Literature Analysis
Grade 12 Poetry
The poem of return
Jofre Rocha
The child who was shot dead by soldiers in Nyanga
Ingrid Jonker
Talk to the peach tree
Sipho Sepamla
Poem of return, Jofre Rocha
1. When I return from the land of exile and silence
2. do not bring me flowers.
3. Bring me rather all the dews,
4. tears of dawns which witnessed dramas.
5. Bring me the immense hunger for love
6. and the plaint of tumid sexes in the star-studded night.
7. Bring me the long night of sleeplessness
8. with mothers mourning, their arms bereft of sons.
9. When I return from the land of exile and silence,
10. no, do not bring me flowers...
11. Bring me only, just this
12. the last wish of heroes fallen at day-break
13. with a wingless stone in hand
14. and a thread of anger shaking from their eyes.
• The poet is awaiting to return to his place of belonging, hence the name of
the poem. He describes the country that he was is as being “the land of exile
and silence”.
• The name poem of return assures the reader that he is longing to return or
that he is expecting to return home and Jofre Rocha insists on not getting a
heroes’ welcome, because the real heroes are the ones who had stayed behind
and fought for their country.
• He expresses his guilt for not being around when his country men were
suffering
Break-down of the poem.
Lines 1 – 2
He is longing for his home, because in his host country he was isolated/ lacked
communication/ perhaps there was a language barrier. Thus he was not happy
there.
His home would be a place where he is not singled out and feels a sense of
togetherness. There is an optimistic tone when he suggest his return in the first line,
but then the second line has a contrasting tone. The poet insists on not receiving
any flowers he commands it so the mood then becomes imperative. Culturally,
flowers are a symbol of welcome and celebration, and to him they are superficial
(existing on the surface)-they do not have a true or deep meaning for him. He
expresses guilt for being in his home country to fight alongside his people.
Line 3- 8
“Bring me rather” is an anaphora, with a command. “Which witnessed” is a
personification of the nature, asserting that even they witnessed the suffering of his
people. “tears of dawns which witnessed dramas” has an alliteration of D sounds, to
emphasize the oppression of his people and how the nature around them was not
pleases. (Lines 3-4)
There is a tone of longing and yearning in his requests as the poet expresses his
grief. He requests real emotions, not flowers or anything superficial. He poet once
again commands with the anaphora “Bring me”, as though he is urging one to
provide him with his requests.
Key matters that are crucial to the poet are meaningful human connections, shown
in lines 5 and 6. They have missed out on intimacy/ romance due to the conflict.
They were not granted the opportunities to be with their loved ones.
Here we are shown that while was away, the people he left behind were on his mind,
and their losses had heavily impacted him. In lines 7 and 8, he speaks of lives being
taken and the mourning of mothers for their sons. He too mourns the loss of the
sons. He we know that during the poet’s absence, his people were oppressed, and
he would rather have suffered alongside with them than to have been exiled.
Lines 9- 14
The poet expresses that he would not take flowers and that he is not a hero in lines
9-10.
“The land of exile and silence” was not a pleasant place for him this description can
be compared to the afterlife or a “ghost land”. His sincerity is his people can be seen
through