The Pain of Beautiful Art

“The Weary Blues” is written from within the Black American community in the early 20th century, a culture characterized by both hardship and artistic expression. However, the themes in this poem can be applied to any walk of life. The poem opens with a description and the uninspiring figure at the centre of it: “By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light / He did a lazy sway. . .” (Lines 5-6). It’s in this womb-like place of darkness that the beauty of art is born. Very quickly the speaker becomes entranced by this music, exclaiming its beauty out loud. For the speaker, the music represents a source of release and relief from the trouble of the everyday. For the singer, however, the experience is different. He throws himself into his playing, making the piano “moan” as if in anguish (Line 10). The...