Sep 2013
When our tears are dry on the shore
And the fishermen carry their nets home
And the sea gulls return to bird island
And the laughter of the children recedes
At night
There shall still linger here the communion we
Forged
The feast of oneness which we partook of
There shall still be the eternal gate-men
Who will close the cemetery door
And send the late mourners away
It cannot be music we heard that night
That still lingers in the chambers of memory
It is the new chorus of our forgotten comrades
And the hallelujahs of our second selves
And the fishermen carry their nets home
And the sea gulls return to bird island
And the laughter of the children recedes
At night
There shall still linger here the communion we
Forged
The feast of oneness which we partook of
There shall still be the eternal gate-men
Who will close the cemetery door
And send the late mourners away
It cannot be music we heard that night
That still lingers in the chambers of memory
It is the new chorus of our forgotten comrades
And the hallelujahs of our second selves
Ghana's most famous poet and a voice of Africa, Awoonor had a tragic death, shot by Islamist terrorists at Nairobi's Westgate Mall on 21-09-2013. This is his famous piece, Redicovery from his first collection of verse, published in 1964.
The poem is remarkable for its lyrical quality and haunting, surreal appeal to our connection with the lost and the dead. This connection with the other-world is something that occurs through Awoonor's work, influenced by the traditions of his native Ewe people.
The poem is remarkable for its lyrical quality and haunting, surreal appeal to our connection with the lost and the dead. This connection with the other-world is something that occurs through Awoonor's work, influenced by the traditions of his native Ewe people.
