Poetry · Chapter
Gal's Cry for a Dying Lover explained
A woman mourns the impending death of her lover, signaled by an owl's hoot and a hound dog's bark, and pleads with Jesus to spare him despite her own feelings of ugliness and unworthiness.
What happens
A woman mourns the impending death of her lover, signaled by an owl's hoot and a hound dog's bark, and pleads with Jesus to spare him despite her own feelings of ugliness and unworthiness.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional peak occurs in the final line, "Tell them to leave you alone!..."—a raw, defiant outburst that s…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Love and Loss
The speaker's desperate cry for her dying lover highlights the pain of impending loss and the depth of her love.
- Death and Mortality
The poem is centered on the anticipation of death, signaled by natural omens and the speaker's plea for divine intervention.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The speaker, a black woman crying for her dying lover.
- Hound dawg
Its barking signals the lover's impending death.
- Jesus
Implored to have mercy and not take the lover.
- Lawd
Addressed in a plea for mercy on the speaker.
Key passages
“Heard de owl a hootin’, Knowed somebody’s ’bout to die.”
I heard the owl hooting and knew that someone was going to die.
The owl's hoot is a traditional omen of death in Southern folklore.
“O, Lawd have mercy On a po’ black girl.”
Oh Lord, have mercy on a poor black girl.
The speaker appeals to God for compassion in her time of grief.
“High-in-heaben Jesus, Please don’t take this man o’ mine.”
Jesus in heaven, please don't take this man of mine.
A direct plea to Jesus to spare her lover's life.
