General Introduction
Nigerian poet Niyi Osundare's "The Eye of the Earth" is a captivating collection of poems published in 1986. This acclaimed work, recognized by the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Association of Nigerian Authors, offers a multifaceted exploration of nature, culture, memory, and social justice.
Osundare paints vivid pictures with his words, weaving personal and collective memories into poems that resonate with both beauty and a call for social change.
Publication and Recognition:
Released in 1986 by Heinemann Educational Books.
Earned critical acclaim, winning both the:
Commonwealth Writers' Prize for the African poetry category.
Association of Nigerian Authors' Poetry Prize in the same year.
List of Poems in The Eyes of the Earth
"The Eye of the Earth" is a collection of poems by Niyi Osundare, not a single poem itself. Here are some of the titles of poems included in the collection:
"The Eye of the Earth"
"Olosunta" (Olosunta is a large, sacred rock in Ikere, Nigeria.
The collection is divided into three sections, and the titles of the poems vary across these sections, exploring themes of nature, culture, memory, and social justice.
Structure and Themes:
"The Eye of the Earth" is a collection, not a single poem.
It contains nineteen poems that explore a range of interconnected themes:
Nature: The beauty and power of the natural world is a central theme. Osundare celebrates the earth as a source of life and sustenance.
Culture: The poems explore elements of Nigerian and African culture, creating a sense of identity and heritage.
Memory: Recollections of the past, personal and collective, weave through the poems.
Social Justice: Osundare doesn't shy away from critiquing social issues and advocating for a more just society. The connection between human actions and the health of the planet is a recurring motif.
Style and Language:
Osundare's poems are known for their lyricism and vivid imagery.
He employs rich metaphors and descriptive language to bring his themes to life.
The poems are accessible yet layered, allowing for multiple interpretations.
Impact and Legacy:
"The Eye of the Earth" is considered a significant work in African literature.
It celebrates African culture and identity while also confronting social and environmental challenges.
The collection continues to be studied and admired for its beauty, insightfulness, and social commentary.
A BRIEF SUMMARY
Niyi Osundare’s homecoming journey in The Eye of the Earth is passionately charged with the memories that the returning wayfarer has of the places he revisits. Through a comparative perspective, he visualizes the past of the forest so that we can see what he describes of the present conditions of this forest in the light of what it has been, indirectly condemning the causes of forest deterioration and degradation.
But Osundare does not romanticize the past, as he is aware of its elusiveness, and he is conscious that the sea of memories may turn out to be a flood that may drown the present and the future altogether. He only enlivens these memories as a bridge that moves him to a better future. While he celebrates many native trees of the forest, he reminds his readers that this celebration should be taken as a sign of the earth’s soul which should be enabled to resume its life in the future; otherwise the past would turn into a bait that lures people and imprisons them there.
The same attitude is adopted by Osundare when he shifts to another station on the way of his homecoming journey, which is represented in the rocks of Ikere. He enacts his relationship with these rocks through dialogue, reflection, and social activism. This station turns out to be a personal quest for the spiritual in the poet’s life, and a collective quest for earth’s god so that life can be re-breathed into the earth in order to restore the integrity of these rocks which represent the harvest spirit.
Therefore, he moves from rocks to rains in order to incorporate the “sleeping seeds” in his journey so that people and rains can be woken up and can satisfy both godly rocks and the earth itself.
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