‘’An African Elegy’’ by

Ben
Okri
 Introduction;

Ben Okri is a Nigerian poet and novelis, who is considered one of the
foremost African authors in the post-modern and post-colonial traditions.
He was born on March 15 1959 in Minna, Nigeria
An African Elegy.

An African elegy, published in 1992, is one of the marvelous poems of Ben Okri.
It is about the sufferings of African people.
The element of hope is also present in this poem. This poem emphasizes that the good can be
found in the bad.
It is written in third person narrative.
It consists of 29 lines. It has five stanzas and each stanza consists of five lines.
Rhyme scheme: It has no rhyme scheme.
Setting: The setting of the poem is Nigeria.
It is written in three stages…grief, sorrow and praise.
Poem is written in simple language.
Analysis of the poem.

Stanza, 1:
We are the miracles that God made
To taste the bitter fruit of Time.
We are precious.
And one day our suffering
Will turn into the wonders of the earth.
In this stanza, the poet says that God created humans so that they can
face good and bad times.
“We” is used to depict his African culture. ‘We’ is also used for the people
of Africa.
He says that we are innocent people whose sufferings will one day change
our lives for something good.
The poet has used stylistic features like imagery and personification in this
stanza. There is imagery when the poet says “To taste the bitter fruit of
Time”, bitter in this statement means something bad and the fruit means
something sweet. The time could mean life.
 The poet compares the sufferings of his people with the wonders of earth.
Comparing suffering to the wonders of earth and also giving wonder of
earth a human quality of happiness is personification
Stanza 2

There are things that burn me now

Which turn golden when I am happy.
Do you see the mystery of our pain?
That we bear poverty
And are able to sing and dream sweet things
In this stanza, the poet says that there are hardships that we all have to
face but no matter how hard they are; if and when we manage to
overcome them we will feel good.
The poet says “There are things that burn me now”. Burning is associated
with feelings and is an unpleasant feeling. It means the narrator is
experiencing a tough time in his life.
In the next line the poet also use color imagery when he says “Which turn
golden when I am happy”. Golden is associated with worth and
meaningful. It means the narrators pain will be worth after his hardships.
In the next lines as the poet says “That we bear poverty”. The word, bear,
sticks out in the line because it sounds harsh. Bear means to support or to
carry the weight of something. The narrator is carrying the weight of
poverty.
In the next line the poet also used imagery when he says “And are able to
sing and dream sweet things.” The image being portrayed is of people
having sweet dreams and singing sweet songs.
Stanza 3

And that we never curse the air when it is warm

Or the fruit when it tastes so good
Or the lights that bounce gently on the waters?
We bless things even in our pain.
We bless them in silence.
In this stanza, the poet says that the people of Africa do not take things in life for
granted. They cherish all the things they have. They never even curse the negative
factors which harm them. They take their sufferings as stimulus which motivates them to
be thankful in every sort of situation. Their sufferings are blessing to them because
sufferings purify them.
In this stanza warm air is the symbol of sufferings as well as sensory imagery and silence
is the symbol of their dedication because they silently seek freedom.

The words in forth line, “Bless” and “Pain” are contrasted with each other. It shows their
dedication towards their belief that they would get rid from their sufferings and pains one
day.
Stanza 4

That is why our music is so sweet.

It makes the air remember.
There are secret miracles at work
That only Time will bring forth.
I too have heard the dead singing.
In this stanza the poet is talking about the fruits of their sufferings. He says that their
sighs of pain will prove fruitful one day. There are elements of hope that they would
get reward. The poet is talking about miracles.
He wants to say that at every moment something is happening in Africa and this
happening is not worthless.
 “There are secret miracles at work”. Miracles usually connected to God as
well as to supernatural elements. This line shows that Africans are very
dear to God. These lines also portray how Africans believe that time brings
them secret miracles. The poet also used the technique of personification.
The poet says “I too have heard the dead singing.” In this line the dead is
the symbol of deceased Africans. It means that the deceased African
ancestors have lived a good life despite bad conditions of living in Africa.
These lines portray that life is good.
Stanza 5

And they tell me that

This life is good
They tell me to live it gently
With fire, and always with hope.
There is wonder here
In these lines the poet is talking about his ancestors. He says that the dead are
speaking to him, telling him to be thankful and hopeful because he is still living and
has control in what direction his life will go; this is not the end for him.
The second line of the stanza is ironic. The poet says “This life is good”. He talks
about the pain and suffering people go through in their lives and it is ironic how he
says this life is good because technically life should not be good if someone is
suffering.
The poet wants to say that the people of Africa should live life happily, despite the
situation and there is always something for them to look forward to in the future. The
tone of this stanza is satisfying, friendly, hopeful and optimistic.
Stanza 6

And there is surprise

In everything the unseen moves.
The ocean is full of songs.
The sky is not an enemy.
Destiny is our friend.
In this stanza the poet says that they are full of hope that their sufferings are not ever
lasting. They will come to an end one day. He used imagery and metaphor to explain his
point of view as he says” In everything the unseen moves, The Ocean is full of songs,
the sky is not an enemy”. In these lines the words unseen moves, ocean and sky are
used metaphorically.
The unseen moves refer to the hidden miracles at work that Okri mentions in the fourth
stanza. The ocean is a metaphor for the world .songs is a metaphor for life whether
human or not. The sky is also a metaphor. It refers to the future; there are endless
possibilities of what lies beyond the unknown much like the sky. Destiny is also used as
metaphor. The poet says that we can choose our destinies the same way we choose our
friends. We might not know what our destiny is or when it comes to us but when it does
we will know whether to let go or follow through.
The poet also used biblical allusion in the line;“the sky is not our enemy.
The sky can refer to God and heaven. When bad things are happening to
us we should not blame God or to make him our enemy
Conclusion

To conclude it can be safely remarked that the Africans bear a lot of

sufferings but they are not pessimist. They are full of hope that their
sufferings and pains will ultimately bring reward for them. Their
dedications and patience will not go worthless. They are, infect thankful to
hard times that give them the chance to rise and make room in this great
world. So, one day they will meet their good time and get success in their
aim.