How long would this eternal sea and everlasting dream
In your eyes prevent me from sleep?
How long would the years of separation and longing
Swing me?
Thousands years have passed
And I still stand on those remote shores.
Sometimes I wake up with a start,
Other times I fall into a slumber.
Mother,
It is the oasis of your love I write about
But my sorrow is too deep
For my lines to hold or keep.
Mother,
If I came back shrouded in lilies
And splendidly bleeding
Don’t cry and wail over my bier
If the blood flew from my lung,
My hand cut off, an eye or ear.
I’m not dead mother,
But I have returned from the longing of advance
At a night which knows no fears.
Don’t cry
Your eyes were my sails and hut
Let them, mother, bandage my cut.
In the front lines
I recollected your face
I grave it as a poem on the hammer of my gun
On the shelter, my eyelashes and the sun.
We were ten in the east of Basrah,
Our ditch was an open casement
We conglomerated under the lighting of flares…
Fatigue slapped me.
My arteries were violently beating
And my shadow was swinging –
Your face came through the wilderness of night
I couldn’t recognize it immediately
For the world became a bundle of longing and melancholy
In a ditch.
How would one know
If it were the same face
Or it were the same beat?
When one is surrounded by thousand years
And thousands of feet isolated in a corner,
In the womb of loss: a piece of meat!
In a moment of passion,
They killed me.
I caught my wound
And no longer heard the shots
Or the cracking and rumbling of the tanks.
But your voice, mother, is coming from the depth of my wound.
I felt you embracing me as warmth
But the bullet burnt and consumed my ribs.
It crept and crept as an eternal bleeding in my arteries.
Mother,
Give me your hands…shot of a sniper paralyzed me.
I hear your voice: Akram..Akram
So sweet and kind.
But the shot, mother, was blind.
Cry out mother, but lull me to sleep
With songs of victory and a love so deep.
Poem Analysis
Theme
Central Idea and Subject Matter:
“The Iraqi Dowry” is a poignant exploration of the themes of love, loss, longing, and the brutal realities of war. The poem reflects the deep emotional ties between a soldier and his mother, capturing the duality of pride and pain that comes with serving one’s country. The speaker grapples with the physical and emotional scars of warfare, conveying profound sorrow and a longing for maternal comfort amidst the chaos of violence. The imagery of the mother represents love and solace, contrasting sharply with the violence of the battlefield.
Language
Word Choice and Literary Devices:
The language of the poem is rich and evocative, employing a range of literary devices to convey deep emotions. Key elements include:
1. Imagery: Vivid descriptions such as “shrouded in lilies” and “the oasis of your love” create strong visual associations, evoking both beauty and sorrow.
2. Metaphor: The “eternal sea” and “everlasting dream” serve as metaphors for the soldier’s unending longing and the vastness of his memories.
3. Repetition: Phrases like “Mother” emphasize the emotional connection and the plea for comfort.
4. Personification: The blood is described as “splendidly bleeding,” which adds a layer of tragic beauty to the violence.
5. Contrast: The juxtaposition of love and war, life and death, highlights the emotional turmoil experienced by the speaker.
Sound and Rhythm
Syllabic Patterns and Stresses:
The poem features a free verse structure, which allows for a natural flow of speech rather than adhering to a strict syllabic pattern. This choice effectively reflects the chaotic nature of war and the speaker’s emotional state. The rhythm fluctuates, mirroring the speaker’s thoughts and feelings, with moments of urgency and calm. The use of enjambment (continuing a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line) enhances the poem’s emotional intensity and sense of ongoing struggle.
Structure
Framework of the Poem’s Structure:
The poem is structured into multiple stanzas of varying lengths, creating a sense of fragmentation that reflects the chaos of war. The line breaks and punctuation contribute to the poem’s emotional pacing, allowing pauses for reflection and intensifying the sorrowful tone. There is no consistent rhyme scheme, which further emphasizes the theme of disarray and the unpredictability of life in conflict. The use of ellipses and dashes indicates interruptions in thought, mirroring the speaker’s psychological state.
Context
Who, What, Where, When, and Why:
– **Who**: The poem’s speaker is a soldier addressing his mother, reflecting on his experiences in war and the impact on their relationship.
– **What**: “The Iraqi Dowry” is a reflective poem about the emotional toll of war and the lasting bonds of familial love, particularly between a son and his mother.
– **Where**: The poem references Basrah, a city in Iraq that has been significantly affected by conflict, indicating a specific war-torn setting.
– **When**: The poem can be interpreted in the context of contemporary conflicts in Iraq, particularly the Iraq War that began in 2003, although it resonates with the broader experience of soldiers throughout history.
– **Why**: The poem serves to express the deep emotional scars left by war, the longing for home, and the enduring love of a mother. It also critiques the violence of war, illustrating how it impacts personal relationships and individual identity.
