These two poems have been written and discussed for the researchers and readers to do critical analyses and learn more about the poems. Read and enjoy them.
Poem 1
Contents
Thy Meal
Crows as cock,
It praiseth the Ancient of Days
Dog barks,
It applaudth thy works
Lion roars,
It eulogizeth thy supremacy
Dances as birds,
It singth thy greatness
Bees coordinate,
In panegyrics to the mighty in battle
Tree prostrateth to
I am that I am
They magnify thy existence!
But man, an ingrate
Learn and be exact!
Poet: Deola Adelakun
Briefs of the poem
The poem glorifies the greatness of God. His praises cover all the importance of the Highest God. The poet points at all creatures and the ways they praise God.
The dog barks; the lion roars; the bird dances; the bee coordinates to magnify the existence of God. The poet challenges how man is an ingrate to the greatness of God. They should learn from other creators and be wise.
Theme
The themes of the poem, Thy Meal, give an insight into the praises and glorification of the importance and greatness of God. Some of the themes have been discussed below.
The theme of praises
The poet praises the works and greatness of God. He sees the Ancient of Days as the greatest one that is worthy to be praised. The poet praises God’s supremacy, greatness, and power.
The theme of existence
The poet knows and says the existence of God. God, according to the poet, exists in different ways as many creatures such as cocks, dogs, lions, birds, bees, and trees manifest His existence. They crow, bark, dance, coordinate, and prostrate to praise, applaud, eulogize, sing, and magnify the existence of God.
The theme of learning
The poet calls the attention of humans who are ingrate to learn from other creatures to praise and magnify the existence of God.
Language and Poetic Devices
The poet makes use of language and poetic devices to enrich the poem and to allow the researchers to make a critical analysis of the poem.
Type of poem
The poem is a panegyric and eulogy as the poet praise and glorifies the existence and greatness of God.
Stanzas and lines
The poet has six (6) stanzas and fifteen (15) lines.
Figures of Speech
The poet makes use of the figures of speech to enrich the poem and to allow the researchers to make a critical analysis of the poem. Some of them have been discussed below.
Colloquial expressions
The poet makes use of certain colloquial expressions such as “praiseth” (line 2), “applaudeth” (line 4), “eulogizeth” (line 6), “thy” (lines 6,8,13)
Simile
The poet makes use of simile to compare the two objects with the use of comparative words such as “as or like”. The expression is “Crews as cock” (line 1), “Dances as a bird” (line 7)
Biblical allusion
The poet makes use of some bible references such as “It praiseth the Ancient of Days” (line 2), and “I am that I am” (line 12).
Repetitions
The poet makes use of repetitions to emphasize his messages. Such repetitions are “It” (lines 2,4,6,8)
Personification
The poet makes use of personifications such as “It praiseth the Ancient of Days” (line 2), It applaudeth thy works” (line 4), “It eulogizeth thy supremacy” (line 6), “It singeth thy greatness” (line 8), “Tree prostrates (line 11).
Word List and Meanings
Applaudth: Praises
Eulogizeth: Glorifies
Panegyrics: Glorification
Singth: Sings
Praiseth: Praiseth
Practice Questions
1. What is the central idea of the poem?
2. What type of poem is ‘Thy Meal’?
3. What is the attitude of man in this poem?
4. How does the poet feel towards man’s attitude?
5. What is the poet expecting from man?
Poem 2
His Greatness
The great work no man understandth
He commandth things and was so!
The supreme being confuseth people.
But faith bailth the world out
Thy existence is a mystery.
He maketh man in thy image
And createth the Universe.
The man’s imagination cannot comprehend it.
‘Tis invisible but immanent he liveth
In heaven but omniscient on earth
He is everywhere
Being omnipotent over the surface
And heaven dashes thee respect honor our
Where dost darkness and light gush out
Wonderth the broods of Adam
Thou dost land sky spread like a
Mat astounds the universe
He heaped up the mountains and water
Gathered oceanic and seaic in his majesty
Everything about thy works is a mandate
There must be reproduction before the
The existence of a new child was so.
Let there be light, and water must be
Gathered in one place and they obey.
Shakable plants and trees must be erected
And a pool of water must keep still
They give thee honor.
Let the land produce vegetables:
Seed-bearing, plants, and trees
And the man in our image, all appeared accordingly.
Unsearchable being
Thou art great you are!
Poet: Deola Adelakun
Briefs of the poem
The poem depicts the greatness of God. It is a deep imagination of the poet about the existence of this world and how He commands everything to come to life. He is omnipresent, omniscient, and immanent.
Everything about a creature of the earth is a mandate. God said let the earth and heaven be they are. And heaven dashes three respect and honor. The poet gives glorification and praises to God’s immanence, existence, supreme, and greatness.
Theme
The themes in this poem are the glorification of God’s work and His mightiness. The themes serve as the dominating points of the poem. Some of the themes have been discussed below.
The theme of greatness
The theme of greatness explains the greatness of God and his works. The poet says that His works are understandable and His existence is a mystery.
The theme of imagination
The theme of imagination explains the imagination of the poet about His existence. The poet imagines how man is made in His image; how He is invisible but immanent; how He is omniscient and omnipotent.
The theme of existence
The theme of existence covers what the existence of God is about. Everything about the existence of God is a wonder. How light exists from darkness; how land and sky spread; how mountain heaps up and water gathers are wonders.
The theme of the mandate
The theme of the mandate is the command of God to make things exist. He says there must be a reproduction of a new child and is so; let there be light and water must be gathered to one place and they obey. All shakable plants and trees must be erected and a pool of water must keep still; they give Gohonorur; let the land produce vegetables: seed-bearing, plants and trees and a man in His image; all appear accordingly.
Language and Poetic Devices
The poet makes use of language and poetic devices to enrich the poem and to allow the researchers to make a critical analysis of the poem. Some of the languages and poetic devices are discussed below.
Type of poem
The poem is a pane panegyric eulogy as the poet praise and glorifies the greatness and existence of God.
Stanzas and lines
The poem has thirty-two (32) lines.
Mood/Tone
The poet love and appreciates the greatness and work of God. The frame of His mind is love.
Diction
The poet chooses certain words in his poem such as “seaic”, and “Tis” as found in lines 19 and 9.
Figures of Speech
The poet makes use of the figures of speech to enrich the poem and to allow the researchers to make a critical analysis of the poem.
Colloquial expressions
The poet makes use of colloquial expressions such as “understandth, commandth, confuseth, bailth, maketh, liveth, wonderth, dost, thy, thou art,” (lines 1,2,3,4,6,9,14,15,16,20,32)
Simile
The poet makes use of simile to compare the two objects with comparative words such as “as or like”. Such words are “Thou dost land sky spread like a” (line 16)
Metaphor
The poet makes use of metaphor to compare the two objects without comparative words. Such words are “He is everywhere” (line 11), “Thy existence is a mystery” (line 5).
Personification
The poet makes use of personification such as “They gave thee” (line 27), …faith bailth the world out” (line 4), and “And heave dashed thee respect and honor” (line 13)
Apostrophes
The poet makes use of apostrophes such as “Thou dost land sky spread like a” (line 16), “Unsearchable being, thou art great you are!” (line 32)
Biblical allusion
The poet makes use of bible references in the bible. The bible references are lines (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
Synecdoche
The poet makes use of synecdoche such as “…world…” (line 4), “universe” (lines 7, 17),
Word List and Meanings
Immanent: Present everywhere
Mandate: Authority to do something
Majesty: Impressive and attractive quality that one has
Astound: Amaze/surprise
Seaic: Formed from sea
Practice Questions
1. Discuss the message of the poem.
2. State the mandates of God as portrayed in the poem.
3. Comment on the predominant figurative expressions employed in the poem.
4. What type of poem is this?
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