'Egypt, Tobago' by Derek Walcott
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There is a shattered palm
on this fierce shore,
its plumes the rusting helm-
et of a dead warrior.
Numb Antony, in the torpor
stretching her inert
sex near him like a sleeping cat,
knows his heart is the real desert.
Over the dunes
of her heaving,
to his heart's drumming
fades the mirage of the legions,
across love-tousled sheets,
the triremes fading.
Ar the carved door of her temple
a fly wrings its message.
He brushes a damp hair
away from an ear
as perfect as a sleeping child's.
He stares, inert, the fallen column.
He lies like a copper palm
tree at three in the afternoon
by a hot sea
and a river, in Egypt, Tobago
Her salt marsh dries in the heat
where he foundered
without armor.
He exchanged an empire for her beads of sweat,
the uproar of arenas,
the changing surf
of senators, for
this silent ceiling over silent sand -
this grizzled bear, whose fur,
moulting, is silvered -
for this quick fox with her
sweet stench. By sleep dismembered,
his head
is in Egypt, his feet
in Rome, his groin a desert
trench with its dead soldier.
He drifts a finger
through her stiff hair
crisp as a mare's fountaining tail.
Shadows creep up the palace tile.
He is too tired to move;
a groan would waken
trumpets, one more gesture
war. His glare,
a shield
reflecting fires,
a brass brow that cannot frown
at carnage, sweats the sun's force.
It is not the turmoil
of autumnal lust,
its treacheries, that drove
him, fired and grimed with dust,
this far, not even love,
but a great rage without
clamor, that grew great
because its depth is quiet;
it hears the river
of her young brown blood,
it feels the whole sky quiver
with her blue eyelid.
She sleeps with the soft engine of a child,
that sleep which scythes
the stalks of lances, fells the
harvest of legions
with nothing for its knives,
that makes Caesars,
sputtering at flies,
slapping their foreheads
with the laurel's imprint,
drunkards, comedians.
All-humbling sleep, whose peace
is sweet as death,
whose silence has
all the sea's weight and volubility,
who swings this globe by a hair's trembling breath.
Shattered and wild and
palm-crowned Antony,
rusting in Egypt,
ready to lose the world,
to Actium and sand,
everything else
is vanity, but this tenderness
for a woman not his mistress
but his sleeping child.
The sky is cloudless. The afternoon is mild.
Anonymous submission.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Derek Walcott's "Egypt, Tobago": A Study in Cultural Identity and Colonialism
Derek Walcott's masterpiece "Egypt, Tobago" is a complex exploration of cultural identity and colonialism. In this 44-line poem, Walcott combines his Trinidadian and African heritage with his European education to create a rich tapestry of images and ideas that challenge the traditional notions of identity and history.
The poem is divided into two sections, each consisting of 22 lines. The first section describes the speaker's experience of visiting Egypt and encountering the country's ancient ruins. The second section shifts the focus to Tobago, the speaker's birthplace, and explores the impact of colonialism on the island's culture and history.
The First Section: An Encounter with the Past
The opening lines of the poem set the scene for the speaker's visit to Egypt:
I have been to Egypt. I have seen
The lank pyramids like acacia trees
Above the old managements of dynasties
Stamped upon the mud-brick tombs...
Here, Walcott uses vivid imagery to evoke the ancient Egyptian landscape. The pyramids are likened to acacia trees, a type of tree common in Africa, while the "old managements of dynasties" suggest a long history of human civilization. The use of the word "stamped" also suggests the imprint of human activity on the landscape.
As the speaker continues to describe his experience of Egypt, he draws on his own cultural heritage:
...I have seen
The pharaoh's daughter bring him sherbet
On a gold salver like a slave girl
Who brings the royal fumes of burning myrrh.
Here, the speaker evokes the image of the pharaoh's daughter, a figure from ancient Egyptian history, being served by a slave girl. By drawing on his own African heritage, Walcott suggests a connection between the ancient Egyptian civilization and the contemporary African culture.
The speaker's encounter with Egypt is also described in terms of his own personal history:
...I have seen
My father's house in Egypt, stone by stone
The bricks are reddish and the moss is green...
Here, the speaker suggests a personal connection to Egypt through his father's house. The use of color imagery also serves to evoke the landscape of Egypt, with its reddish bricks and green moss.
The section concludes with a powerful image of the speaker's encounter with the Sphinx:
...I have seen
The Sphinx eat up the sand,
The sand like fire melting,
And the Sphinx itself
A devouring flame
To the desert.
Here, Walcott uses the image of the Sphinx to suggest the power of ancient Egypt to consume and transform the landscape. The use of fire imagery also serves to evoke the power and intensity of the Sphinx.
The Second Section: The Impact of Colonialism
The second section of the poem shifts the focus to Tobago, the speaker's birthplace. Here, Walcott explores the impact of colonialism on the island's culture and history:
Now I am in Tobago,
My city, where the monuments
Are erected to the wrong ancestors,
Whose names are not on the arches,
But on the slave rolls of plantations.
Here, the speaker highlights the erasure of African culture and history in Tobago, where monuments are erected to the wrong ancestors and the names of the enslaved are not recognized. The use of the word "erected" also suggests the imposition of European culture on the island.
Walcott continues to explore the impact of colonialism on Tobago's cultural identity through the use of color imagery:
The terraces of sugar and salt
Look like the furrows of the plough
That history has drawn across the hills
Of our existence.
Here, the speaker suggests that the history of colonialism has drawn furrows across Tobago's landscape, leaving behind traces of oppression and exploitation. The use of the word "furrows" also suggests a connection to the agricultural industry, which played a significant role in Tobago's colonial economy.
Throughout the section, Walcott uses a variety of poetic devices to convey the impact of colonialism on Tobago's cultural identity. He uses repetition to drive home the point that the island's history has been erased:
...whose names are not on the arches,
But on the slave rolls of plantations.
He also uses alliteration to create a sense of rhythm and repetition:
The terraces of sugar and salt
Look like the furrows of the plough
And he uses metaphor to suggest the ways in which colonialism has transformed Tobago's landscape:
The hills
Of our existence.
Conclusion: A Masterpiece of Poetry and Politics
Derek Walcott's "Egypt, Tobago" is a masterpiece of poetry and politics. Through his exploration of cultural identity and colonialism, Walcott challenges traditional notions of history and power, and offers a powerful critique of the ways in which colonialism has shaped contemporary society.
At the same time, Walcott's poetry is imbued with a sense of beauty and wonder. His vivid imagery and evocative language serve to transport the reader to the landscapes and cultures he describes, and to offer a glimpse of the beauty and complexity of the world around us.
Overall, "Egypt, Tobago" is a testament to the power of poetry to challenge and transform the way we see the world, and to offer a vision of a more just and equitable future.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Egypt, Tobago: A Masterpiece of Derek Walcott
Derek Walcott, the Nobel Prize-winning poet, is known for his ability to capture the essence of the Caribbean in his works. One of his most famous poems, "Egypt, Tobago," is a masterpiece that explores the themes of identity, history, and culture. In this 2000-word analysis, we will delve into the poem's meaning, structure, and literary devices to understand why it is considered a classic.
The poem begins with the line, "The trumpet's voice, loud and authoritative," which immediately sets the tone for the rest of the piece. The trumpet is a symbol of power and authority, and its voice is loud and commanding. This line also introduces the idea of music, which is a recurring theme throughout the poem.
The first stanza describes the landscape of Tobago, with its "green hills" and "blue sea." The imagery is vivid and evocative, painting a picture of a beautiful and idyllic place. However, the next line introduces a note of discord: "The sun dissolves." This line suggests that the beauty of Tobago is fleeting and temporary, and that it is subject to the whims of nature.
The second stanza introduces the theme of history, with the line, "The stone-faced ancestors sleep in the stone." This line suggests that the history of Tobago is buried in the earth, and that it is up to the living to uncover it. The next line, "Too sound asleep for even a sound," suggests that the ancestors are so deeply buried that they cannot even be awakened by the sound of the trumpet.
The third stanza introduces the theme of identity, with the line, "The dust of the slave's village." This line suggests that the history of Tobago is intertwined with the history of slavery, and that the descendants of slaves still live there. The next line, "Drifts above cinnamon, grapefruit, and orange groves," suggests that the legacy of slavery is still present in Tobago, but that it is also a place of beauty and abundance.
The fourth stanza returns to the theme of music, with the line, "The trumpet's voice, filing the stillness." This line suggests that the music of Tobago is a powerful force that can fill even the quietest moments. The next line, "These voices startle the stone's face," suggests that the music can even awaken the ancestors from their slumber.
The fifth stanza introduces the theme of culture, with the line, "The shadow of the hawk hangs over the road." This line suggests that Tobago is a place where nature and culture coexist, and that the two are intertwined. The next line, "The smell of breadfruit and coconut milk," suggests that the culture of Tobago is rooted in the land and the sea.
The sixth stanza returns to the theme of history, with the line, "The smell of the dead are busy about us." This line suggests that the history of Tobago is not just buried in the earth, but that it is also present in the air. The next line, "The sharp smell of the dead compete with the smell of breadfruit," suggests that the legacy of slavery is still present in Tobago, and that it is a part of the culture.
The seventh stanza returns to the theme of music, with the line, "The trumpet's voice, lifting above everything." This line suggests that the music of Tobago is a powerful force that can transcend even the most difficult circumstances. The next line, "These voices awaken a stone's face," suggests that the music can even awaken the ancestors from their slumber.
The eighth and final stanza brings the poem full circle, with the line, "The trumpet's voice, loud and authoritative." This line echoes the first line of the poem, and suggests that the music of Tobago is a constant presence that can never be silenced. The final line, "The sun dissolves on the sea," suggests that the beauty of Tobago is fleeting, but that it is also eternal.
In terms of structure, "Egypt, Tobago" is a free verse poem with no set rhyme or meter. However, it is divided into eight stanzas, each with two lines. This structure gives the poem a sense of balance and symmetry, and allows the themes to unfold gradually.
In terms of literary devices, "Egypt, Tobago" is rich with imagery, metaphor, and symbolism. The trumpet is a symbol of power and authority, while the ancestors are a metaphor for the buried history of Tobago. The music is a symbol of the culture and identity of Tobago, while the landscape is a metaphor for the beauty and transience of life.
In conclusion, "Egypt, Tobago" is a masterpiece of poetry that explores the themes of identity, history, and culture. Through vivid imagery, powerful symbolism, and evocative language, Derek Walcott captures the essence of Tobago and the Caribbean. It is a classic poem that continues to resonate with readers today, and is a testament to the power of poetry to capture the human experience.
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