Poem of return - Jofre Rocha

Grade 12 English Home Language

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About the Poet: Jofre Rocha
The poet’s birthname is
Roberto Antonio Victor
Francisco de Almeida. He
used the pseudonym (also
known as a ‘war name’ in
Angola), ‘Jofre Rocha’. He
was born in 1941 in the
village of Caxicane, Angola.
He is a qualified Social
Scientist, Lawyer, short story
writer and poet.
About the Poet: Jofre Rocha
Because of political unrest in rural
Angola, where guerilla warfare was
taking place, his family moved to
Luanda, the capital city of Angola.
It is here where he became a
political activist. As a political
activist, he participated in the
guerilla warfare for the liberation
of his country. Between 1961 and
1968, Jofre Rocha was a political
prisoner. It is at this time that he
achieved some of his academic
qualifications.
About the Poet: Jofre Rocha
After the independence of Angola in
1975, Jofre Rocha, as an active
member of the ruling party, MPLA,
held several government positions.

He is the founding member of the

Union of Angolan Writers. He has
written twenty-two works in seventy-
three publications and three-
hundred-and-ten library holdings.

‘Poem of Return’ is one of his poems

inspired by his days in exile from his
land of birth, when he was a
liberation fighter.
 Summary of the poem
The speaker is contemplating his upcoming return to his home country. The
speaker mentions his return from exile and the anguish associated with
those who died whilst oppressed.

The poem is written from the perspective of an individual who has been
exiled, someone who had to flee their country of birth. The poem captures
the sentiment of loss, lost opportunity and lost experience. He describes his
‘host country’ as “land of exile and silence” – this suggests that he was not
happy there. He lists the things he missed while he was away and it is clear
that he feels guilty about ‘escaping’ whilst his countrymen/women suffered.

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 Summary of the poem
He makes it clear that he is not a hero and should
not be welcomed or treated as one if he returns. He
asserts that the real heroes are the ones who stayed
and fought against oppression.

The poet is writing about the lost opportunities,

mourning and sadness brought about by colonialism,
exile and war.

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 Summary of the poem
Stanza One:

No flowers

He does not want the symbols of a returning hero

He believes that those who carry the physical, emotional,

and mental scars of the war of liberation against the
oppressors are the true heroes.

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 Summary of the poem
Stanza Two:

An update on what happened when he was away

He wants to be updated on ‘dramas witnessed’ by those who stayed at home

He needs to feel the pains that these people endured.

Stanza Three:

The focus should be on those who died fighting in the war of liberation/ those who did
not live to see Independence Day.

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 Diction

Land of Exile: Foreign place

where one is restricted politically,
socially & economically.

Dews: Water droplets forming on

surfaces early in the morning.

Drama: Historic scenes of war,

torture, protests, bloodshed, riots
etc

Immense: Great
 Diction

Plaint of tumid sexes:

Arguments between lovers

Bereft: Without

Wingless stone in hand: A

stone that was not thrown
yet.
 Poem of return - Jofre
Rocha

1. When I return from the land of exile and silence

2. do not bring me flowers.

 Poem of return - Jofre
Rocha
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 star-studded night.

7. Bring me the long night of sleeplessness

8. with mothers mourning, their arms bereft of sons.

 Poem of return - Jofre
Rocha
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 snaking from their eyes.

 Form/Structure:

Although this poem has 14 lines, it is NOT a sonnet.

There is enjambment present (where one line runs onto the next to complete the
thought. There is no punctuation at the end of the line. Refer to lines 5-6, 7-8,
lines 11-14. It has the qualities of a song as reflected in the refrain ‘do not
bring me flowers. The poem is divided into THREE stanzas of unequal length. It
is written in free verse, more typical of contemporary poetry. In each one of
them the speaker is expressing a different idea/s about what he anticipates when
he returned home from exile.

A pseudonym was used because the poet was under censorship.

 Analysis: Title

Title

“Poem of return”

The speaker is returning to his country. At this stage

it is not known whether it is a voluntary or forceful
return.
 Analysis: Line 1

LINE 1

“When I return from the land of exile and silence”

When – He is absolutely certain that he is going to return to his country. He has not
yet returned, but it is inevitable that he will return.

land of exile – the country to which he fled

the land of exile and silence – is the place he is in now. A foreign place where there
is no communication - “silence”. He has no contact with his family and friends. This
emphasises the pain and suffering he had to endure while in exile as he was isolated.
 Analysis: Line 2

LINE 2

“do not bring me flowers.”

do not -Commanding tone.

He does not want the customary gifts and celebrations that are normally associated with
the return of a person from exile.

This emphasises that the speaker feels guilty about fleeing his country while other people
stayed behind to fight the system. He does not see himself as a hero deserving flowers.
Flowers are usually associated with a celebration, and he feels that this is definitely not a
time of celebration: He fled and left the others to fight. Hence, he feels guilty.
 Analysis: Stanza 2

Stanza 2

the poet gives suggestions as to what can be brought

to “celebrate” his return: tears, hunger and mourning,
he wants us to remember the reason for his exile.
 Analysis: Lines 3 - 4

LINES 3 - 4

“Bring me rather all the dews, tears of dawns which witnessed dramas.Bring me – imperative/
commanding tone.”

all the dews – an impossible demand. He knows that he cannot atone for leaving his
people.

dawns which witnessed dramas – dawn is personified as a weeping witness to the tragedy
that took place as a result of colonisation, exile and loss.

D-alliteration (d- harsh sound) – emphasises the fact that Nature, too, was horrified and
sad at the oppression of her people.
 Analysis: Line 5-6

LINES 5-6

“Bring me the immense hunger for love / and the plaint of tumid sexes in star-studded night.”

Bring me – Anaphora(repetition)

Immense – huge

hunger for love – natural human connection that he has missed

Plaint – plea

Tumid – large / swollen

Tumid sexes in start-studded night – romance / intimacy

In these lines, the speaker emphasises the sense of separation from loved ones and the need for companionship; the
poet highlights the losses experienced due to oppression.
 Analysis: Line 7 - 8

LINES 7 - 8

“Bring me the long night of sleeplessness with mothers mourning, their arms bereft of sons.”

long – emphasises that their pain and suffering continued for quite some time

Bereft – to be deprived. Many young men (the sons) were imprisoned or killed. Some young
men also went into exile. They were missed by their mothers.

night of sleeplessness – people were worried/concerned about the safety of their loved
ones. Mothers were troubled by the death of their sons and family members. Therefore,
they could not sleep.

He wants to share the grief of mothers who have lost their sons to the conflict,
Analysis: Stanza 3; Lines 9 -
10
LINES 7 - 8

“When I return from the land of exile and silence, no, do not bring me flowers.”

The repetition of the first two lines of the poem, emphasises that his return
must not be seen as a celebration. His exile was not a pleasant experience for
him, but he did not suffer as much as those who had been left behind.

no, do not – forceful tone of the double negative emphasises that he does not
regard himself as a hero. He feels guilty, he needs to acknowledge their
suffering and pain.
 Analysis: Line 11

LINE 11

“Bring me only, just this.”

Bring me – another command (imperative) shows his

insistence.

only, just this – the redundancy is used to emphasize that

he wants just one thing. Also emphasises his insistence.
 Analysis: Line 12

LINE 12

“the last wish of heroes fallen at day-break.”

the last wish – Their last wish would have been to see a changed country.

day-break – the start of a new day. This is symbolic of change that the people
wanted. In the political context of the time, executions were carried out at dawn
and the men who were executed were those who had been fighting against an
oppressive system. He sees these fighters as heroes for the cause and they “fall at
day-break”, at the beginning of their lives. These heroes could not see the change
because they died at the brink of change.
 Analysis: Line 13 - 14

LINE 13 - 14

“with a wingless stone in hand and a thread of anger snaking from their eyes.”

wingless stone – a paradox. A stone cannot fly; it is too heavy. These men never got the chance to “cast their stone”,
but paid the ultimate sacrifice by dying fighting for freedom, and Rocha wants to remember them and the lost
opportunities of those who were forced into exile.

snaking – connotation of something dangerous and poisonous. This contributes to a tone of anger and bitterness.

and a thread of anger snaking from their eyes – He demands justice for all the oppressed people.

Their eyes – reflect only a small part of the anger at the colonists who had stolen their land from them.

He does not want to be rewarded with flowers but rather with what he was fighting for.

Their sacrifice needs to be remembered. That which made them angry enough to fight needs to be remembered, and
that is the only “gift” he wants when he returns, because he is able to return.
 Themes:

The poet captures the sentiment of loss: lost opportunity

and lost experience.

A poignant poem about the return from exile which should

be celebrated but the poet is rather sad, mournful and
inevitably becomes filled with anger. Rocha ends on an
angry note due to the lost opportunities and experiences
that some young people suffered as a result of
colonisation, civil war and exile.
 Tone:

Regret, sadness, sombre, loss

sadness initially, building up to anger “snaking from their eyes”

Militant

Earnest tone: To express feelings of alienation/estrangement when talking about what

should happen when he returns home ‘from the land of exile and silence’.

Nostalgic tone: When he talks about those at home what he would like to hear from them
instead of being given flowers.

Humble tone: When the speaker expresses the fact that he does not want a heroic welcome
but needs information on the realities of what happened during his absence.
 Mood:

Pensive: Engaging in, or reflecting on (thinking

about) serious issues