Summary

The poem opens with the image of a diverse crowd of people at nightclub. “Youths” and “young prostitutes” are longingly watching a Black woman who is a nightclub dancer (1). Her body is described sensually and erotically as “perfect” and “half-clothed” (2). Her voice is compared to an orchestra of flute players playing on a “picnic day” (4). Despite the crowd’s excitement, the woman is “calm” and dances “gracefully” (5).

The speaker then compares her to a “proudly-swaying palm” to compliment the image of grace and calm (7). This description makes the dancer seem stoic and dignified, rather than provocative and illicit. Moreover, the speaker sees her as “passing through a storm” that only makes her “lovelier” (8). In addition to her clothing, her “black shiny curls” fall around her neck, which is described as “swarthy” (9).

The poem then becomes more violent, as the drunken crowd “devoured her shape...