Work On "Strange Fruit" A Poem by Abel Meeropol

OLIVIER Noémie HK
Translation of “Strange Fruit” (1937)
Les arbres du Sud portent un fruit étrange

Du sang sur les feuilles et du sang sur les racines
Des corps noirs qui se balancent dans la brise du Sud
Un fruit étrange suspendu aux peupliers
Scène pastorale de l’élégant Sud

Des yeux révulsés et la bouche déformée
La douce et fraiche odeur des magnolias en fleurs
Puis la soudaine odeur de la chaire qui brûle
Voici, le fruit que les corbeaux picorent

Que la pluie fait pousser, que le vent assèche
Que le Soleil brûle et que l’arbre fait tomber
Voici une bien étrange et amère plante
Commentary of “Strange Fruit” by Abel Meeropol (1937)
During the 1930’s, Segragation against the Black Community was still on going in the
Southern States of America. Because of the “Jim Crow Laws” some racist practices
were legalised ; as for example lyching. Even if originally lyching was for criminals
as a punition to their crimes , this brutal sanctions was used by White supremacies to
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terrorized Afro-American people only because of the color of their skin. It is in this
context of racial violence that Abel Meeropol a White teacher and songwriter
published « Strange Fruit » in 1937. The title is a disturbing methaphor that refered to
the lynched bodies of Africain Americans that hanged and swayed form trees. The
verses of the poem are of different length, which slows down the rhythm and gives
the poem a melancholic side and the rhymes are couplets. How do Abel Meeropol use
the poetic imaginary to decipts the horrors of lyching in the South of the United States
in his poem “Strange Fruit” ? The following plan will explore, firstly the extended
metaphor of the “strange fruit”. Then the vivid description of the violent scene and
lastly the contrast between the beauty of nature and the violence.
I / The extend metaphor of “Strange Fruit”

- “Southern trees bear strange fruit” (l-1) the poem begins with this verse which is the
first reference to the strange fruit. At this point of the lecture readers do not knows
what “strange fruit” stand for. (may stand for unknow as exotic fruit)
- The reponse arrive in verse 3 and 4 “Black bodies hanging from the ploplar trees”
“Strange fruit hanging from the ploplar trees” . At first readers may think that tthe
“Black bodies swinging” refered to black people on rock chair who enjoy the wind of
the South but it is not and it is a shock but now readers understand the that “strange
fruit” is a metaphor to the Black bodies. A a direct reference to the liched bodies of
Black people in the 1930’s.
- At the verse 9 there is the repetition of “fruit”. The author choose to continue the
metaphor that was present at the beginning.
- “Here is a strange and bitter crop” the corpse is still a plant “crop” but in the last verse
of the poem the “fruit” is not only “strange” it is also “bitter” which brings
asentimental dimension. And the feeling of horror but also of sadness that black
people must have felt when they saw the lyching bodies.
Transition = The extend metaphor bring the feeling of injustice that felt the African
Americans during the Segragation to the readers. A gentle way to let the readers understands
what lyching was. But even if the the metaphor gently instructs readers the violence is still
present in the poem.
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II/ A Vivid Description of the violent scene.
- - At the verse 2, the author add a visual detail of the scene “blood” repeated twice in
the same verse. “Blood on the leaves and blood at the root”. As if the readers could
see the blood that covered the leaves and the root. The word “blood” also reflects the
violence of those scenes.
- - A violent image of a lyching body is given to readers at the verse 3, “Black bodies
swinging in the southern breeze” and at the verse 4 the verb “hanging”. It is almost as
the scene was before the eyes. A body hanging from a rope hanging from a tree and
swinging in the wind.
- - At the verse 6 other visual details are are brought “The bulging eyes and the twisted
mouth”. Those details refers to the lyching body and more pricesly to the face. Wide
lifeless open eyes and a mouth deformed by pain and screams of agony . A face that
will forever bare the violence of the people who killed it.
- - The verse 8 had no a visual detail but a detail related to the olfactory sense. “Then
the sudden smell of burning flesh” sometimes after being hanged the lynched body
was burned. The air was then charged with a burning smell of flesh. The word
“Sudden” add to the scene a certain amount of brutality ; if the family of the victim
wanted to bring back the body they can not since only ashes remain.
- - Only two destinies awaits for the bodies, or the bodies were burned or left hanging
from the trees. As the end of the poem decribes it. The last quatrain start with “Here”
which attracs the attention of the readers ; then come the rest of the verse “Is the fruit
for the crows to pluck” as the body was a fruit, birds come to pluck it. Except that the
birds that mentions here are crows (which is a scavenger).
- - There 2 figures of repétition at the verses 10 and 11 “For the rain to gather, for the
wind to suck” “For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop”. An antépiphor “For the” at
the begining and an alliteration “for the”. A vivid description of what happen to the
body if they are left hanging at the trees. As things are taking their course, the corspe
the body decomposes “ gather”, “suck”, “rot”and “drop” abuse by the 4 elements :
“rain” for water, “wind” for air, “sun” for fire and “trees” to earth. As if the Nature
also participed to describe and denonces the horrors of lyching . Using powerful
world.
Transition = Thanks to the many details that the poet gave to the readers , the scene of
luching seems very vivid. As if the readers were there by witnessing this horror the poem
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recreate this dark atmospher. And there is a contrast between the beauty of the South and the
violence of the lyching.
III/ Contrast between the beauty of the Nature of the South and the violence of lyching
- In the second quatrain the poet create a contrast between the beauty of the southern
nature and the violence of lyching. “Pastoral scene of the gallant south”. Pastoral
scene are generally idealization of nature very present during the romantic movement.
Giving rise to magnificent description but also representation of the campaign as
being great, vast and beautiful. The South of the United states was know for its rich
vegetation. With many flowers and other plants.
- The verse 7 continue with the idealization of Nature, “ Scent of magniolias, sweet and
fresh” Magnolias are trees very present in the south that diffuse a sweet smell in the
air.
- Those two verses opposed with the 2 other verses “The bulging eyes and the twisted
mouth” “Then the sudden smell of burning flesh”. The poet which almost highlight
the question of how the South who is such a beautiful landscape can be the main
scene of such violences.
To conclude , the poem is a testimony that is like a scream of protest against the violence
which taking place in the South. A. Meeropol use the poetic imaginary to carry this scream
of the Black community that was suffocating at the time. The poem will later be popularized
by the singer Billie Holiday with an outstanding interpretation first performed in 1939.

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OLIVIER Noémie HK

Translation of “Strange Fruit” (1937)

Les arbres du Sud portent un fruit étrange

Scène pastorale de l’élégant Sud

Voici, le fruit que les corbeaux picorent

Commentary of “Strange Fruit” by Abel Meeropol (1937)

I / The extend metaphor of “Strange Fruit”

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