Prayer for a Winter Night by Langston Hughes
The poem presents a stark and haunting prayer that reflects on the harsh realities of winter and the suffering of the impoverished. It opens with an invocation to a deity associated with cold, asking for the earth to be enveloped in ice, which symbolizes both the physical and emotional desolation experienced by those without adequate shelter or sustenance. The speaker expresses a desire for the poor to be frozen in their beds, highlighting a grim acceptance of death as a release from suffering. The imagery evokes a chilling atmosphere, where the cold becomes a metaphor for neglect and despair. The plea for the poor to succumb to the cold suggests a deep sense of hopelessness, as the speaker contemplates the fate of those who lack basic necessities. The notion of a "rich kingdom of nowhere" introduces a paradoxical idea of an afterlife that is devoid of material wealth yet offers an escape from earthly suffering. As the poem progresses, it juxtaposes the harshness of winter with the concept of nothingness, suggesting that in death, the struggles of life may dissolve into an indifferent void. The speaker's tone oscillates between a desire for divine intervention and a resignation to the inevitability of suffering. The work ultimately serves as a poignant commentary on social injustice, the plight of the marginalized, and the existential questions surrounding life and death in the face of overwhelming adversity.
By Langston Hughes · First published 1944 · Genre: Poetry, Spiritual, Social Commentary · 109 words
First lines
O, Great God of Cold and Winter, / Wrap the earth in an icy blanket / And freeze the poor in their beds.
All those who haven't enough cover / To keep them warm, / Nor food enough to keep them strong --
Freeze, dear God.
Let their limbs grow stiff / And their hearts cease to beat, / Then tomorrow / They'll wake up in some rich kingdom of nowhere / Where nothingness is everything and / Everything is nothingness.
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Prayer for a Winter Night is listed on Textopian as a poem by Langston Hughes, dated 1944 CE.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Langston Hughes
- Date: 1944 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Spiritual, Social Commentary, Existentialism, Literary Fiction
- Length: 109 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is a poem that employs lyrical language and structure to convey deep emotional and thematic content.
- Spiritual — The poem reflects themes of prayer, divinity, and existential contemplation, focusing on the relationship between humanity and a higher power.
- Social Commentary — The poem addresses social issues such as poverty and suffering, highlighting the plight of the marginalized.
- Existentialism — The themes of nothingness and the afterlife suggest an exploration of existential questions and the human condition.
Tags
Poetry · Winter · Night · Prayer · Hope · Faith · Spirituality · Nature · Seasonal · Mood · Atmosphere · Emotional