Poem of Return

Jofre Rocha
Background
Angolan writer, poet and journalist, Jofre Rocha, is the literary pseudonym of
Roberto António Victor Francisco de Almeida, was born in February 1941, in
Kaxikana, municipality of Icolo e Bengo. Angola.
In June 1961, Rocha left Angola for Lisbon, Portugal. A Nationalist, fighting
for the independence of Angola, Rocha is detained in Aljube prison and
returned to Luanda.
His political activity saw him sentenced to eighteen months in jail. A member
of the MPLA, after the country's independence in 1975, he was called to hold
various positions both in the government and in his party.
He has been President of the Angolan Parliament from 1996-2008. Rocha
speaks about the colonial experience and focuses on the theme of war and
the social and economic degradation that emerges from it.
Poem of Return
• When I return from the land of exile and silence 1
• do not bring me flowers.

• Bring me rather all the dews,

• tears of dawns which witnessed dramas.
• Bring me the immense hunger for love 5
• and the plaint of tumid sexes in star-studded night.
• Bring me the long night of sleeplessness
• with mothers mourning, their arms berfect of sons.

• When I return from the land of exile and silence,

• no, do not bring me flowers … 10
• Bring me only, just this
• the last wish of heroes fallen at day-break
• With a wingless stone in hand
• and a thread of anger snaking from their eyes. 14
Structure/Form
The poem has 14 lines and but does not conform to the strict Italian
Sonnet form. (Although there is a distinct division between stanzas 3
and 4, separating the ‘octave’ from the ‘sestet’.)
It does not have a rhyme scheme and is not written in iambic
pentameter, common to the Sonnet form. It is written in free verse,
more typical of contemporary poetry.
Summary
The speaker is contemplating his upcoming return to his home country. The
speaker mentions his return from exile and the anguish associated with those who
died whilst oppressed. The poem is written from the perspective of an exile,
someone who has had to flee their country of birth.
The poem captures the sentiment of loss, lost opportunity and lost experience. He
describes his ‘host country’ as “land of exile and silence” – this suggests that he
was not happy there. He lists the things he missed while he was away and it is clear
that he feels guilty about ‘escaping’ whilst his countrymen/women suffered.
He makes it clear that he is not a hero and should not be welcomed or treated as
one. He asserts that the real heroes are the ones who stayed and fought against
oppression. The poet is writing about the lost opportunities, mourning and sadness
brought about by colonialism, exile and war.
Although this poem consists of 14 lines, it is not a sonnet.
 When = Certainty that he
Stanza 1 will return

• 1 When I return from the land of exile and silence

• 2 do not bring me flowers. Where he has been exiled (Portugal)
Silence – no communication with family or
“do not” suggests friends, and cannot speak the local language
a command for Flowers are a traditional gift that
others to follow, suggest celebration. By not wanting
the ones waiting flowers, the speaker suggests he does
for his return not want celebration for his return, that
he does not deserve to be celebrated.
In this case, remember that he left while
others fought.
 “all the dews” is an
impossible request – “tears of dawn”
“Bring me” is as if he feels he cannot
Stanza 2 commanding again – this
is what he wants instead
be forgiven for
running away
Personifies
nature (dawn) as
of a celebration Alliteration – crying after witnessing
“w” suggests the “dramas” of the
• 3 Bring me rather all the dews, whispering, fight against
quiet sadness oppression. Suggests
• 4 tears of dawns which witnessed dramas. that nature itself is
Alliteration – “s” saddened by the
• 5 Bring me the immense hunger for love suggests quiet fighting and loss of
life.
• 6 and the plaint of tumid sexes in star- studded night.
• 7 Bring me the long night of sleeplessness Metaphor – emphasises how long the fight has
been going, links to fear of loss in line 8.
• 8 with mothers mourning, their arms bereft of sons.
Anaphora: “Bring me”, repetition shows the Alliteration “hunger for love” and “tumid
“arms bereft of sons” sexes” suggests love,
speaker’s insistence on the things that should –M is the reason for why
be present for his return instead of the sound, companionship, two things that
the mothers are have been lost due to
celebration. This emphasises his guilt. reinforces mourning, the men
sound of oppression.
have died for the
mourning fight.
 “last wish of heroes fallen”
Repetition of first two refers to the desire of those
Stanza 3 lines, emphasis on lack who died fighting – a
of desire for celebration changed, unified Angola
Day-break is dawn, when the sun
rises. This is a time of new
beginning, and is ironically when
these heroes died.
• 9 When I return from the land of exile and silence, Day-break is when executions were
carried out, these heroes died in
• 10 no, do not bring me flowers ... the fight against oppression. They
never got to see the future they
• 11 Bring me only, just this Emphasis
wants
on how this is all that he
fought for.
• 12 the last wish of heroes fallen at day-break
• 13 with a wingless stone in hand Paradox – stones can’t fly, much like the hopes and
dreams of the men and women who have died
• 14 and a thread of anger snaking from their eyes
Metaphor – Compares thread of
anger to a snake, as if it could “fallen” Euphemism From the eyes suggests the anger is
strike at any moment. Volatile for their death, within their souls, it is a part of
anger. execution them. It is also only a small part of
them, showing that the full freedom
hasn’t yet been achieved.
Themes Poignant: Evoking
a sense of
sadness, or regret.

• The poet captures the sentiment of loss, lost opportunity and lost
experience.
• A poignant poem about the return from exile, and what should be
celebrated which is: sadness, mourning and inevitability, and anger.
• Rocha ends the poem with a parting shock of anger at the lost
opportunities and experiences that some young people suffered as a
result of colonisation, civil war and exile.
Tone:
• Regret, sadness, sombre, loss
• Initially the tone is primarily sad, but slowly builds up to anger with
“snaking from their eyes”.
• In the end, the poem is almost militant, as if spurring others to fight
back.
 QUESTIONS
1. Why does the speaker not want flowers upon his return? (3)
2. What does the speaker want instead of flowers? Why? (3)
3. Comment on the description of the speaker’s “host country” as the “land of
exile and silence”. (2)
4. Identify and comment on the effectiveness of the figure of speech in “tears of
dawns”. (3)
5. Why are the mothers “bereft of sons” (line 8)? (2)
6. Comment on the figurative interpretation of the “day-break” in line 12. (2)
7. Comment on the effectiveness of the anaphora (“When I return…”). (3)
8. Discuss the change in tone from stanza 2 to 3. Quote in support of your
answer. (3)
9. How does the last stanza successfully convey the speaker’s intention? (3)