HER JOY IS WILD
Her joy is wild,wild
Wave-breaking she proclaims,
Your strong teeth will weaken
If you nibble the rind.
Her strength is wild,wild
Wild as the love that sings -
This is the last-born;give me
A joyful womb to bind.
The hour is wild,wild
Denies the wispy moments.Yet When the fist is loosened,when
The knot is cut,you'll find
Skeins of hair.Wild,wild
Her laughter,dreaming that the tribe
Had slain the senile chieftain
That the rite -was kind.
Her words are wild,wild
Shell the future,place the nut
Between my teeth -and I denied her
Nothing,maimed on her vision of the blin
.jpeg)
Analysis of the poem
In Wole Soyinka's poem "Her Joy is Wild," the speaker celebrates the untamed nature of a woman's joy, strength, and spirit.
The first stanza portrays the woman's joy as wild and powerful, likening it to wave-breaking. She warns against attempting to diminish it, suggesting that even strong teeth will weaken if they try to nibble at its essence.
The second stanza continues this theme, describing the woman's strength as wild and paralleling it to the wildness of love. She desires a joyful womb to bind, indicating a longing for fruitful and joyous experiences.
The third stanza introduces the idea of time's wildness, denying delicate moments and emphasizing the inevitability of change. Despite this, the poem suggests that within these changes lie hidden treasures, symbolized by the skeins of hair.
In the fourth stanza, the woman's laughter is described as wild, dreaming of a tribe that has liberated itself from outdated traditions. Her words are depicted as wild too, capable of shaping the future and challenging existing norms.
Overall, the poem celebrates the unrestrained nature of the woman's joy, strength, laughter, and words, portraying her as a force to be reckoned with, unbound by societal constraints and expectations.
Leave a comment behind