Saturday, April 1, 2017

The Glory of the Day Was in Her Face by James Weldon Johnson

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The Glory of the Day Was in Her Face

James Weldon Johnson

The glory of the day was in her face,
The beauty of the night was in her eyes.
And over all her loveliness, the grace
Of Morning blushing in the early skies.

And in her voice, the calling of the dove;
Like music of a sweet, melodious part.
And in her smile, the breaking light of love;
And all the gentle virtues in her heart.

And now the glorious day, the beauteous night,
The birds that signal to their mates at dawn,
To my dull ears, to my tear-blinded sight
Are one with all the dead, since she is gone.

This poem is in the public domain.

About This Poem

"The Glory of the Day Was in Her Face" was published in Fifty Years & Other Poems (The Cornhill Company, 1917).

James Weldon Johnson was born on June 17, 1871, in Jacksonville, Florida. His collections of poetry include God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse (Viking Press, 1927) and Saint Peter Relates an Incident of the Resurrection Day (Viking Press, 1930). He died on June 26, 1938.

Photo credit: Carl Van Vechten

Poetry by Johnson

James Weldon Johnson: Writings

(Library of America, 2004)

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Saturday, April 1, 2017