Carolina Chansons Legends of the Low Country

"Carolina Chansons" by DuBose Heyward and Hervey Allen is a collection of poetry written in the early 20th century. The work reflects on the rich cultural and historical tapestry of the Carolina Low Country, drawing from local legends, voices, and landscapes to present a compelling portrait of the region. The poems explore themes of memory, identity, and the interplay of beauty and melancholy, often using the Southern landscape as a backdrop for its narratives. At the start of the collection, the authors set a tone with the "SÉANCE AT SUNRISE," which introduces a gathering of voices -- Indian, slave, and planter -- reflecting on their shared past in the Low Country. Each voice reveals connections to the natural environment and cultural memory, emphasizing a haunting blend of nostalgia and loss. The opening portions also establish an intricate atmosphere of tension between the historical and the lyrical, setting the stage for poems that mix personal, communal, and historical experiences unique to Carolina. The invocation of local flora and fauna alongside the memories of those who lived there adds depth to the emotional landscape of the collection. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Edwin DuBose Heyward was an American author best known for his 1925 novel Porgy. He and his wife Dorothy, a playwright, adapted it as a 1927 play of the same name. The couple worked with composer George Gershwin to adapt the work as the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. It was later adapted as a 1959 film of the same name.