a mango tree at the volta — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

a mango tree at the volta there is a gorge along the volta river in a town called akosombe here is a wall built by a man made mad by the power of a dream here is a fire made that swallowed three hundred and fifty-five thousand forests to carry four winds into a mango tree here is a reminder the water is a dangerous place for men without steady shoes without praying hands without faith without silver coins the water is a dangerous place for women without church hats without a current without an emptying of their own without a pinch of salt for the rapacious forests commanding silt from the leaving of forgotten stories here is also something soft and something broken resembling a heart the soft inside-inside of the roots of the bark of a woman who is just a woman a man who is just a man a forest inside water an offering a long drive that does not arrive at yesterday and does not arrive at tomorrow and does not arrive at anything beyond a mango tree beside a river and the dream of a man made mad

Translation (English)

a mango tree at the volta there is a deep valley along the volta river in a town called akosombe here is a wall built by a man driven crazy by the power of a dream here is a fire that destroyed 355,000 forests to carry four winds into a mango tree, here is a reminder the water is a dangerous place for men without sturdy shoes without praying hands, without belief, without coins the water is a dangerous place for women without church hats without a flow, without an emptying of their own, without a pinch of salt for the greedy forests demanding silt from the leaving of forgotten stories here is also something gentle and something broken like a heart, the gentle inside of the roots of the bark of a woman who is just a woman, a man who is just a man, a forest inside water, a gift, a long drive that does not reach yesterday, and does not reach tomorrow, and does not reach anything beyond a mango tree beside a river and the dream of a man driven crazy

Historical Context

Literary Form: Free verse
When Written: Unknown, likely contemporary
Background: The poem reflects on the impact of human ambition and the natural world, possibly inspired by the Akosombo Dam's construction and its effects on the local environment and communities.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akosombo_Dam

Detailed Explanation

The poem 'a mango tree at the volta' is a reflective piece that explores the intersection of human ambition, nature, and existential musings. It begins by describing a gorge along the Volta River in Akosombo, a town known for the Akosombo Dam. The imagery of a wall built by a man driven mad by dreams suggests the overwhelming power of human ambition and its potential to consume vast natural resources, as indicated by the fire that swallows forests. The poem warns of the dangers of water for those unprepared, symbolizing life's challenges without faith or resources. It reflects on the vulnerability of both men and women in the face of nature's power. The poem also touches on the theme of forgotten stories and the relentless demands of nature. The imagery of something soft and broken resembling a heart suggests the emotional toll of these endeavors. The poem concludes with a meditation on time and existence, highlighting the futility of human efforts to control nature, as symbolized by the mango tree and the river. The poem's free verse form allows for a fluid exploration of these themes, emphasizing the complexity and interconnectedness of human and natural worlds.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
gorge	deep valley	a deep, narrow valley with steep sides	gawj
rapacious	greedy	having an excessive desire for wealth or possessions	ruh-pay-shuhs
resembling	looking like	looking similar	ri-zem-bling
silt	fine sand	fine particles of sand or clay carried by water	silt
offering	gift	a thing given as a gift	aw-fuh-ring
mad	crazy	very foolish or insane	mad
commanding	demanding	demanding attention	kuh-man-ding
faith	belief	trust or belief	fayth
current	flow	flowing water	kur-uhnt
praying	worshipping	talking to a god	pray-ing
emptying	clearing out	taking everything out	emp-tee-ing
soft	gentle	not hard or rough	soft
bark	tree covering	tree's outer layer	bark