“Simon the Cyrenian Speaks” (1924)
He never spoke a word to me,
And yet He called my name;
He never gave a sign to me,
And yet I knew and came.
At first I said, “I will not bear
His cross upon my back;
He only seeks to place it there
Because my skin is black.”
But He was dying for a dream,
And He was very meek,
And in His eyes there shone a gleam
Men journey far to seek.
It was Himself my pity bought;
I did for Christ alone
What all of Rome could not have wrought
With bruise of lash or stone.
Countee Cullen (1903-1946) was an African American poet, novelist, and playwright, one of the most important figures of the Harlem Renaissance. The adopted son of a Methodist pastor, Cullen wrote often of Christ’s sufferings, often analogizing them to the experience of Black people. “Simon the Cyrenian Speaks” was one of his first published works.
