The weaver bird built in our house

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Poème original

The weaver bird built in our house And laid its eggs on our only tree. We did not want to send it away. We watched the building of the nest And supervised the egg-laying. And the weaver returned in the guise of the owner. Preaching salvation to us that owned the house. They say it came from the west Where the storms at sea had felled the gulls And the fishers dried their nets by lantern light. Its sermon is the divination of ourselves And our new horizon limits at its nest. But we cannot join the prayers and answers of the communicants. We look for new homes every day, For new altars we strive to rebuild The old shrines defiled by the weaver's excrement.

Traduction

The weaver bird made a nest in our home And laid its eggs on our only tree. We didn't want to drive it away. We watched as it built its nest And oversaw the laying of eggs. Then the weaver came back acting like it owned the place. It preached salvation to us, the true owners. They say it came from the west Where sea storms had brought down the gulls And fishermen dried their nets by lantern light. Its message is about understanding ourselves And our new future is limited to its nest. But we can't join in the prayers and responses of the believers. We search for new homes every day, Trying to rebuild new altars To replace the old shrines ruined by the weaver's droppings.

Explication

The poem 'The Weaver Bird' by Kofi Awoonor uses the metaphor of a weaver bird building a nest in the speaker's home to explore themes of colonialism and cultural invasion. The bird, which represents the colonizers, takes over the home and acts as if it owns the place, symbolizing the way colonizers imposed their beliefs and systems on the indigenous people. The reference to the weaver bird coming from the west alludes to Western colonial powers. The poem reflects on the disruption caused by colonialism, as the indigenous people are left to rebuild their cultural identity and homes, which have been defiled by the colonizers' presence. The poem's tone is one of loss and resilience, as the speaker acknowledges the damage done but also the ongoing effort to reclaim and rebuild what was lost.

Dictionnaire des mots

Mot	Sens simple	Traduction	Pron.
weaver	a bird that makes woven nests

The weaver bird built in our house — Poème | Poetry Explainer