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By Mary O. Walcott The Island of Sunshine by Mary O. Walcott (aka Tropica) was first published in 1904. The poignant verses draw upon metaphors to celebrate her island home of Jamaica. The poet offers original and inspiring reflections on the island’s unique flora and fauna, while also allowing glimpses into a colonial society. An excerpt from The Island of Sunshine: O quaint old isle of hidden dreams! Thy lonely paths, thy silent streams, Thy woods and ancient ruins hold Many a charming tale untold. This collection includes poems such as: -The Light between the Logwood Leaves -Ferns -Song of the Coffee Field -To the Donkey -The Heart of the Island -Rose Hall -When the Sunlight Touches the River -An Island Spring -Under the Roseapple Boughs -In a Banana Walk -Job’s Tears -Blinkeys
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By Claude McKay Claude McKay was one of the twentieth century’s finest poets and Songs of Jamaica (1912) was his first published work. This is a pioneering collection written in Jamaican Patois, the first of its kind. In the opening poem ‘Quashie to Buccra’ he begins by asserting the labourer’s voice: “You tas’e petater an’ you say it sweet, But you no know how hard we wuk fe it; You want a basketful fe quattiewut, ’Cause you no know how ’tiff de bush fe cut.” This collection includes poems such as: - QUASHIE TO BUCCRA - KING BANANA - SCHOOL-TEACHER NELL’S LUB-LETTER - HARD TIMES - CUDJOE FRESH FROM DE LECTURE - MOTHER DEAR - KILLIN’ NANNY - MY NATIVE LAND, MY HOME - BENEATH THE YAMPY SHADE - TO CLARENDON HILLS AND H. A. H. - WHEN YOU WANT A BELLYFUL - STROKES OF THE TAMARIND SWITCH
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By Claude McKay Claude McKay was one of the twentieth century’s finest poets and Harlem Shadows (1922) collects some of his most moving, lyrical verses which capture his nostalgia for Jamaica, as well as his empathy for the unjust plight of Black people in the United States and around the world. These are passionate poems, that are full of calls for human decency, dignity and justice in a needlessly cruel world. In ‘If We Must Die,’ McKay asserts: “If we must die, let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot, While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs, Making their mock at our accursed lot.” This collection includes poems such as: -THE EASTER FLOWER -FLAME-HEART -THE SPANISH NEEDLE -ENSLAVED -I SHALL RETURN -MORNING JOY -AFRICA -ON A PRIMITIVE CANOE -THE HARLEM DANCER -THE CASTAWAYS -THE LYNCHING -IF WE MUST DIE
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By Claude McKay Claude McKay was one of the twentieth century’s finest poets and Constab Ballads (1912) was his second published work, after Songs of Jamaica earlier that year. This collection was also written in Jamaican Patois and was largely based on his experiences while serving as a police constable in Spanish Town. The poems are an alluring combination of traditional verses, dramatic monologues and confessional love lyrics. This collection includes poems such as: - DE ROUTE MARCH - FLAT-FOOT DRILL - PAPINE CORNER - COTCH DONKEY - A RECRUIT ON THE CORPY - PAY-DAY - KNUTSFORD PARK RACES - THE HEART OF A CONSTAB - FE ME SAL - THE MALINGERER - A LABOURER’S LIFE GIVE ME - SUKEE RIVER