River
• Chicago Exposition Ode
• Atlanta Exposition Ode
• Stars and Stripes
• To the Eagle
• The Crucifixion
• Uranne
• Magnolia
• To My Mother
• Nestle-Down Cottage
• Mother’s Recall
• Dedicated to the Right Rev’d D. A. Payne
• October
• The Dying Girl
• Alaska
• On Parting with a Friend
• Twilight Musings
• Song to Erin
• The Valentine
• Lines to Florence
• “By the Rivers of Babylon”
• The Pen
• Passing of the Old Year
• Sonnet to My First Born
• Lines to—
• Highland Mary
• The Cherokee
• Rally Song
• Serenade
• The Coming Woman
• Ode to Peace
• A Reverie
• Sunset
• The Past
• Marriage
• For Who?
• June
• Tribute to a Lost Steamer
• A Requiem
• The Grafted Bud
• To a Loved One
• The Nativity
• To the Mock-Bird
• In Memoriam
• A Note About the Author
• A Note from the Publisher