Abiku by John Pepper Clark
Coming and going these several seasons,
Do stay out on the baobab tree,
Follow where you please your kindred spirits
If indoors is not enough for you.
True, it leaks through the thatch
When floods brim the banks,
And the bats and the owls
Often tear in at night through the eaves,
And at harmattan, the bamboo walls
Are ready tinder for the fire
That dries the fresh fish up on the rack.
Still, it’s been the healthy stock
To several fingers, to many more will be
Who reach to the sun.
No longer then bestride the threshold
But step in and stay
For good. We know the knife scars
Serrating down your back and front
Like beak of the sword-fish,
And both your ears, notched
As a bondsman to this house,
Are all relics of your first comings.
Then step in, step in and stay
For her body is tired,
Tired, her milk going sour
Where many more mouths gladden the heart.
Summary of Abiku by John Pepper Clark
Abiku by John Pepper Clark is a poem that focuses on the repeated birth and death cycles of a mysterious child, who emotionally torments his mother by his several return to life and death.
In some situations, the mother becomes childless forever after conceiving children that never live long but died at young age.
Abiku is a Yoruba word, or language for such children, while the Igbo call it Ogbanje. In J. P. Clark’s Abiku, the speaker directly addresses the Abiku child, begging him to stay alive and desist from inflicting pain on his mother and family members.
The speaker also informs Abiku to behold how tired his mother has become; therefore, "step in, step in and stay," for her body is tired.
There are basically two famous types of Abiku poem: One is written by Wole Soyinka, while the second one is written by John Pepper Clark.
The third Abiku is written by Eyoh Etim, a university lecturer. If you desire to know the major difference and similarity between John Pepper Clark’s Abiku and Wole Soyinka’s Abiku, kindly notify us in the comment section and we will provide it for you.
Analysis of Abiku by John Pepper Clark
The poem’s first line begins with John Pepper Clark saying: "Coming and going this several season."
This initial line of the poem exposes the Abiku child's repeated cycle of birth and death. His birth often brings happiness and celebration to the family, but then his death will strike unexpectedly, leaving the mother and father in sorrow.
The death of Abiku child always occurs barely two months, or a year, or two after his birth.
In order to stay alive, J. P. Clark begs Abiku child to stay out on the baobab tree. In African culture, baobab tree is spiritually known as the abode of spirit, or meeting ground, or environment.
J. P. Clark believes that Abiku often follows his kindred spirit to the baobab tree, hence the major need for Abiku to disassociate himself from them for the purpose of simply staying alive.
But if he must follow his kindred spirit, he should do so and forget about returning -- "If indoor is not enough for you."
J. P. Clark further tells Abiku that the house of his parents is just a thatched house. The condition is not good, and his parents do not have enough money to build a modernized one.
In spite of this condition, the house is historically chronicle to produce children who have grown to achieve success, and these children are strong. As a result of this, Abiku child should rethink his action before making any exit.
John Pepper Clark speaks about the knife scars "serrating down" Abiku's back. To completely bar Abiku child from continuing his cycle of life and death, scars are put on the face and body of Abiku child.
When the kindred spirit arrives so as to invite him to come over to the spirit world, they always meet a face that is full of scars.
The kindred spirits will be left with absolutely no option than to reject Abiku child. This rejection will enable Abiku to stay alive.
It is believed in African culture that the kindred spirits are all Abiku children. Each is sent specifically to a particular family.
In Abiku world, it is a mission for Abiku spirit to go to the earth and eat. After spending months and years with the family, the kindred spirit will arrive and remind Abiku that he does not belong to the physical world: therefore, he should leave and join them in the spirit world, play with them, and go back later to the same family.
This is the ostensible reason for Abiku's repeated cycle of birth and death. When the scars are put on them, few stay alive.
Many of them who were extremely stubborn, still return to the spirit world, except when they are totally rejected by the kindred spirits.
Then the Abiku child will have no other place to go than to stay. These are the scars that J.P. Clark speaks about.
J.P. Clark says that "we know the knife scars" which we are put on Abiku's body. These scars are "the relics of your first coming."
Realizing that Abiku's existence is out of the physical control, J.P. Clark resorts to begging.
He says: "Step in, step in, and stay/ for her body is tired,/ Tired her milk going sour."
The poem line, "her going sour," suggests the aging of the mother. Soon, she will reach her menopause stage where she cannot conceive again. If Abiku, therefore, finally agrees to stay, the mother will be happy.
Theme in Abiku by John Pepper Clark
The most notable themes are the theme of death and birth, and motherhood and suffering.
Literary devices in Abiku by John Pepper Clark
1. Repetition: There are some words repeated in the poem for emphasis. For instance, step in, step in.
2. Simile: John Pepper Clark employs simile to shows comparison in the poem. For example, "like pick of the swordfish" is a typical example of simile.
3. Symbolism: The baobab tree symbolizes the spirit world where the kindred spirit live.
0 Comments