‘THE VILLAGE WELL’ Poem

 Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow:

THE VILLAGE WELL

    By the well,
    Where fresh water still quietly whisper
    As when I
    First accompanied Mother and filled my baby gourd,
    By this well,
    Where many an evening its clean water cleaned me;

    This silent well
    Dreaded haunt of the long haired Musambwa
    Who basked
    In the mid-day sun reclining on the rock
    Where I now sit
    Welling up with many poignant memories;

    This spot,
    Which has rung with the purity of child laughter;
    This spot,
    Where eye spoke secretly to responding eye;
    This spot,
    Where hearts pounded madly in many a breast;

    By this well,
    Over-hung by leafy branches of sheltering trees
    I first noticed her
    I saw her in the cool of red, red evening
    I saw her
    As if I had not seen her a thousand times before
    By this well
    My eyes asked for love, and my heart went mad.
    I stuttered
    And murmured my first words of love
    And cupped
    With my hands, the intoxication that were her breasts

    In this well,
    In the clear waters of this whispering well,
    The silent moon
    Witnessed with a smile our inviolate vows
    The kisses
    That left us weak and breathless.

    It is dark.
    It is dark by the well that still whispers.
    It is darker
    It is utter darkness in the heart that bleeds
    By this well
    Where magic has evaporated but memories linger.

    Of damp death
    The rotting foliage reeks,
    And the branches
    Are grotesque talons of hungry vultures,
    For she is dead
    The one I first loved by this well.

    Questions:

    (i)    Who is the persona in this poem?   (2 marks)
    (ii)    What is the significance of the well to the persona?  (4 marks)
    (iii)    Identify imagery in the poem.   (2 marks)
(iv)    Explain the meaning of the following lines as used in the poem.
    (a)    Dreaded haunt of the long-haired Musambwa.  (2 marks)
    (b)    I saw her in the cool of a red, red evening.    (2 marks)
    (c)    It is dark by the well that still whispers. (2 marks)
    (v)    Comment on the change of mood in the last two stanzas.    (4 marks)
    (vi)    What is the attitude of the persona towards death?  (2 marks)

THE VILLAGE WELL ANSWERS

    (i)    The persona is a male lover – he says, ‘By this well —- I first noticed her’
(ii)    The significant of the well to the persona.
–    Obtained fresh water from it when he was young.
–    He met his beloved by the well.
–    He has fond memories for it “—– memories linger”
–    He used the water to clean himself – where many an evening its clean water cleaned me.
(iii)    Imagery – Personification
●    The silent moon witnessed
●    Still waters still quietly whispers
(iv)    (a)    Dreaded haunt of the long haired Musambwa – means the persona is being haunted by the fond memories of his lover (Musambwa) who is now dead.
(b)    I saw her in the cool of a red, red evening – means he saw her in the evening when the sun was setting.
(c)    It is dark by the well that still whispers – means that there is no hope and that nothing is interesting by the well now that she is no longer there.
(v)    The mood in the first six stanzas is nostalgic because of the fond memories of the good times he had with his loved one.  However, in the last two stanzas, the mood is sad because his beloved is dead and what remains are sad memories.
(vi)    The persona’s attitude towards death is disgusting – of damp death, the rotting foliage reeks.