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In this poem, "river" is a highly condensed image. We can understand it as a symbol of history. Black people's tracing back to the river is a tracing back to their own history, and a search for their ancestors and homeland.

“I know rivers: / I know rivers as old as the world, / Older than the blood that flows in human veins.” The “I” in the poem is not a specific black person, but a specific black person. It represents the entire black race. In this stanza, the poet repeatedly emphasizes the black people’s testimony of the “river” (history) and vividly points out that this “river” is “as old as the world” and is older than the river in the human body – “blood” More ancient.

"My soul has become as deep as a river." This line is the only one in the second stanza, and its function is to connect the previous and the following. In the previous section, the understanding of the river was limited to "understanding", but in this section, "I" have deeply felt the river with my "soul". In other words, the "soul" of black people is deepened by witnessing the "river" (history). The following section is a historical review starting from this point.

“I bathed in the Euphrates River in the morning light.” The Euphrates River is one of the birthplaces of ancient civilization, and splendid ancient civilizations were born here.

“I built a hut on the bank of the Congo River,/The gurgling water of the river lulled me to sleep./I looked down on the Nile River and built a pyramid on the riverside.” The Congo River is the largest river in Africa, and the Nile River is The longest river in the world. The Nile River Basin also gave birth to splendid ancient civilizations.

"When Lincoln went to New Orleans, / I heard the singing of the Mississippi River, / I saw its muddy breast / shining golden in the sunset." The Mississippi River is the largest river in North America. When Lincoln was president of the United States, he abolished slavery and emancipated the black slaves in the United States.

The above is the poet's review of history in an exaggerated way. "I" has passed through the three continents of Asia, Africa and the United States. From ancient times to modern times, there are rivers in every place that "I" will never forget.

"I know the river: / the ancient dark river." The fourth stanza is similar to the first stanza in sentence structure, but the sentences are shorter and the meaning is more concise. "Dark River" can be considered a metaphor for black history.

The last stanza, "My soul has become as deep as a river", is a repetition of the second stanza, intended to strengthen the prominent theme. The black race has witnessed the history of human development. The "soul" of black people contains the accumulation of human civilization and history, so it appears "profound".

This poem shows the pride black people have in their race. In the era when the poet lived, the bad habit of racial discrimination has not yet been eradicated in the United States. The poet wrote such a poem on behalf of his own race, which undoubtedly has a strong appeal.

In addition, we can also feel the poet's faint sadness from this poem. This sadness stems from the long history and deep suffering of black people.