The Piano and The Drums by Gabriel Okara & To the Negro-American Soldiers by Leopord Sedar Senghor

 The Piano and The Drums by Gabriel Okara

&

To the Negro-American Soldiers by Leopord Sedar Senghor

Hello Readers!!! I am Anjali Rathod. I am going to write one another blog on Two African Poems : 1) The Piano and The Drums By Gabriel Okara & 2) To the Negro-American Soldiers by Leopard Seghar Sengho. This task was assigned by Megha Trivedi Ma’am, Visiting Faculty Lecturer, Department Of English, MKBU. 

Original Poem : The piano and the Drums  by Gabriel Okara

When at break of day at a riverside

I hear jungle drums telegraphing

the mystic rhythm, urgent, raw

like bleeding flesh, speaking of

primal youth and the beginning,

I see the panther ready to pounce,

the leopard snarling about to leap

and the hunters crouch with spears poised.

And my blood ripples, turns torrent,

topples the years and at once I’m 

in my mother’s laps a suckling;

at once I’m walking simple

paths with no innovations

rugged, fashioned with the naked

warmth of hurrying feet and groping hearts

in green leaves and wild flowers pulsing.

Then I hear a wailing piano

solo speaking of complex ways

in tear- furrowed concerto;

of far away lands

and new horizons with

coaxing diminuendo,  counterpoint, 

crescendo, but lost in the labyrinth of its complexities, it ends in the middle of a phrase at a daggerpoint

And I lost in the morning mist

of an age at a riverside keep

wandering in the mystic rhythm

of jungle drums and concerto.

Analysis of the poem : 

The poem ‘The Piano and the Drums’ contrasts the traditional African way of life with the encroaching influence of the modern world. The poetic persona uses the juxtaposition of the piano and the drums to symbolize this clash of cultures.

The setting of the poem spans from the advent of civilization to the present day, chronicling the gradual erosion of African cultural purity. The central theme examines the impact of foreign, Western influences on African society. 

The poet uses the effect of music on the persona as an analogy to illustrate this overarching theme. The pure, primal rhythm of the drums represents the indigenous African experience, while the piano embodies the trappings of modern, Westernized life.

Through this musical metaphor, the poem seeks to emphasize the unspoiled, authentic nature of traditional African culture prior to the interference of colonial civilization and its attendant values. The tension between the piano and the drums mirrors the broader clash between the local and the global, the indigenous and the imported, that lies at the heart of the poem's message. Through vivid imagery and carefully crafted metaphors, Okara portrays the drums as representing the primal, natural rhythms of traditional African life, while the piano symbolizes the complex, cerebral qualities of Western culture. The way the speaker reacts to each "instrument" is central to the poem's expression of his inner turmoil.

In essence, Gabriel Okara perceives the desecration of the African way of life from the musical perspective, and comes out to lament about it through the instrument of poetry.

In the First Stanza , of the poem the description of the drums and piano follow a similar tripartite structure. First, we are presented with the sensory experience of the instruments' sounds, the "mystic rhythm" and "urgent" beating of the drums, versus the "wailing" and "tear furrowed concerto" of the piano. This establishes an immediate contrast between the raw, visceral nature of the traditional and the layered, emotive qualities of the Western.

The second part of each stanza delves into what the music "speaks of"  : the drums evoking primal life and natural beauty, the piano conjuring "complex ways" and "far away lands." Here, Okara highlights the thematic dichotomy at the heart of the poem's cultural conflict.

Finally, each stanza ends with the speaker's personal reaction, the drums stirring memories of hunting and a simple, fulfilling life, the piano seducing him with its sophistication even as it seems to "crumble upon itself" in its own complexity.

The progression of the poem charts the speaker's wavering between these two worlds. Though the drums initially appear to hold sway, the piano's allure is powerful enough to leave him ultimately "lost" and "wandering aimlessly" as the two musical forces intertwine around him. This final stanza, with its calmer, more reflective tone, conveys the depth of his inner turmoil, a profound sense of confusion and displacement that many can relate to in our globalized age.

The Major themes in The Piano and the Drums 

Theme of Innocence : 

The theme of innocence is explored through the depiction of African culture in this poem. From the very first line, where the events take place "at break of day," the idea of innocence is already suggested. The start of a new day is fresh and untouched, hinting at a sense of purity.

This theme of innocence is further conveyed through the sound of the jungle drums. The poem describes the drums as having a "mystic rhythm" that is "urgent" and "raw." This suggests the drumbeats are primal and unrefined, untainted by outside influences. They represent the natural, uncorrupted essence of traditional African life.

In contrast to the complex, "wailing" sounds of the piano later in the poem, the drums evoke a sense of innocence. The poem presents traditional African culture as a realm of innocence, untouched by the complications and sophistication of the Western world symbolized by the piano. This innocence is something the speaker seems to long for, even as he is drawn to the allure of the piano's "far away lands and new horizons."

Theme of innocence helps to highlight the cultural dichotomy at the heart of the poem. It shows the speaker torn between the pure, primal essence of his African roots and the temptations of the complex, Western-influenced world. This tension lies at the core of the speaker's inner conflict and confusion.

Theme of Dilemma: 

The poet speaks highly of African culture, but also finds European culture to be seductive, despite its flaws. The poet is unable to decide whether to let go of the inherited African culture or embrace the new European one. This is a common struggle for many educated Africans today. Many have resolved this dilemma by taking aspects from both the African and European cultures, a process known as "cultural syncretism." This allows them to combine the two cultures in a way that works for them.

The poet is torn between the cultures, unable to fully commit to one or the other. But many Africans have found a middle ground by selectively incorporating elements of both into a new, blended cultural identity.

Theme of Culture/Conflict: 

The poem contrasts two very different cultures, one represented by the simple, natural rhythms of drums, and the other by the complex, technical sounds of the piano. The first two stanzas depict the "drum" culture, which is set in a physically dangerous environment surrounded by wild animals. The drums represent a primal, instinctive way of life and communication. The language used is raw and urgent, conveying a sense of life close to the beginnings of humanity.

In contrast, the piano culture of the last two stanzas is described with more complex, learned language. The piano symbolizes a westernized, sophisticated way of living that is very different from the drum culture.  The poem suggests a conflict within the speaker, who is torn between these two vastly different worlds. The lack of a consistent rhyme scheme mirrors this indecision and confusion over which culture to embrace.

Ultimately, the poem explores the struggle many Africans faced in reconciling their traditional, indigenous cultures with the encroaching Western influences. The speaker is unable to fully commit to one or the other, feeling pulled in both directions.

 

Original Poem : To the Negro-American soldoers by Leopord Sedar Senghor

For Mercer Cook

I did not recognize you in prison under your

………..sad-colored uniform

I did not recognize you under the calabash helmet

………..without style

I did not recognize the whining sound of your

………..iron horses, who drink but do not eat.

And it is no longer the nobility of elephants, it is the

………..the barbaric weight of the prehistoric

………..monsters of the world.

Under your closed face, I did not recognize you.

I only touched the warmth of your brown hand,

………..I called myself “Afrika! ”

And I found once again the lost laughter, I hailed the ancient voices

………..and the roar of Congo waterfalls.

Brothers, I do not know whether you bombed the

………..cathedrals, the pride of Europe,

If you are the lightning of God’s hand that burned

………..Sodom and Gomorrah.

No, you are the messengers of his mercy, the

………..Spring after Winter.

To those who had forgotten how to laugh-only

………..smile obliquely

Who knew nothing but the savory flavor of

………..tears and the vexing stench of blood

You bring the Season of Peace and hope to

………..end of the delay.

And their night is filled with milky sweetness, the blue

………..fields of the sky are covered with flowers, silence sings

………..soothingly.

You bring them the sun. The air beats with whispers

………..liquids and crystalline chirping and beating

………..silky wings

The aerial cities are tepid with nests.

Through the streets joy streamed, the boys play with

………..their dreams

Men dance before of their machines and

………..surprised themselves singing.

Schoolgirls’s eyelids are rose petals, and

………..fruits ripen in the virgins’ breasts

And the women’s hips—Oh, sweetness—

………..grow generously heavy.

Black brothers, warriors whose mouths are flowers that

………..sing

—Oh! the delight to live after Winter—I salute you

………..like messengers of peace.

Analyses of the poem : 

Leopold Sedar Senghor was a Senegalese poet, politician and cultural theorist who was one of the founders of the Negritude movement. ‘To the Negro-American Soldiers’ was likely a poem he wrote to honor and express gratitude to African American soldiers who fought in the World Wars. Honoring the Sacrifice and Resilience of the Negro-American Soldier in Senghor's Poem.

He founding father of the Negritude movement, paid poignant tribute to the African American soldiers who fought for their country in his 1945 poem ‘To the Negro-American Soldiers’. He writes of their "black bodies" marching into battle, their "scarred faces" etched with the hardships of war.

But Senghor's poem goes beyond simple veneration. It also speaks to the inherent dignity and resilience of the Negro-American soldier, who Senghor sees as the embodiment of the struggle for black liberation worldwide. He addresses them directly, praising their "stubborn patience" in the face of oppression and their "constructive force" that will one day break the chains of colonialism.

The poem's imagery is rich and evocative. Senghor depicts the soldiers as "the sap in the oak, the leap of the stream, the shudder of the earth"  linking their warrior spirits to the very forces of nature. He also invokes their African heritage, seeing them as "brothers" who will carry the fight for freedom back to the ancestral continent.

‘To the Negro-American Soldiers’ is a passionate call to recognize the humanity and heroism of these men, who Senghor believes will play a pivotal role in the global movement for racial justice. In honoring their sacrifice, he elevates the entire African diaspora, providing a powerful counter narrative to the racist ideologies that sought to dehumanize them.

Senghor's poem is a moving testament to the indomitable spirit of the Negro-American soldier a spirit that, even in the face of unimaginable adversity, refused to be broken. Its message of black pride, resilience and revolutionary potential continues to resonate powerfully today.

References : 

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