One of the most influential artists of the Harlem Renaissance, jazz poet Langston Hughes wrote "Night Funeral in Harlem" in 1951. The poem describes the funeral of a poor Black boy in Harlem, New York. Although the boy died in poverty, his community comes together to cover the expenses of his funeral. Yet the speaker insists that it's not the silk-lined coffin or fancy hearse that makes the ceremony special; instead, the speaker says, the grief of all those who loved the boy is what makes the funeral so "grand." The poem thus suggests that love and community are their own kind of prosperity—one that's more significant and lasting than material wealth.

• Read the full text of “Night Funeral in Harlem”

• “Night Funeral in Harlem” Summary

• “Night Funeral in Harlem” Themes

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    Love and Community as a Form of Wealth

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-45

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Night Funeral in Harlem”

  • Lines 1-4

    Night funeral ...
    ... two fine cars?

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 5-8

    Insurance man, he ...
    ... head to lay.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 9-12

    Night funeral ...
    ... wreath of flowers?

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 13-18

    Them flowers came ...
    ... in Harlem:

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 19-24

    Who preached that ...
    ... had to pay.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 25-30

    Night funeral ...
    ... prayers been said

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 31-34

    and six pallbearers ...
    ... hearse done sped,

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 35-40

    The street light ...
    ... the preacher man—

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 41-45

    It was all ...
    ... In Harlem.

    

    

    

    

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• “Night Funeral in Harlem” Symbols

  • 

    Flowers

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 11-16: “Who was it sent / That wreath of flowers? / Them flowers came / from that poor boy's friends— / They'll want flowers, too, / When they meet their ends.”
    • Lines 37-39: “ That boy that they was mournin' / Was so dear, so dear / To them folks that brought the flowers,”

• “Night Funeral in Harlem” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Repetition

    

    

    

    

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    Where repetition appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “Night funeral / In Harlem:”
    • Line 5: “Insurance”
    • Line 6: “insurance”
    • Lines 9-10: “Night funeral / In Harlem:”
    • Line 12: “flowers”
    • Line 13: “flowers”
    • Line 15: “flowers”
    • Lines 17-18: “Night funeral / in Harlem:”
    • Line 19: “preached”
    • Line 21: “preacher”
    • Line 22: “Preached”
    • Lines 25-26: “Night funeral / In Harlem:”
    • Line 38: “so dear, so dear”
    • Lines 44-45: “Night funeral / In Harlem.”

  • Anaphora

    

    

    

    

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    Where anaphora appears in the poem:

    • Line 28: “And the”
    • Line 29: “and the”
    • Line 30: “and the”
    • Line 31: “and”
    • Line 33: “And”
    • Line 39: “To”
    • Line 40: “To”

  • Simile

    

    

    

    

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    Where simile appears in the poem:

    • Lines 35-37: “The street light / At his corner / Shined just like a tear—”

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 9: “funeral”
    • Line 12: “flowers”
    • Line 13: “flowers”
    • Line 14: “friends”
    • Line 15: “flowers”
    • Line 17: “funeral”
    • Line 20: “Black,” “boy”
    • Line 23: “Five”
    • Line 24: “friend”
    • Line 25: “funeral”
    • Line 29: “played”
    • Line 30: “prayers”
    • Line 31: “pallbearers”
    • Line 39: “folks,” “flowers”
    • Line 40: “paid,” “preacher”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “funeral / In”
    • Lines 3-4: “get / Them”
    • Lines 7-8: “box / for”
    • Lines 9-10: “funeral / In”
    • Lines 11-12: “sent / That”
    • Lines 13-14: “came / from”
    • Lines 17-18: “funeral / in”
    • Lines 19-20: “that / Black”
    • Lines 21-22: “man / Preached”
    • Lines 23-24: “Dollars / His”
    • Lines 25-26: “funeral / In”
    • Lines 27-28: “over / And”
    • Lines 28-29: “head / and”
    • Lines 29-30: “played / and”
    • Lines 30-31: “said / and”
    • Lines 31-32: “pallbearers / Carried”
    • Lines 32-33: “dead / And”
    • Lines 33-34: “Avenue / That”
    • Lines 35-36: “ight / At”
    • Lines 36-37: “corner / Shined”
    • Lines 37-38: “mournin' / Was”
    • Lines 38-39: “dear / To”
    • Lines 41-42: “made / That”
    • Lines 42-43: “boy's / Funeral”
    • Lines 44-45: “funeral / In”

  • Aporia

    

    

    

    

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    Where aporia appears in the poem:

    • Lines 3-6: “Where did they get / Them two fine cars? / Insurance man, he did not pay— / His insurance lapsed the other day—”
    • Lines 11-14: “Who was it sent / That wreath of flowers? / Them flowers came / from that poor boy's friends—”
    • Lines 19-22: “Who preached that / Black boy to his grave? / Old preacher man / Preached that boy away—”

• “Night Funeral in Harlem” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Lapsed
  • Satin box
  • Organ
  • Pallbearers
  • Hearse
  • (Location in poem: Line 6: “His insurance lapsed the other day—”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Night Funeral in Harlem”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Night Funeral in Harlem” Speaker

• “Night Funeral in Harlem” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Night Funeral in Harlem”

• More “Night Funeral in Harlem” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Poems and Biography — Read a short biography of Hughes from the Poetry Foundation, and find links to more of his poems.

    • Hughes's Persona — Read an article by writer and critic Hilton Als about Hughes's careful public persona and the complex, real person behind the poems.

    • The Harlem Renaissance — Read an introduction to the Harlem Renaissance, a groundbreaking cultural movement of which Hughes was an integral part.

    • The Poem Set to Music — Listen to a jazz musical performance of Hughes's poem. 

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Langston Hughes

    • As I Grew Older

    • Aunt Sue's Stories

    • Cross

    • Daybreak in Alabama

    • Democracy

    • Dreams

    • Dream Variations

    • Harlem

    • Homecoming

    • I Look at the World

    • I, Too

    • Let America Be America Again

    • Mother to Son

    • The Ballad of the Landlord

    • Theme for English B

    • The Negro Speaks of Rivers

    • The Weary Blues

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