The Congo and Other PoemsMore than 75 works, including a number of Lindsay's most popular performance pieces, "The Congo" and "The Santa Fe Trail" among them. |
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Common terms and phrases
99 Call Aladdin AMY LOWELL boom boomlay boughs burning Bushido Cars Censers are swinging chant CLANG Clear the street Congo CONRAD AIKEN dance dawn dead desert To meet ding-dong doom-bells dream earth engines room eyes fairy feet fire firemen's ball flag flame flash flowers Forty-seven Ronin ghost girl Give the engines gleaming glory golden GOLDEN TRACK gray grum Hark HARRIET MONROE heart Heaven Heavy bass holy horn Iophon ISRAEL ZANGWILL Iyeyasu jingo Judith the dancer Kansas know a dancer laughed Listen MACMILLAN COMPANY MARY PICKFORD moon moon's Mumbo-Jumbo will hoo-doo NIGHT Of doom o'er peace play poems poet poetry prayer Rachel-Jane RANGA Say the ding-dong scalawag scorn shame singing sleep smile song souls stars strong sweet things throne Tis the NIGHT to-day town trees tune VACHEL LINDSAY vaudeville walk watch whang whirl whisper wild wind witch-men
Popular passages
Page 8 - Or Mumbo-Jumbo, God of the Congo, And all of the other Gods of the Congo, Mumbo-Jumbo will hoo-doo you. Beware, beware, walk with care, Boomlay, boomlay, boomlay, boom.
Page 11 - With oars of silver, and prows of blue And silken pennants that the sun shone through. Twas a land transfigured, 'twas a new creation. Oh, a singing wind swept the negro nation And on through the backwoods clearing flew: — "Mumbo-Jumbo is dead in the jungle. Never again will he hoo-doo you.
Page 5 - BOOM, steal the pygmies, BOOM, kill the Arabs, BOOM, kill the white men, Hoo, Hoo, Hoo. Listen to the yell of Leopold's ghost Burning in Hell for his hand-maimed host. Hear how the demons chuckle and yell. Cutting his hands off, down in Hell. Listen to the creepy proclamation, Blown through the lairs of the forestnation, Blown past the white-ants...
Page 7 - Yea, long-tailed coats with a gold-leaf crust And hats that were covered with diamonddust. And the crowd in the court gave a whoop and a call And danced the juba from wall to wall. But the witch-men suddenly stilled the throng With a stern cold glare, and a stern old song: — "Mumbo-Jumbo will hoo-doo you.
Page 3 - Pounded on the table, Beat an empty barrel with the handle of a broom, Hard as they were able, Boom, boom, BOOM, With a silk umbrella and the handle of a broom, Boomlay, boomlay, boomlay, BOOM.
Page 4 - BLOOD" screamed the whistles and the fifes of the warriors, "BLOOD" screamed the skull-faced, lean witch-doctors, "Whirl ye the deadly voodoo rattle, Harry the uplands, Steal all the cattle, Rattle-rattle, rattle-rattle, Bing! Boomlay, boomlay, boomlay, BOOM/' 130 A roaring, epic, rag-time tune From the mouth of the Congo To the Mountains of the Moon.
Page 140 - Bring me soft song," said Aladdin. "This tailor-shop sings not at all. Chant me a word of the twilight, Of roses that mourn in the fall. Bring me a song like hashish That will comfort the stale and the sad, For I would be mending my spirit, Forgetting these days that are bad, Forgetting companions too shallow, Their quarrels and arguments thin, Forgetting the shouting Muezzin:"— "I AM YOUR SLAVE," said the Jinn. "Bring me old wines,
Page 9 - His prowling, guzzling, sneak-thief days. Beat on the Bible till he wore it out, Starting the jubilee revival shout. And some had visions, as they stood on chairs, And sang of Jacob, and the golden stairs, And they all repented, a thousand strong, From their stupor and savagery and sin and wrong And slammed with their hymn books till they shook the room With "Glory, glory, glory,
Page 6 - WITH A GOLDEN TRACK. A negro fairyland swung into view, A minstrel river Where dreams come true. The ebony palace soared on high Through the blossoming trees to the evening sky. The inlaid porches and casements shone With gold and ivory and elephant-bone. And the...
Page 10 - And the gray sky opened like a new-rent veil And showed the apostles with their coats of mail. In bright white steel they were seated round And their fire-eyes watched where the Congo wound. And the twelve apostles, from their thrones on high, Thrilled all the forest with their heavenly cry: — 'Mumbo-Jumbo will die in the jungle; Never again will he hoo-doo you, Never again will he hoo-doo you.