Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Gabriel Okara’s poem "Snowflakes Sail Gently Down" offers a profound reflection on nature, life, and the subconscious. The imagery of snow, winter, and death serves as a backdrop for the poet's deeper contemplation of existence and the cultural tensions that lie beneath the surface of his dreamscape. Okara, a renowned Nigerian poet, often infuses his work with elements of African spirituality and the impact of colonialism, and in this poem, he juxtaposes the serene, almost meditative quality of snow with a powerful dream that carries rich symbolic meaning.

The poem begins with a delicate and serene image: "The snowflakes sail gently down from the misty eye of the sky." The personification of the sky as having a "misty eye" suggests a sense of melancholy or detachment, as if the sky itself is quietly observing the earth below. The snowflakes, described as sailing "gently down" and falling "lightly lightly," evoke a peaceful, almost weightless descent, emphasizing the calmness and quietude that snow often brings. This scene is set against the backdrop of "winter-weary elms," whose branches are "winter-stripped and nude." The elms, with their bare branches, symbolize the desolation and barrenness of winter, a season often associated with death and dormancy.

As the snow accumulates, the branches "slowly with the weight of the weightless snow / bow like grief-stricken mourners." Here, Okara masterfully uses the paradox of "weightless snow" that nevertheless causes the branches to bow, mirroring the way grief, though intangible, can weigh heavily on the spirit. The comparison of the elms to "grief-stricken mourners" further reinforces the theme of death, with the snow serving as a "white funeral cloth" being "slowly unrolled over deathless earth." This image suggests a ceremonial covering, as if the earth is being prepared for burial, yet the phrase "deathless earth" hints at the persistence of life beneath the surface, even in the face of apparent death.

The transition from the external world of snow to the internal world of the speaker’s dream is marked by the line, "And dead sleep stealthily from the heater rose and closed my eyes with the touch of silk cotton on water falling." The phrase "dead sleep" evokes a sense of deep, unconscious rest, perhaps even a metaphorical death. The simile "with the touch of silk cotton on water falling" conveys a softness and delicacy, suggesting that the speaker is gently lulled into a dream state.

In this dream, the imagery shifts dramatically from the cold, white landscape of snow to the vibrant, life-filled scene of "birds, black / birds flying in my inside, nesting / and hatching on oil palms bearing sims for fruits." The black birds and oil palms are strongly evocative of Africa, contrasting sharply with the wintry, Western setting of the first part of the poem. The birds, symbols of life and vitality, are "nesting and hatching," representing growth, renewal, and the continuation of life. The oil palms, a significant symbol in many African cultures, particularly in relation to sustenance and wealth, bear "sims for fruits," possibly a metaphor for valuable and nourishing outcomes.

The dream takes on a more complex and politically charged tone as the "uprooters" appear, symbolizing colonial forces or those who disrupt and exploit the natural and cultural wealth of the land. However, these uprooters become "tired and limp," unable to continue their destructive work, and find themselves "leaning on my roots / their abandoned roots." This imagery suggests a reclaiming of power and identity, where the roots of the speaker’s culture provide support and sustenance even to those who sought to uproot it. The oil palms then "gave them each a sun," a gift of enlightenment or life-giving energy, but the "suns reached not the brightness of gold," indicating that the material wealth (symbolized by gold) that the uprooters sought is not as valuable as the cultural and spiritual wealth embodied by the oil palms.

The poem concludes with the speaker awakening to the sight of "the silently falling snow / and bent-backed elms bowing and / swaying to the winter wind like / white-robed Moslems salaaming at evening prayer." This final image ties the natural and spiritual together, as the swaying elms are likened to devout Muslims in prayer, a gesture of reverence and submission. The "earth lying inscrutable / like the face of a god in a shrine" suggests a deep, mysterious presence within nature, something beyond human understanding that commands respect and awe.

"Snowflakes Sail Gently Down" is a rich, layered poem that contrasts the serene beauty of snow with the complex, often painful realities of cultural memory and identity. Gabriel Okara uses vivid imagery and dreamlike symbolism to explore themes of death, renewal, and the enduring strength of cultural roots in the face of external forces. The poem's dream sequence serves as a powerful metaphor for the resilience of African identity and the ultimate futility of those who seek to disrupt it, while the peaceful winter landscape offers a contemplative space for reflecting on these deeper truths.

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