Langston Hughes

Danse Africaine

Danse Africaine - meaning Summary

Rhythmic Call to Dance

The poem evokes a primal, rhythmic scene in which the repeated beat of tom-toms summons bodily and emotional response. A veiled girl moves gently into a circle of light, her whirling likened to smoke around a fire. The persistent drumbeat creates mounting momentum and communal urgency, turning quiet motion into an incitement to dance and physical release. The language emphasizes sound, movement, and sensory immersion.

Read Complete Analyses

The low beating of the tom-toms, The slow beating of the tom-toms, Low … slow Slow … low – Stirs your blood. Dance! A night-veiled girl Whirls softly into a Circle of light. Whirls softly … slowly, Like a wisp of smoke around the fire – And the tom-toms beat, And the tom-toms beat, And the low beating of the tom-toms Stirs your blood.

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