Kamau Brathwaite

But today I recapture the islands’

bright beaches:  blue mist from the ocean

rolling into the fishermen’s houses.

By these shores I was born:  sound of the sea

came in at my window, life heaved and breathed in me then

with the strength of that turbulent soil. 

Since then I have travelled:  moved far from the beaches:

sojourned in stoniest cities, walking the lands of the north

in sharp slanting sleet and the hail,

crossed countless saltless savannas and come

to this house in the forest where the shadows oppress me

and the only water is rain and the tepid taste of the river. 

We who are born of the ocean can never seek solace

in rivers:  their flowing runs on like our longing,

reproves us our lack of endeavour and purpose,

proves that our striving will founder on that.

We resent them this wisdom, this freedom:  passing us

toiling, waiting and watching their cunning declension down to the sea. 

But today I would join you, travelling river,

borne down the years of your patientest flowing,

past pains that would wreck us, sorrows arrest us,

hatred that washes us up on the flats;

and moving on through the plains that receive us,

processioned in tumult, come to the sea. 

Bright waves splash up from the rocks to refresh us,

blue sea-shells shift in their wake

and there is the thatch of the fishermen’s houses, the path

made of pebbles, and look!

Small urchins combing the beaches

look up from their traps to salute us: 

they remember us just as we left them.

The fisherman, hawking the surf on this side

of the reef, stands up in his boat

and halloos us:  a starfish lies in its pool.

And gulls, white sails slanted seaward,

fly into the limitless morning before us.

Summary

The persona speaks about his childhood and his island home. He has travelled to many places but remains nostalgic about the island. He talks about “stoniest cities” and compares this to his home. He is happy when he speaks of these wonderful memories of his childhood. The title refers to the Caribbean islands as the poet is from Barbados which is south of the United States.

The persona juxtaposes his southern island home, full of bright beaches and warm people, with the “lands of the north” and their adverse weather conditions, colder people, and a lack of the ocean which our persona so desperately longs for.

Theme

Nature,

Idealization of childhood and

Nostalgia.

Mood

Nostalgic and longing.

Analysis

“But today I recapture the islands’ bright beaches: blue mist from the ocean rolling into the fishermen’s houses.”

The persona reflects on the graphic scenery of his island home. “But today” gives the impression that the persona has experienced a change in his opinion. Now, he reflects on the bright beaches of the island, and notes that he is taking hold of something that belonged to him in the past.

“By these shores I was born: sound of the sea came in at my window, life heaved and breathed in me then with the strength of that turbulent soil.”

The persona was born on this island with its serene sparkling ocean and sea breeze. Nevertheless, there is political turmoil or struggle that forces the people to leave its “turbulent soil.”

“Since then I have travelled: moved far from the beaches: sojourned in stoniest cities, walking the lands of the north in sharp slanting sleet and the hail,”

Since his childhood, he has travelled far from this tropical home. The persona uses “stoniest” to describe the cities he has travelled to during his life. One could agree that this represents the people he encountered in these cities, since ‘stony’ can also mean cold, and unfriendly. This is very different from the very close communal setting of his island home. The sleet, harsh conditions of winter, and the hail he endured also contrast to the ‘bright beaches’ from his childhood.

“crossed countless saltless savannas and come to this house in the forest where the shadows oppress me and the only water is rain and the tepid taste of the river.”

The ‘saltless savannas’ can be in reference to Africa. The persona uses saltless to draw attention to the fact that the savannas have no beaches or salty ocean which he misses deeply. He now lives in a house in the forest. This gloomy, dreary, sheltered place makes him feel oppressed. Throughout his worldly travels, he longs for the ocean and its salty taste. To the persona, the rainwater is ordinary, and the river water is unappealing as the river because it lacks the limitless renewal feature of the ocean.

“We who are born of the ocean can never seek solace in rivers: their flowing runs on like our longing, reproves us our lack of endeavour and purpose, proves that our striving will founder on that.”

The persona changes his use of personal pronouns. Instead of ‘I’ he uses ‘we’ who are ‘born of the ocean.’ He incorporates everyone who are native islanders. He implies that islanders who have roots in these islands cannot seek comfort in the rivers. Rivers, like oceans, are bodies of water, but to the persona, that is the only similarity. The certainty of its two-sided flow contrasts the infinite nature of the ocean and its people. The sea has a distinctive ebb and flow, but the river flows on continuously and endlessly. This is a simile and shows that those born of the ocean can never stop longing for their homeland once they have left it. They constantly long for the unknown. The speaker now personifies the river to be almost wise and discerning. The river represents their lack of ambition and ability to make meaningful change. The word ‘founder’ in this case suggests that there is breakdown because the people cannot truly make meaningful change. This means that their aim for success is pointless.

“We resent them this wisdom, this freedom: passing us toiling, waiting and watching their cunning declension down to the sea.”

The river is disliked because it shows that that their lives lack purpose. It continues to flow despite mankind’s constant attempt to improve their situations. But the river is free and unbound by the existential anguish of humanity. It is completely indifferent to the challenges that mankind faces. The phrase ‘cunning declension’ indicates that the river is cunning because it moves slowly and methodically to the ocean without revealing anything about itself.

“But today I would join you, travelling river,”

The poet repeats “but today” (line 19) to create a connection in how something has changed in his view. This is possibly the turning point of the poem as he now notes that he would join the river.

“borne down the years of your patientest flowing, past pains that would wreck us, sorrows arrest us, hatred that washes us up on the flats; and moving on through the plains that receive us, processioned in tumult, come to the sea.”

The river serves as a channel of human history because it carries an archive of past events. Still, the river flows on, through a world where human interaction holds many instances of pain and hurt, and eventually reaches the sea. In this way, the persona can join the river in reflecting on the past even though he may face different troubles, such as hatred, sorrows, and past pain. In this line the repetition of the ‘s’ sound mimics the sound of a river’s flow.

“Bright waves splash up from the rocks to refresh us, blue sea-shells shift in their wake and there is the thatch of the fishermen’s houses, the path made of pebbles, and look! Small urchins combing the beaches look up from their traps to salute us: they remember us just as we left them.”

The persona’s tone holds a significant change. He seems extremely excited as he reflects on his island home. He is received and strengthened by the waves. The river has gone and so has the persona as they have found their rightful place in the ocean. This image represents the wonderful, pleasant, and picturesque memory from his childhood.

“The fisherman, hawking the surf on this side of the reef, stands up in his boat and halloos us: a starfish lies in its pool. And gulls, white sails slanted seaward, fly into the limitless morning before us.”

This is a direct contrast to the “stoniest cities” he visited on his travels. The fisherman is friendly and warm when he greets him, and this is different from the cold embrace of the city. The use of a starfish is significant because it shows the leisurely lifestyle of the people of the island. The starfish is also a symbol of regeneration and rebirth due to its distinctive ability of limb regeneration. This compares to the persona’s desire to return to his homeland and become re-energized by the waves of the ocean. The seagull flies on to a limitless morning. This is significant in that the morning is symbolic of a new beginning, infinite and filled with possibilities.

Figurative Devices

Alliteration

• “bright beaches, blue mist from the ocean”(line 2)
• “By these shores I was born, sound of the sea” (line 4)
• “We who are born of the ocean can never seek solace in rivers” (line 13)
• “toiling, waiting and watching their cunning declension down to the sea” (line 18)
• “past pains that would wreck us, sorrows arrest us,” (line 21)
• “and gulls, white sails slanted seaward,”

Personification

• “sound of the sea came in at my window, life heaved and breathed in me then with the strength of that turbulent soil.” (lines 4-6)
• “…shadows oppress me” (line 11)
• “their flowing… reproves us our lack of endeavour and purpose, proves that our striving will founder on that.” (lines 14-16)

Simile

• “their flowing runs on like our longing,” (line 14)