The Gabriel Okara Poetry Series: A Deep Dive into Three Iconic Poems
Introduction: The Voice of Transition
Gabriel Okara (1921–2019) stands as one of Nigeria’s most significant poetic voices, a writer whose work captures the tension between tradition and modernity, between indigenous identity and colonial influence. Born in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, Okara’s poetry is deeply rooted in the imagery of his Ijaw heritage—rivers, canoes, drums, and oral traditions—while also engaging with the complexities of postcolonial African consciousness.
The three poems we explore in this newsletter—“The Call of the River Nun,” “Once Upon a Time,” and “Piano and Drums”—represent different facets of Okara’s enduring concerns: the search for identity, the loss of cultural authenticity, and the psychological dislocations brought about by social change. Through these works, Okara does not merely describe the African experience; he crafts a poetic language that seeks to express African thought patterns in English, creating what has been called “African English” or “Okara’s experimental style.”
These poems remain essential reading for understanding 20th-century African literature, the postcolonial condition, and the universal human struggle to maintain authenticity in a changing world. They are frequently anthologized and studied in universities worldwide, from Cambridge to Cairo, from Lagos to London.
Poem 1: “The Call of the River Nun”
Text of the Poem
I hear your call!
I hear it far away;
I hear it break the circle
of these crouching hills.
I want to view your face again
and feel your cold embrace;
or at your brim to set myself
and inhale your breath;
or like the trees,
to watch my mirrored self unfold
and span my days with song
from the lips of dawn.
I hear your lapping call!
I hear it coming through;
invoking the ghost of a child
listening, where river birds hail
your silver-surfaced flow.
My river’s calling too!
Its ceaseless flow impels
my found’ring canoe down
its inevitable course.
And each dying year
brings near the sea-bird call,
the final call that
stills the crested waves
and breaks in two the curtain
of silence of my upturned canoe.
O incomprehensible God!
Shall my pilot be
my inborn stars to that
final call to Thee.
O my river’s complex course?
Major Themes
1. The Journey of Life as a River
The river serves as the central metaphor for life’s journey—from source to mouth, from birth to death. The “ceaseless flow” represents time’s inevitable passage, while the canoe symbolizes the individual navigating this journey. The poem contemplates the natural, unstoppable progression toward death (“the final call”).
2. Spiritual Longing and Homecoming
The river call represents both a literal and spiritual homecoming. The speaker yearns to return to the river, which symbolizes origins, purity, and authentic selfhood. This call is nostalgic, almost mystical, invoking “the ghost of a child” — a purer, earlier self uncorrupted by worldly complexities.
3. Destiny and Inevitability
The poem expresses a sense of predestined path (“inevitable course”). The speaker questions whether his “inborn stars” (fate, inner compass, or cultural heritage) will guide him to God, acknowledging the complexity and mystery of life’s journey (“my river’s complex course”).
4. Nature as Sacred Communion
Unlike Western traditions that often position nature as separate from the divine, Okara presents the river as a sacred space where one can commune with both self and God. The natural world is animate, calling, embracing, and guiding.
Literary Techniques
1. Personification
The river is given human attributes: it “calls,” has a “face” and “breath,” and offers an “embrace.” This technique reflects an animistic worldview common in traditional African cosmologies, where natural elements possess spirit and agency.
2. Symbolism
The River Nun: Represents the poet’s specific cultural heritage (the Nun River in the Niger Delta), life’s journey, spiritual flow, and ancestral connection.
Canoe: The individual soul or life navigating existence.
Sea-bird call: Death or spiritual transition.
Inborn stars: Destiny, inner guidance, or cultural roots.
3. Sensory Imagery
Okara employs rich sensory language: auditory (“hear your call,” “lapping call,” “sea-bird call”), visual (“silver-surfaced flow,” “crouching hills”), and tactile (“cold embrace”). This multisensory approach creates an immersive experience, grounding spiritual longing in physical reality.
4. Circular Structure
The poem begins and ends with the river’s call, creating a circular structure that mirrors the cyclical nature of life and the eternal quality of spiritual yearning. The repetition of “I hear your call” acts as a refrain, emphasizing persistent longing.
5. Metaphysical Conceit
The extended comparison between life’s journey and a river voyage constitutes a metaphysical conceit—an elaborate, intellectual metaphor that explores profound philosophical questions through surprising analogies.
Summary and Critical Appreciation
“The Call of the River Nun” is arguably Okara’s most celebrated poem, first published in 1953 and winning the Best All-Round Entry Prize in the Nigerian Festival of Arts. The poem operates on multiple levels: as personal nostalgia for the poet’s homeland, as metaphysical meditation on life and death, and as cultural statement about the enduring power of indigenous landscapes in shaping identity.
The poem’s power derives from its seamless fusion of the particular and universal. While the River Nun is specific to Okara’s Ijaw heritage, the metaphorical river speaks to anyone contemplating life’s journey. The poem reflects what critic Romanus Egudu calls Okara’s “philosophical lyricism”—a blend of emotional depth and intellectual contemplation.
Critically, the poem represents early postcolonial African poetry’s attempt to negotiate between Western literary forms and African content. The poem uses the English language and metaphysical tradition (reminiscent of John Donne or George Herbert) but fills it with African imagery and worldview. The result is neither purely European nor purely African but a synthesis that announces a new voice in world literature.
The poem’s spiritual dimension is particularly significant. Unlike Western Christian imagery that might view God as separate from nature, Okara’s river leads to God, suggesting an immanent divine presence within the natural world. This reflects traditional African religious concepts while engaging with Christian theology—a hybrid spirituality characteristic of much postcolonial African writing.
Poem 2: “Once Upon a Time”
Text of the Poem
Once upon a time, son,
they used to laugh with their hearts
and laugh with their eyes:
but now they only laugh with their teeth,
while their ice-block-cold eyes
search behind my shadow.
There was a time indeed
they used to shake hands with their hearts:
but that’s gone, son.
Now they shake hands without hearts
while their left hands search
my empty pockets.
‘Feel at home,’ ‘Come again,’
they say, and when I come
again and feel
at home, once, twice,
there will be no thrice—
for then I find doors shut on me.
So I have learned many things, son.
I have learned to wear many faces
like dresses—homeface,
officeface, streetface, hostface,
cocktailface, with all their conforming smiles
like a fixed portrait smile.
And I have learned too
to laugh with only my teeth
and shake hands without my heart.
I have learned to say ‘Goodbye’
when I mean ‘Good-riddance’;
to say ‘Glad to meet you,’
without being glad; and to say ‘It’s been
nice talking to you,’ after being bored.
But believe me, son.
I want to be what I used to be
when I was like you. I want
to unlearn all these muting things.
Most of all, I want to relearn
how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror
shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!
So show me, son,
how to laugh; show me how
I used to laugh and smile
once upon a time when I was like you.
Major Themes
1. Authenticity vs. Social Performance
The poem contrasts genuine emotional expression (“laugh with their hearts”) with superficial social performance (“laugh with only my teeth”). This theme explores how modernity and urbanization force people into wearing metaphorical masks, sacrificing authenticity for social acceptance.
2. Loss of Innocence and Cultural Corruption
The father figure has lost the innocence his son still possesses. This loss parallels what Okara sees as cultural corruption—the replacement of traditional African communal sincerity with Westernized hypocrisy and materialism.
3. Generational Dialogue and Hope
The poem is framed as a father’s confession to his son, creating intergenerational dialogue. While the father represents corrupted experience, the son represents hope for returning to authenticity. The ending plea—“show me how I used to laugh”—suggests redemption might come from reconnecting with childlike purity.
4. Alienation in Modern Society
The speaker experiences profound alienation, feeling that genuine human connection has been replaced by transactional relationships (“their left hands search my empty pockets”). This reflects the dislocation many Africans felt during rapid post-independence urbanization.
5. The Corruption of Language
Words have lost their meaning, becoming empty social formulas (“Goodbye” meaning “Good-riddance”). This linguistic corruption mirrors social and moral decay.
Literary Techniques
1. Contrast and Juxtaposition
The entire poem is structured around contrasts: past vs. present, heart vs. teeth, genuine laughter vs. empty smiles, traditional community vs. modern society. These juxtapositions highlight the poem’s central concern with loss.
2. Metaphor and Simile
“laugh with their teeth”: Metaphor for insincerity
“ice-block-cold eyes”: Simile suggesting emotional frigidity
“wear many faces like dresses”: Extended metaphor for social role-playing
“teeth like a snake’s bare fangs”: Simile conveying the danger and artificiality of false laughter
3. Repetition and Refrain
The phrase “once upon a time” (normally associated with fairy tales) is repeated ironically, emphasizing that the authentic past now seems like an unreal story. The repetition of “learned” underscores the painful education in social hypocrisy.
4. Conversational Tone and Dramatic Monologue
The poem uses direct address (“son”), creating intimacy and urgency. It functions as a dramatic monologue, revealing the speaker’s character through his speech to a silent listener.
5. Symbolism
Hearts vs. Teeth: Symbolize sincerity vs. superficiality
Empty pockets: Represent poverty but also the speaker’s recognition that others value him only for material gain
Shut doors: Symbolize social exclusion and broken hospitality
Mirror: Represents self-reflection and painful self-awareness
6. Irony
The poem employs situational and verbal irony extensively. The gap between what people say and what they mean, between social rituals and genuine feeling, creates a pervasive ironic tone that critiques modern social relations.
Summary and Critical Appreciation
“Once Upon a Time” is Okara’s most frequently anthologized poem and perhaps his most accessible. Published in his 1978 collection The Fisherman’s Invocation, the poem captures the psychological impact of rapid social change in postcolonial Africa. While set in Nigeria, its themes of urbanization, alienation, and lost authenticity resonate universally.
The poem’s brilliance lies in its deceptively simple language that carries profound sociological insight. Okara diagnoses what sociologists call “the presentation of self in everyday life” (Erving Goffman) but from a specifically African perspective. The “many faces” people wear represent not just individual hypocrisy but the cultural schizophrenia of societies transitioning rapidly from traditional to modern.
Critically, the poem represents what Nigerian critic Chinweizu calls “the decolonization of African literature.” Unlike earlier African poetry that often mimicked European styles, Okara develops a distinct African idiom—direct, conversational, yet richly metaphorical. The father-son framework draws on African oral tradition, where wisdom is passed down through generations, even as the poem subverts this tradition by having the father learn from the son.
The poem’s ending is particularly powerful. The image of the snake’s fangs connects false social behavior with danger and poison, suggesting that inauthenticity harms both self and society. Yet the plea to the son offers hope—the possibility of cultural and personal regeneration through reconnecting with authentic roots.
Unlike Western modernism, which often presents alienation as inevitable in modern life, Okara suggests reclamation is possible. This hopeful note reflects what philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah calls “postcolonial optimism”—the belief that Africans can selectively adapt modernity while preserving cultural essence.
Poem 3: “Piano and Drums”
Text of the Poem
When at break of day at a riverside
I hear the jungle drums telegraphing
the mystic rhythm, urgent, raw
like bleeding flesh, speaking of
primal youth and the beginning,
I see the panther ready to pounce,
the leopard snarling about to leap
and the hunters crouch with spears poised;
And my blood ripples, turns torrent,
topples the years and at once I’m
in my mother’s laps a suckling;
at once I’m walking simple
paths with no innovations,
rugged, fashioned with the naked
warmth of hurrying feet and groping hearts
in green leaves and wild flowers pulsing.
Then I hear a wailing piano
solo speaking of complex ways
in tear-furrowed concerto;
of faraway lands
and new horizons with
coaxing diminuendo, counterpoint,
crescendo. But lost in the labyrinth
of its complexities, it ends in the middle
of a phrase at a daggerpoint.
And I am lost in the morning mist
of an age at a riverside keep
wandering in the mystic rhythm
of jungle drums and the concerto.
Major Themes
1. Cultural Conflict and Dual Heritage
The poem embodies the central conflict in Okara’s work and in postcolonial identity: the tension between African tradition (drums) and Western culture (piano). The speaker is caught between these two worlds, belonging fully to neither.
2. The Primal vs. The Sophisticated
Drums represent primal, instinctual, communal life—connected to nature, tradition, and uncomplicated existence. The piano represents sophistication, complexity, individualism, and foreign influence. The poem questions whether technological and cultural “progress” represents genuine advancement.
3. Nostalgia and Dislocation
The drums transport the speaker to an idealized African past (“primal youth and the beginning”), while the piano leaves him “lost in the labyrinth.” This reflects the dislocation many educated Africans felt—drawn to Western education yet emotionally connected to traditional roots.
4. The Unresolved Synthesis
Unlike simplistic narratives of cultural conflict, Okara presents a more nuanced picture. The speaker doesn’t reject either tradition but remains suspended between them (“lost in the morning mist”). This represents the ongoing, unresolved negotiation of postcolonial identity.
5. Nature vs. Artifice
The drums are associated with natural imagery (“green leaves,” “wild flowers,” “riverside”), while the piano is described in technical musical terms (“concerto,” “diminuendo,” “counterpoint”). This contrast suggests tradition is organic while modernity is artificial.
Literary Techniques
1. Contrast and Binary Opposition
The entire poem is structured around the drums/piano contrast, representing a series of deeper oppositions: Africa/Europe, tradition/modernity, community/individual, nature/culture, simplicity/complexity, instinct/intellect.
2. Synesthesia
Okara blends sensory experiences: drums “telegraphing” (mixing sound and communication), “wailing piano” (sound and emotion), “bleeding flesh” (touch and sight). This technique creates a visceral, immersive experience.
3. Kinesthetic Imagery
The poem is full of movement: “panther ready to pounce,” “blood ripples, turns torrent,” “hurrying feet.” This reflects the dynamic energy of traditional life contrasted with the static, incomplete nature of the piano (“ends in the middle of a phrase”).
4. Musical Terminology as Metaphor
The piano is described using European musical terms (“concerto,” “diminuendo,” “crescendo”), while the drums have “mystic rhythm.” This technical vs. mystical language reinforces the culture clash.
5. Temporal Dislocation
The drums transport the speaker through time (“topples the years”), while the piano leaves him temporally suspended (“lost in the morning mist”). This manipulation of time reflects how tradition provides temporal continuity while modernity creates dislocation.
6. Symbolism
Jungle drums: African heritage, tradition, collective memory, primal energy
Piano: Western culture, modernity, individualism, complexity
Riverside: Source of life, cultural origins, transitional space
Daggerpoint: Violence, abrupt ending, the threatening aspect of modernity
Morning mist: Confusion, uncertainty, transitional state
7. Two-Part Structure with Hanging Conclusion
The poem has two clear sections (drums then piano) but ends with the speaker suspended between them. This structure mimics the content—the unresolved synthesis of two cultural forces.
Summary and Critical Appreciation
“Piano and Drums” is perhaps the most analytically rich of Okara’s widely studied poems. Published in 1961, it captures the cultural moment of early post-independence Africa, when nations were negotiating their relationship with former colonial powers and defining their postcolonial identities.
The poem’s greatness lies in its refusal of easy answers. Unlike some cultural nationalists who rejected everything Western, or some modernists who rejected everything traditional, Okara acknowledges the power and appeal of both traditions. The drums evoke deep, almost genetic memory (“my blood ripples”), while the piano represents intellectual and aesthetic sophistication.
Critically, the poem exemplifies what postcolonial theorists call “hybridity” or “the third space.” The speaker isn’t simply torn between two cultures but exists in a new space created by their interaction. The “morning mist” isn’t just confusion; it’s the fertile uncertainty where new identities form. This aligns with Homi Bhabha’s concept that cultural identity is always in process, negotiated in the “in-between” spaces.
The musical metaphor is particularly sophisticated. Music represents culture at its most essential—not just entertainment but worldview, social organization, and spiritual expression. The drums’ “mystic rhythm” suggests African culture as holistic and spiritual, while the piano’s “complex ways” suggest Western culture as analytical and individualistic. That the piano solo ends “at a daggerpoint” acknowledges the violence of colonialism and the real dangers of cultural imposition.
Yet Okara avoids romanticizing tradition. The drums speak of “bleeding flesh” and hunters with spears—acknowledging violence in precolonial Africa. This nuanced approach prevents the poem from becoming simplistic cultural nostalgia.
The poem’s ending is masterfully ambiguous. Some readers see despair in being “lost,” while others see potential in the wandering. This ambiguity reflects the actual condition of postcolonial consciousness—uncertain but open, dislocated but free to create new syntheses.
Formally, the poem demonstrates Okara’s signature style: free verse that feels rhythmically deliberate, English vocabulary infused with African rhythm, and imagery that bridges specific cultural reference and universal human experience.
Comparative Analysis: The Trilogy as a Coherent Vision
Examining these three poems together reveals Okara’s evolving but consistent philosophical concerns:
The Spiritual Journey (“River Nun”) → The Social Critique (“Once Upon a Time”) → The Cultural Dilemma (“Piano and Drums”)
This progression moves from individual spiritual longing, through social observation, to civilizational analysis. Together, they form a triptych of the postcolonial African psyche: yearning for authentic roots, critiquing present corruption, and negotiating dual cultural heritage.
Common Techniques Across the Poems:
Water imagery: River, tears, mist, torrent—all suggesting flow, transition, and purification
Contrast structure: Past/present, heart/teeth, drums/piano
Nostalgia tempered by realism: While longing for the past, Okara acknowledges its complexities
Conversational yet profound tone: Accessible language exploring deep philosophical issues
Symbols from the natural world: Rivers, drums, animals—connecting human concerns to larger cosmic patterns
Evolution of Tone:
“River Nun”: Primarily contemplative and yearning
“Once Upon a Time”: Socially critical with hopeful elements
“Piano and Drums”: Analytically balanced but unresolved
This tonal shift reflects Okara’s own development from early career focusing on personal roots to mid-career social commentary to mature reflection on civilizational issues.
Conclusion: Okara’s Enduring Relevance
Gabriel Okara’s poetry remains essential reading more than half a century after its publication because it addresses perennial human concerns through specifically African experience. These three poems in particular demonstrate how the particular (Ijaw culture, Nigerian society) can illuminate the universal (spiritual longing, social alienation, cultural negotiation).
In an increasingly globalized yet culturally conflicted world, Okara’s insights grow more relevant. His refusal to simplify cultural conflict, his acknowledgment of both tradition’s value and modernity’s appeal, and his search for authentic expression in hybrid spaces speak to contemporary dilemmas of identity worldwide.
For students and scholars, Okara offers not just beautiful poetry but a framework for understanding postcolonial literature specifically and cultural transition generally. His work demonstrates that the greatest literature emerges not from cultural purity but from honest engagement with cultural complexity.
As we continue to navigate rivers of change, wear social masks, and hear competing cultural drums and pianos, Okara’s voice remains a guiding one—reminding us that authenticity isn’t about returning to an idealized past but about honestly confronting the complex present.
Study Questions for Further Reflection
How does Okara use natural imagery to explore spiritual and cultural concerns differently than European nature poets?
In what ways does “Once Upon a Time” function as both specifically African and universally relevant social critique?
How does the musical imagery in “Piano and Drums” represent different conceptions of time, community, and identity?
Compare Okara’s treatment of cultural conflict with that of other postcolonial poets like Derek Walcott or Chinua Achebe.
How does Okara’s poetic style itself represent a synthesis of African and Western literary traditions?
References and Further Reading
Egudu, Romanus. Modern African Poetry and the African Predicament
Gikandi, Simon. Reading the African Novel
Okara, Gabriel. The Fisherman’s Invocation (1978)
Bhabha, Homi. The Location of Culture
Critical essays in Research in African Literatures journal
This newsletter is intended for educational purposes as part of the Gabriel Okara Poetry Study Series. All poems reproduced belong to the Gabriel Okara estate.
Keywords : Gabriel Okara, The Call of the River Nun, Once Upon a Time, Piano and Drums, Nigerian poetry, postcolonial literature, African poetry analysis, cultural conflict in literature, modern African poets, Okara literary techniques, tradition vs modernity, postcolonial identity, African literature study guide, Ijaw culture in literature, Nigerian literature.
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