Elliott Blaine Henderson

“ It mus’ be made fum white fok’s hyah, too, by jig.
Umph; who; Miss Sukie? why she wooden’ dah
To wah a wig made fum a coon’s nappy hyah.
Whut’s de use er kickin’
Bekaze o’ sech rot?
Bekaze yo’ kain’t bleech,
An’ turn white on de spot!
Ef yo’ hyah’s kinky,
Yo’s brack ez de tar,
Thank de good Lawd
Dat yo’s jes’ lak yo’ are.
MEMORIAL DAY.
To sound of muffled drums to-day,
With slow and solemn tread;
The soldiers march with banners draped
Where dwell heroic dead.
The blue, the gray of this fair realm
Assemble o’er this land,
Recount the deeds of valiant men
As one vast mourning band. ”

“ An’ I skim mah eyes eroun’,
Whah de white fo’ks am in business ebbry where,
Yo’ kain’t find er coon in dare [12]
Wid de white fo’ks sellin’ ware.
Seems dey’s no place
Fo’ de eddeekayted coon.
GOOD BYE, HONEY—GOOD BYE.
Gwine to leeb dis dear ol’ place,
Good bye, honey; good bye!
Time’s er flyin’, I mus’ make has’e,
Good bye, honey; good bye!
Hate to go, but I kain’t say no,
It gives mah hea’t er pang o’ woe,
Yo’ all’s mah fren’, not one’s mah foe,
Good bye, honey; good bye!
Sistah Jane, an’ uncle Joe?
Good bye, honey; good bye!
I hope we’ll see us all sum mo’,
Good bye, honey; good bye! ”

“ But er niggah, kain’t stop!
Mus’ keep hoein’ at de crop!
Out de weeds mus’ keep er pullin’
Till he’s ready, mos’ to drop!
DAHKY, WHUT YO’ DUN?
Oh, but how er dollah
Is er moighty fren’,
In de dead o’ wintah,
Ef yo’ idle den.
Winds dey may be howlin’,
Whizzin’ th’ew de trees!
Needen’ worry, dahky,
Yo’ hain’ gwine to freez!
Summah is er flyin’,
Breezes gittin’ cool!
Beddah be er layin’
In yo’ wintah fuel! [19]
Leaves begin to fallin’,
Harvestin’ is dun,
Birds am now er troopin’
Soufward wid de sun. ”

“ Ez she’s puffin’ an’ er steamin’ in er trabblin’ to de sky!
Git on board, chillun!
She’s limited, too, an’ she goes clah th’ew!
She’s got no time fo’ to fool wid yo’!
Yo’ mus’ git on board, when de time cums, doo!
Git on board, chillun!
Dat train hain’t skeddul fo’ de secun’ time.
Git on board, chillun!
Fo’ to cum an’ fotch yo’ to de heabenly clime!
Git on board, chillun! [46]
She goes straight on an’ she doan’ tarn back!
When she once git start why she hain’t gwine to slack!
Till she runs in heab’n on de right side track! ”

“ Bekaze dey kain’t bleech out, O, how dey deplore,
Fo’ to be cullahd to dem’s sech er bore.
To think de Lawd sent dem all into dis lan’
Wif hyah dat am kinky an’ faces dat’s tan.
Fus’ to de lef an’ den nex’ to de right,
Dey look to see if dey am sumfin’ in sight
To make dem bleech white, gib dem cheeks ub de rose
An’ sumfin’ to gib dem a high Roman noze.
Dey’s kickin’ an fussin’ an’ raisin turmoil
Bekaze dey kain’t git hol’ de right kine ub oil
To take way de kinky effect dey kaint bah,
An’ make it jes’ lak de white folk’s auburn hyah. ”

“ Yallah, too, hain’t she Gumbo?
I hain’t foolin’, honey! [32]
Reason dat yo’ love her so!
I hain’t foolin’, honey!
Ef she had de wooly hyah,
Face ez black ez ol’ pine tah!
Court her? bet yo’ wooden’, dah! ”

“ Transcriber’s Note: Henderson’s writing captures African American dialect of his time, but the poems contain slang words and racial stereotypes that the modern reader is likely to find offensive.
[1]
Plantation Echoes A COLLECTION of ORIGINAL
NEGRO DIALECT POEMS
By
Elliott Blaine Henderson
Columbus, Ohio
PRESS OF F. J. HEER
1904
[2]
Entered According to Act of Congress
in the year 1904
BY E. B. HENDERSON
In the office of the Librarian of Congress
at Washington. ”

“ Said yo’ hyah
Wuz lak er mat.
Umph! Dem white fo’ks
Made yo’ scat.
I tol’ yo’ so.
Umph! Dey skaid
Yo’ mos’ to def.
I tol’ yo’ so.
Look ee dah,
Yo’ out o’ bref.
I tol’ yo’ so. [82]
Run so fas’
Dun los’ yo’ hat,
Got no idea
Whah it’s at;
Gwine to whoop
Yo’ good fo’ dat.
I tol’ yo’ so.
THE PASSING OF NIGHT.
De moon’s dun sneaked
Clah out er sight,
De stars dun quit
Dey peepin’;
De shaddahs dun gone
Stole erway,
De world’s dun quit
It’s sleepin’.
De hours dey’s slowly
Creeped erlong
Until de world’s in light
An’ song;
De sun smiles on
Creation’s throng—
Er cross de worl’
Goes sweeping. ”