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Gwendolyn B. Bennett - Nocturne & Other Verses Public Domain Poets #16 Publicdomainpoets.com Containing all of Gwendolyn B. Bennett's poetry, originally published between 1923-1927 in various journals and anthologies, with illustrations by Bennett. New edition designed and edited by Dick Whyte. This cool night is strange Among midsummer days . . . Far frosts are caught In the moon's pale light, And sounds are distant laughter Chilled to tears. Gwendolyn B. Bennett (1902-1981) was born in Giddings, Texas, and spent her early childhood on the Paiute Reservation in Nevada where her parents were teachers, before relocating to Washington, Pennsylvania, and then New York. Bennett attended Brooklyn Girls' High School, and would go on to study fine arts and teaching at both Columbia University and the Pratt Institute. Night wears a garment All velvet soft, all violet blue . . . And over her face she draws a veil As shimmering fine as floating dew . . . And here and there In the black of her hair The subtle hands of night Move slowly with their gem-starred light. Bennett published her first poem - written in the compressed, 'free verse' style - in 'The Crisis' in 1923, later worked as an assistant editor at 'The Opportunity', wrote short-stories and magazine articles, and illustrated numerous covers for both 'The Opportunity' and 'The Crisis', as well as co-founding the short-lived poetry magazine 'Fire!' (with Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Aaron Douglas, et al.). Alongside her teaching, poetry, and illustration work, Bennett was committed to advancing African American and women's rights through the arts, and was later an administrator on the New York City Works Progress Administration Federal Arts Project. Moon tonight, Beloved . . . When twilight Has gathered together The ends Of her soft robe And the last bird-call Has died. Moon tonight- Cool as a forgotten dream, Dearer than lost twilights Among trees where birds sing No more. Public Domain Press produces new editions of out-of-print poetry, with a focus on compressed & fragmented 'free verse' from the late-1800s & early-1900s, & the early history of English-language tanka & haiku. Verses are carefully selected & spaciously laid-out, adorned with illustrations & ornaments from the books & magazines they originally appeared in. These are not simply "reprints" of previously existing books, but newly crafted collections, lovingly edited from public domain material, for the serious poetry lover.