Reclaimed by the sea
Cursed by those who can wait
Dancing with our sacred boots
And giving tongues to blessed hyms of;
Bon Vovage.
The crew without a captain, we are
On deck, all hands
Make fast the bunt gasket
On the mast,a port is seen afar
We take solace in these words;
Bon Voyage.
Sons of a widow, we are
Our light shine across
the darkest weight of the ocean
crashing us fast to the deep depths
Even in death we know we had a;
Bon Voyage
A potpourri of dead and living, we are
Our labours in concord keep the ship afloat
This our journey of no land
though we see many a shore
When one slip his rope, we throw him into the waters
And we sing a dirge of;
Bon voyage
Oppong Clifford Benjamin.
The poem 'Bon Voyage' by Oppong Clifford Benjamin is one which laments on life and its complexities. The poet symbolically represented man with a sailor, the ocean or sea with life and aesthetically made the journey through this transitory phase of life come alive as the poem progresses.
ReplyDeleteThe first line in stanza one which reads 'Sailors without north, we are' talks about the imperfect nature of man. We know that sailors always carry a compass which must point to north or providing a navigational heading. So being without a north, unfortunately means we know not the direction we heading to.
"Reclaimed by the sea" in line two of the first stanza, means we are too focused on life issues such that it takes all of our self. Education, health, Marriage etc.
"The crew without a captain, we are "this line was actually inspired by the popular saying 'we are captains of our own destinies'. However, some may see it as a blasphemous line which the Poet seeks to send out a message that God is actually not the head of our lives. Far be from that.
'Sons of a widow, we are',Fathers are considered the head of families so when the father dies he literally dies with the bearings, so this line is synonymous with the first line in stanza one.
The rest of stanza three, talks about life problems weighing men heavily such that they drag us to the deep depths. However,no matter the situation we must continually let our lights shine.
In the last stanza, the poet makes things a little complicated beyond comprehension. But I strongly believe that he meant that , life is lived by both the living and the dead and it is by the harmony of both parties's energies that this life goes on. Therefore a closer look reveals that we are supported also by some unseen spirits in our day to day activities.
'When one slip his rope, we throw him into the water' such sorrowful line. To slip the rope, is a strong euphemism which means death.
I think generally it was such an excellent piece of art.
Rachel Rada
Ireland.