A brief introduction about the poet Derek Walcott
Derek Walcott was born in Castries, Saint Lucia, the British West Indies, on January 23, 1930. He was a teacher, a playwright, a poet, and an artist. He won the Noble Prize for literature in 1992. As he grew up he became aware of his mixed racial ancestry - he had both white and black grandparents - and this theme of roots divided became a rich source of material for some of his poetry.
A Far Cry from Africa, published in 1962, explores the history of a specific uprising in Kenya, occupied by the British, in the 1950s. Certain members of the local Kikuyu tribe, known as Mau Mau fighters, fought a violent 8 year long campaign against settlers, who they saw as illegal trespassers on their land.
In the first two stanza the poet paints the horrifying reality of British colonialism and in the third stanza his perplexities increases as to whom he should support as both Africans and English are for violence and he is against it.
‘Far Cry’ means ‘Cry from a distance’ ‘not audible’. If taken contextual from poet’s point of view, I feel that the poet is someone who has personally not undergone any suppression by colonial rules but has seen his mother-land suffer from it and he is unable to comprehend fully.
A Far Cry from Africa
A wind is ruffling the tawny pelt
Of Africa. Kikuyu, quick as flies,
Batten upon the bloodstreams of the veldt.
Corpses are scattered through a paradise.
Only the worm, colonel of carrion, cries:
“Waste no compassion on these separate dead!”
Statistics justify and scholars seize
The salients of colonial policy.
What is that to the white child hacked in bed?
To savages, expendable as Jews?
In the first stanza, we see a dramatic opening where the poet is comparing Africa to an animal with orange-brown fur (might be a lion) and we see that wind is ruffling the fur of the animal which actually means Africa is disarranged by the wind. Here the wind is compared to the Britishers who came to conquer it.
The poet is comparing Kikuyu ( A largest ethnic group in Kenya) to flies who are seeding on bloodstreams on grassland. (See the contrast between the blood and grassland)
Poet paints a picture of dead bodies scattered everywhere in the beautiful paradise-like land. The colonel an English officer is compared to worm who ruthlessly says its a waste of time to cry for these dead corps. Both statistics and scholars stick to these colonial policies and justify these dead bodies with facts and figures.
But the poet feels that those facts and figures mean nothing to white people (comparing it to a white child sleeping in bed) furthers he says that nor it affects the brutal people who are used to violence it is as good as Jews who were destroyed with little significance to anyone.
Threshed out by beaters, the long rushes break
In a white dust of ibises whose cries
Have wheeled since civilization’s dawn
From the parched river or beast-teeming plain.
The violence of beast on beast is read
As natural law, but upright man
Seeks his divinity by inflicting pain.
Delirious as these worried beasts, his wars
Dance to the tightened carcass of a drum,
While he calls courage still that native dread
Of the white peace contracted by the dead.
The Poet tries to tell how violent and animal-like people are in Africa, in the above stanza. Who have always behaved like animals threshing and beating each other and violence is nothing new to them. The ibis (a long-legged white bird) is compared to whites who though are educated enough and act civilized outwardly also behaved brutally.
Comparing Africans to animals (beasts) Walcott says animal killing each other for food and behaving beastly is acceptable and natural but, those white upright men who think and act as if they are the creature of divine and call themselves God also act like animals, inflicting pain to other human beings is actually confusing these beasts. The poet further compares that war started by these men to dance to beat of drums (which are made by dead bodies of animals). The white officer (He) calls courage as fear which always makes peace with death.
Again brutish necessity wipes its hands
Upon the napkin of a dirty cause, again
A waste of our compassion, as with Spain,
The gorilla wrestles with the superman.
In the first line itself, there is a change in the poets' tone where he says that again these brutish beasts (Blacks) are wiping their dirty bloody hands on the napkin (napkin here represents a white and clean cloth). Metaphorically Walcott is trying to tell that these beastly people are again killing whites in return and he thinks showing compassion to any of these (both whites and blacks) is of no use.
‘As with Spain’ this refers to a revolution which occurred in Spain against colonial rules he is comparing this war to ‘The Spanish Civil war’ where many lives were sacrificed.
‘The gorilla wrestles with the superman’ is a metaphor where in gorilla is referred to blacks and superman, whites. It means that nobody is worth compassion as both are into violence.
I who am poisoned with the blood of both,
Where shall I turn, divided to the vein?
I who have cursed
The drunken officer of British rule, how choose
Between this Africa and the English tongue I love?
Betray them both, or give back what they give?
How can I face such slaughter and be cool?
How can I turn from Africa and live?
n these lines for the first time in the poem Walcott talks about himself. He says that his blood is poisoned by both. He has the blood of both the countries in him and he is unable to decide whom to turn to or should he divide himself into two.
In the next line, he openly declares that he has cursed the British officers for their ruthless behavior and violence. Since both equally take part in violence he is unable to choose between them.
He himself says that he loves English tongue which he uses for speaking and writing that's one of the other reason he is not ready to give up on English.
He questions himself should he betray them both or should he support them equally and if at all he did support both how can he be cool and calm about the violence they create. Africa is his motherland so he questions again asking should he altogether turn his back on them or should he continue to live there.
Theme: The main theme of this poem is Violence and we clearly see that the poet is against it.
Rhyme: No regular rhyme scheme as such
Metaphor: Africa is compared to the orange-brown furred animal (lion)
Blacks are compared to beasts
British colonizer are compared to worms
Historical reference: Kikuyu the largest ethnic group in Kenya.
Mau Mau Uprising: In the second stanza the poet has briefly touched his revolt in Kenya.
Spanish Civil War
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