An African Elegy Poem by Ben Okri
An African Elegy
An African Elegy
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
To taste the bitter fruit of Time. We are precious. And one day our suffering Will turn into the wonders of the earth. very first stanza is very revealing and it is the truth and history proves it. but sufferings make us great men and women on this planet. tony
We are the African people. We are the sons and daughters of God. But apart from miracles shrouding the mystery of the lands we are born in, why is there poverty doing the rounds? Why is our destiny so?
An African Elegy is not an elegy exactly, but is all about the loss of innocence and simplicity. As a poem, it is not Grayan, but Blakian and Wordsworthian.
The song of Africa, the Dark Continent, the drum beats of it, ethnic communities and societies with their native cultures, traditions and beliefs, myth and mythology of own, how to take for a narration? How will it be the folk songs?
Quite evocative, encouraging and taunting at the same time. A beautiful capture of the antithesis of both sides of life and finding a voice in the drowning challenges of life.
A nice poem from one I've so heard of here in Nigeria... your name rings a bell in UNN... honour to read your poem Sir
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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6/19/2025 9:08:32 PM # 1.0.0
A good start with a nice poem, Ben Okri. You may like to read my poem, Love And Iust. Thank you.