BLACK PIERROT

BLACK PIERROTA BLACK PIERROTI am a black Pierrot:She did not love me,So I crept away into the nightAnd the night was black, too.I am a black Pierrot:She did not love me,So I wept until the red dawnDripped blood over the eastern hillsAnd my heart was bleeding, too.I am a black Pierrot:She did not love me,So with my once gay-colored soulShrunken like a balloon without air,I went forth in the morningTo seek a new brown love.HARLEM NIGHT SONGCome,Let us roam the night togetherSinging.I love you.AcrossThe Harlem roof-topsMoon is shining.Night sky is blue.Stars are great dropsOf golden dew.In the cabaretThe jazz-band’s playing.I love you.Come,Let us roam the night togetherSinging.SONGS TO THE DARK VIRGINIWouldThat I were a jewel,A shattered jewel,That all my shining brilliantsMight fall at thy feet,Thou dark one.IIWouldThat I were a garment,A shimmering, silken garment,That all my foldsMight wrap about thy body,Absorb thy body,Hold and hide thy body,Thou dark one.IIIWouldThat I were a flame,But one sharp, leaping flameTo annihilate thy body,Thou dark one.ARDELLAI would liken youTo a night without starsWere it not for your eyes.I would liken youTo a sleep without dreamsWere it not for your songs.POEMTo the Black BelovedAh,My black one,Thou art not beautifulYet thou hastA lovelinessSurpassing beauty.Oh,My black one,Thou art not goodYet thou hastA puritySurpassing goodness.Ah,My black one,Thou art not luminousYet an altar of jewels,An altar of shimmering jewels,Would pale in the lightOf thy darkness,Pale in the lightOf thy nightness.WHEN SUE WEARS REDWhen Susanna Jones wears redHer face is like an ancient cameoTurned brown by the ages.Come with a blast of trumpets,Jesus!When Susanna Jones wears redA queen from some time-dead Egyptian nightWalks once again.Blow trumpets, Jesus!And the beauty of Susanna Jones in redBurns in my heart a love-fire sharp like pain.Sweet silver trumpets,Jesus!PIERROTI work all day,Said Simple John,Myself a house to buy.I work all day,Said Simple John,But Pierrot wondered why.For Pierrot loved the long white road,And Pierrot loved the moon,And Pierrot loved a star-filled sky,And the breath of a rose in June.I have one wife,Said Simple John,And, faith, I love her yet.I have one wife,Said Simple John,But Pierrot left Pierrette.For Pierrot saw a world of girls,And Pierrot loved each one,And Pierrot thought all maidens fairAs flowers in the sun.Oh, I am good,Said Simple John,The Lord will take me in.Yes, I am good,Said Simple John,But Pierrot’s steeped in sin.For Pierrot played on a slim guitar,And Pierrot loved the moon,And Pierrot ran down the long white roadWith the burgher’s wife one June.

BLACK PIERROT

A BLACK PIERROTI am a black Pierrot:She did not love me,So I crept away into the nightAnd the night was black, too.I am a black Pierrot:She did not love me,So I wept until the red dawnDripped blood over the eastern hillsAnd my heart was bleeding, too.I am a black Pierrot:She did not love me,So with my once gay-colored soulShrunken like a balloon without air,I went forth in the morningTo seek a new brown love.

I am a black Pierrot:She did not love me,So I crept away into the nightAnd the night was black, too.I am a black Pierrot:She did not love me,So I wept until the red dawnDripped blood over the eastern hillsAnd my heart was bleeding, too.I am a black Pierrot:She did not love me,So with my once gay-colored soulShrunken like a balloon without air,I went forth in the morningTo seek a new brown love.

I am a black Pierrot:She did not love me,So I crept away into the nightAnd the night was black, too.

I am a black Pierrot:

She did not love me,

So I crept away into the night

And the night was black, too.

I am a black Pierrot:She did not love me,So I wept until the red dawnDripped blood over the eastern hillsAnd my heart was bleeding, too.

I am a black Pierrot:

She did not love me,

So I wept until the red dawn

Dripped blood over the eastern hills

And my heart was bleeding, too.

I am a black Pierrot:She did not love me,So with my once gay-colored soulShrunken like a balloon without air,I went forth in the morningTo seek a new brown love.

I am a black Pierrot:

She did not love me,

So with my once gay-colored soul

Shrunken like a balloon without air,

I went forth in the morning

To seek a new brown love.

HARLEM NIGHT SONGCome,Let us roam the night togetherSinging.I love you.AcrossThe Harlem roof-topsMoon is shining.Night sky is blue.Stars are great dropsOf golden dew.In the cabaretThe jazz-band’s playing.I love you.Come,Let us roam the night togetherSinging.

Come,Let us roam the night togetherSinging.I love you.AcrossThe Harlem roof-topsMoon is shining.Night sky is blue.Stars are great dropsOf golden dew.In the cabaretThe jazz-band’s playing.I love you.Come,Let us roam the night togetherSinging.

Come,Let us roam the night togetherSinging.

Come,

Let us roam the night together

Singing.

I love you.

AcrossThe Harlem roof-topsMoon is shining.Night sky is blue.Stars are great dropsOf golden dew.In the cabaretThe jazz-band’s playing.

Across

The Harlem roof-tops

Moon is shining.

Night sky is blue.

Stars are great drops

Of golden dew.

In the cabaret

The jazz-band’s playing.

I love you.

Come,Let us roam the night togetherSinging.

Come,

Let us roam the night together

Singing.

SONGS TO THE DARK VIRGINIWouldThat I were a jewel,A shattered jewel,That all my shining brilliantsMight fall at thy feet,Thou dark one.IIWouldThat I were a garment,A shimmering, silken garment,That all my foldsMight wrap about thy body,Absorb thy body,Hold and hide thy body,Thou dark one.IIIWouldThat I were a flame,But one sharp, leaping flameTo annihilate thy body,Thou dark one.

WouldThat I were a jewel,A shattered jewel,That all my shining brilliantsMight fall at thy feet,Thou dark one.

Would

That I were a jewel,

A shattered jewel,

That all my shining brilliants

Might fall at thy feet,

Thou dark one.

WouldThat I were a garment,A shimmering, silken garment,That all my foldsMight wrap about thy body,Absorb thy body,Hold and hide thy body,Thou dark one.

Would

That I were a garment,

A shimmering, silken garment,

That all my folds

Might wrap about thy body,

Absorb thy body,

Hold and hide thy body,

Thou dark one.

III

WouldThat I were a flame,But one sharp, leaping flameTo annihilate thy body,Thou dark one.

Would

That I were a flame,

But one sharp, leaping flame

To annihilate thy body,

Thou dark one.

ARDELLAI would liken youTo a night without starsWere it not for your eyes.I would liken youTo a sleep without dreamsWere it not for your songs.

I would liken youTo a night without starsWere it not for your eyes.I would liken youTo a sleep without dreamsWere it not for your songs.

I would liken you

To a night without stars

Were it not for your eyes.

I would liken you

To a sleep without dreams

Were it not for your songs.

POEMTo the Black BelovedAh,My black one,Thou art not beautifulYet thou hastA lovelinessSurpassing beauty.Oh,My black one,Thou art not goodYet thou hastA puritySurpassing goodness.Ah,My black one,Thou art not luminousYet an altar of jewels,An altar of shimmering jewels,Would pale in the lightOf thy darkness,Pale in the lightOf thy nightness.

To the Black Beloved

Ah,My black one,Thou art not beautifulYet thou hastA lovelinessSurpassing beauty.Oh,My black one,Thou art not goodYet thou hastA puritySurpassing goodness.Ah,My black one,Thou art not luminousYet an altar of jewels,An altar of shimmering jewels,Would pale in the lightOf thy darkness,Pale in the lightOf thy nightness.

Ah,My black one,Thou art not beautifulYet thou hastA lovelinessSurpassing beauty.

Ah,

My black one,

Thou art not beautiful

Yet thou hast

A loveliness

Surpassing beauty.

Oh,My black one,Thou art not goodYet thou hastA puritySurpassing goodness.

Oh,

My black one,

Thou art not good

Yet thou hast

A purity

Surpassing goodness.

Ah,My black one,Thou art not luminousYet an altar of jewels,An altar of shimmering jewels,Would pale in the lightOf thy darkness,Pale in the lightOf thy nightness.

Ah,

My black one,

Thou art not luminous

Yet an altar of jewels,

An altar of shimmering jewels,

Would pale in the light

Of thy darkness,

Pale in the light

Of thy nightness.

WHEN SUE WEARS REDWhen Susanna Jones wears redHer face is like an ancient cameoTurned brown by the ages.Come with a blast of trumpets,Jesus!When Susanna Jones wears redA queen from some time-dead Egyptian nightWalks once again.Blow trumpets, Jesus!And the beauty of Susanna Jones in redBurns in my heart a love-fire sharp like pain.Sweet silver trumpets,Jesus!

When Susanna Jones wears redHer face is like an ancient cameoTurned brown by the ages.Come with a blast of trumpets,Jesus!When Susanna Jones wears redA queen from some time-dead Egyptian nightWalks once again.Blow trumpets, Jesus!And the beauty of Susanna Jones in redBurns in my heart a love-fire sharp like pain.Sweet silver trumpets,Jesus!

When Susanna Jones wears redHer face is like an ancient cameoTurned brown by the ages.

When Susanna Jones wears red

Her face is like an ancient cameo

Turned brown by the ages.

Come with a blast of trumpets,Jesus!

Come with a blast of trumpets,

Jesus!

When Susanna Jones wears redA queen from some time-dead Egyptian nightWalks once again.

When Susanna Jones wears red

A queen from some time-dead Egyptian night

Walks once again.

Blow trumpets, Jesus!

And the beauty of Susanna Jones in redBurns in my heart a love-fire sharp like pain.

And the beauty of Susanna Jones in red

Burns in my heart a love-fire sharp like pain.

Sweet silver trumpets,Jesus!

Sweet silver trumpets,

Jesus!

PIERROTI work all day,Said Simple John,Myself a house to buy.I work all day,Said Simple John,But Pierrot wondered why.For Pierrot loved the long white road,And Pierrot loved the moon,And Pierrot loved a star-filled sky,And the breath of a rose in June.I have one wife,Said Simple John,And, faith, I love her yet.I have one wife,Said Simple John,But Pierrot left Pierrette.For Pierrot saw a world of girls,And Pierrot loved each one,And Pierrot thought all maidens fairAs flowers in the sun.Oh, I am good,Said Simple John,The Lord will take me in.Yes, I am good,Said Simple John,But Pierrot’s steeped in sin.For Pierrot played on a slim guitar,And Pierrot loved the moon,And Pierrot ran down the long white roadWith the burgher’s wife one June.

I work all day,Said Simple John,Myself a house to buy.I work all day,Said Simple John,But Pierrot wondered why.For Pierrot loved the long white road,And Pierrot loved the moon,And Pierrot loved a star-filled sky,And the breath of a rose in June.I have one wife,Said Simple John,And, faith, I love her yet.I have one wife,Said Simple John,But Pierrot left Pierrette.For Pierrot saw a world of girls,And Pierrot loved each one,And Pierrot thought all maidens fairAs flowers in the sun.Oh, I am good,Said Simple John,The Lord will take me in.Yes, I am good,Said Simple John,But Pierrot’s steeped in sin.For Pierrot played on a slim guitar,And Pierrot loved the moon,And Pierrot ran down the long white roadWith the burgher’s wife one June.

I work all day,Said Simple John,Myself a house to buy.I work all day,Said Simple John,But Pierrot wondered why.

I work all day,

Said Simple John,

Myself a house to buy.

I work all day,

Said Simple John,

But Pierrot wondered why.

For Pierrot loved the long white road,And Pierrot loved the moon,And Pierrot loved a star-filled sky,And the breath of a rose in June.

For Pierrot loved the long white road,

And Pierrot loved the moon,

And Pierrot loved a star-filled sky,

And the breath of a rose in June.

I have one wife,Said Simple John,And, faith, I love her yet.I have one wife,Said Simple John,But Pierrot left Pierrette.

I have one wife,

Said Simple John,

And, faith, I love her yet.

I have one wife,

Said Simple John,

But Pierrot left Pierrette.

For Pierrot saw a world of girls,And Pierrot loved each one,And Pierrot thought all maidens fairAs flowers in the sun.

For Pierrot saw a world of girls,

And Pierrot loved each one,

And Pierrot thought all maidens fair

As flowers in the sun.

Oh, I am good,Said Simple John,The Lord will take me in.Yes, I am good,Said Simple John,But Pierrot’s steeped in sin.

Oh, I am good,

Said Simple John,

The Lord will take me in.

Yes, I am good,

Said Simple John,

But Pierrot’s steeped in sin.

For Pierrot played on a slim guitar,And Pierrot loved the moon,And Pierrot ran down the long white roadWith the burgher’s wife one June.

For Pierrot played on a slim guitar,

And Pierrot loved the moon,

And Pierrot ran down the long white road

With the burgher’s wife one June.

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