I. Prayer (Langston Hughes, 1902-1967)
I ask you this,
Which way to go?
I ask you this,
Which sin to bear?
Which crown to put
Upon my hair?
I do not know,
Lord God,
I do not know.
III. Night Song (Clarissa Scott Delany, 1901-1927)
The night was made for rest and sleep,
For winds that softly sigh,
It was not made for grief and tears,
So then, why do I cry?
The wind that blows through leafy trees
Is soft and white and sweet;
For me the night is a gracious cloak
to hide my soul’s defeat.
Just one dark hour of shaken depths,
Of bitter black despair—
Another day will find me brave,
And not afraid to dare!
IV. The Heart of a Woman (Georgia Douglas Johnson, 1880-1966)
The heart of a woman goes forth with the dawn,
As a lone bird, soft-winging, so restlessly on,
Afar o’er life’s turrets and vales does it roam
In the wake of those echoes the heart calls home.
The heart of a woman falls back with the night,
And enters some alien cage in its plight,
And tries to forget it has dreamed of the stars
While it breaks, breaks, breaks on the sheltering bars.
V. Sence You Went Away (James Weldon Johnson, 1871-1938)
Seems lak to me de stars don’t shine so bright,
Seems lak to me de sun done loss its light,
Seems lak to me der’s nothin’ goin’ right,
Sence you went away.
Seems lak to me de sky ain’t half so blue,
Seems lak to me dat ev’rything wants you,
Seems lak to me I don’t know what to do,
Sence you went away.
Oh, ev’ything is wrong,
De day’s jes twice as long,
De bird’s forgot his song,
Sence you went away.
Seems lak to me I jes can’t he’p but sigh,
Seems lak to me ma th’oat keeps gittin dry,
Seems lak to me a tear stays in my eye
Sence you went away.
VI. Creole Girl (L. Morgan Collins, 1914-2014)
When you dance, do you think of Spain,
Purple skirts and clipping castanets,
Creole Girl?
When you laugh, do you think of France,
Golden wine and mincing minuets,
Creole Girl?
When you sing, do you think of young America,
Grey guns and battling bayonets?
When you cry, do you think of Africa,
Blue nights and casual canzonets?
When you dance, do you think of Spain,
Purple skirts and clipping castanets
Creole Girl?
Il sole allegramente batte ai tuoi vetri
The sun cheerfully taps at your windowpanes,
Amor pian pian batte al tuo cuore e l’uno e ‘altro chiama
Love very softly taps at your heart, and they both call
Il sole dice: o dormente, mostrati che sei bella
The sun says, “O sleeping one, show yourself because you are beautiful”
Dice l’amor: sorella col tuo primo pensier
Love says, “Sister, with your first thought,
Pensa a chi t’amo!
Think of he who loves you!”
Un bel dì, vedremo levarsi un fil di fumo
One beautiful day, we will see a thread of smoke rising
sull’estremo confin del mare.
from the farthest horizon of the sea.
E poi la nave appare.
And then the ship appears.
Poi la nave bianca entra nel porto,
Then the white ship enters the harbor,
romba il suo saluto.
rumbles its salute,
Vedi? È venuto!
Do you see? He comes!
Io non gli scendo incontro. Io no.
I don’t go down to meet him. Not I.
Mi metto là sul ciglio del colle e aspetto,
I stay at the brow of the hill and wait,
e aspetto gran tempo e non mi pesa, la lunga attesa.
And wait a long time, and am not troubled by the long wait.
E uscito dalla folla cittadina un uomo, un picciol punto s’avvia per la collina.
And leaving the crowded city, a man, a little speck climbs the hill,
Chi sarà? chi sarà? E come sarà giunto che dirà? Che dirà?
Who is it? And as he comes, what will he say?
Chiamerà Butterfly dalla lontana.
He will call “Butterfly” from afar.
Io senza dar risposta me ne staró nascosta un po’ per celia,
Without answering I will hide, partly to tease,
e un po’ non morire al primo incontro,
and partly so as not to die at our first encounter,
Ed egli alquanto in pena chiamerà, chiamerà
And soon, troubled, he will call,
“Piccina mogliettina, olezzo di verbena,”
“Tiny little bride, orange blossom,”
i nomi che mi dava al suo venire.
the names he called me when he first came.
Tutto questo avverà, te lo prometto,
All this will come to pass, I promise you,
Tienti la tua paura, io con sicura fede, l’aspetto.
Hold back your fear, with secure faith I wait.
Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore,
I lived for art, I lived for love,
Non feci mai male ad anima viva!
I never harmed a living soul!
Con man furtiva quante miserie connobbi, aiutai…
With a discreet hand I soothed others’ troubles…
Sempre con fe’ sincera la mia preghiera ai santi tabernacoli salì.
Always with sincere faith my prayers rose to the holy tabernacles,
Sempre con fe’ sincera diedi fiori agli altar.
Always with sincere faith I placed flowers on the altar.
Nell’ora del dolore perché, perché, Signore?
In the hour of grief, why, why, Lord,
Perché me ne rimuneri così?
Why do you repay me like this?
Diedi i gioelli della Madonna al manto,
I gave jewels to the Madonna’s mantle,
E diedi il canto agli astri, al ciel, che ne ridean più belli.
And I gave songs to the stars, which then sparkled more beautifully.
Nell’ora del dolore perché, perché, Signore?
Perché me ne rimuneri così?