Before the Sun Charles Mungoshi

Charles Mungoshi was born in Zimbabwe in 1947. He was the son of a farmer and in his
boyhood he spent much of his time helping his parents in the fields. Often he would walk alone,
herding cattle in the nearby forest. The boy in Before the Sun is on the threshold of adulthood,
he expresses an intense appreciation of the natural world and his place within it. Note the use of
the four elements in the poem: air (air, odour, sky) , fire (heat, sparks) water (rain, showers,
dewy) and earth (grass, wood ) words in the poem.

Mungoshi's style of writing has been described as being a bit like the Japanese poetic style of
haiku — spare, exact, simple, yet at the same time, able to convey deep meanings in just a few
lines. No rhyme or rhythm, what matters is the exact words and the placing sequence and line
breaks.

Time is very important in the poem. It is written in the continuous present tense. This gives the
idea of a child telling things as they happen but also gives a timeless quality – this wasn’t one
specific incident that occurred to the author alone, it has a generic ritual quality.

Time words – 3 uses of the word later in different stanzas – eternities – finally – ready – till. So
the subject of the poem is about growing up , with a final reference at the end to mortality.

Intense blue morning Like a weather forecast – an outside impartial

promising early heat observer, not the persona in the rest of the poem.
and later in the afternoon
heavy rain Metaphor suggests that comparison of the day to
someone’s life – 14 year old is in the “intense blue”
morning, looking forward to the “early heat” of
youth, to be followed later in adulthood/ afternoon
by disappointment/rain.
The bright chips Structure The word arc on its own cuts the stanza in
fly from the sharp axe two but joins the two halves, flying from the first
for some distance through the air half to the second in an arc.
arc, For some distance through the air – the longest line
and eternities later in the stanza, commenting on how far the chips
settle down in showers travel
on the dewy grass Diction Bright chips these are short sharp words,
emphasizing the cutting action
Eternities in itself a long word
Sibilence soft effect of the S’s in the last two lines,
the chips falls lightly, contrasts with the short sharp
words used for the axe cutting
It is a big log: Diction Simple childish language
but when you are fourteen “Big logs are what you want” – big enough to prove
big logs how big you are getting. Also the obvious Freudian
are what you want. interpretation!

Structure The line breaks emphasise the “big logs”

and the enjambment emphasizes “fourteen” and
“want” – very powerful.
The wood gives off
a sweet nose-cleansing odour
which (unlike sawdust)
doesn’t make one sneeze.
It sends up a thin spiral of smoke
which later straightens
and flutes out
to the distant sky:
a signal of some sort
or a sacrificial prayer.
The wood hisses,
The sparks fly.
And when the sun
finally shows up
in the East like some
latecomer to a feast
I have got two cobs of maize
ready for it.
I tell the sun to come share
with me the roasted maize
and the sun just winks
like a grown-up.
So I go ahead, taking big
alternate bites:
one for the sun,
one for me.
This one for the sun,
This one for me:
Till the cobs
Are just two little skeletons
In the sun.
Precise and detailed observation. The boy has seen
carpentry, using the logs to make something else.
Again a metaphor – he/youth cuts the logs.
Someone older/ more skilled will works with the
resulting logs to make things. He is enjoying the
present, outdoor physical part “sweet” and healthy
“nose-cleaning perhaps not looking forward totally
to the future, indoors.
Now the wood is chopped, he makes a fire.
consonance – repeated S sounds at the start and end
of words – when read on the page the S is itself a
spiral like the smoke itself, when spoken out loud
the S sounds are then summarised by the word
“hisses”, which also suggests a snake and so does
the letter S – all working together to create a single
image
the word “some” is used 3 times in the poem –
casual, unspecific diction giving a generic quality
Enjambment places emphasis on the importance of
the sun – recurs in rest of poem and the final line.
Feast – links back to the idea of a sacrifice – an
offering to the gods.
- sun in the East – morning– the boy has been up
very early chopping wood – note the title is Before
the Sun
The sun is treated like a person – invited to the feat,
showing up late. The boy wants to treats the sun as
an equal “come share” but the sun acts like a grown
up and is stand-offish
Structure – the lines alternate like the bites. The
monosyllables and rhythm in the middle 4 lines
suggest an age-old chant (like “he loves me, he
loves me not”).
The boy has chopped his own wood, cooked his
own food, invited the Sun/Nature to share it with
him, repeated the proscribed invocation. A rite of
passage from childhood to adulthood.
And one which the boy is enjoying - taking big
bites of life at the moment
The reference to the skeletons of the cobs – how
life will end up. But nature will go on , shown by
the last word – the Sun.
Analysing Charles Mungoshi – Before The Sun

In before the sun Charles Mungoshi gives us a beautiful impressionistic picture of nature, as I
assume, in his native Zimbabwe.
The first stanza strikes me as possessing of a somewhat matter-of-fact language, akin to that
which might be used in a weather forecast.

'Intense blue morning

promising early heat
and later in the afternoon
heavy rain'

The word 'promising' here used to describe a warm sunny morning, inevitably causes
associations in the readers mind with a report on the days weather. This has the effect of creating
an external observer in the poem, one that is omnipotent in a way, as is eloquently (or rather with
lack of eloquent embellishment) put forth toward the end of the stanza.

'and later in the afternoon

heavy rain'

These lines as opposed to the two that precede it are absolutist in nature, implying that the
persona that the writer assumes is absolutely aware, in its suggested detachment from the
occurences of the poem.

The next stanza describes a chopping action on wood and the motion of the chips resulting
thereof.

'The bright chips

fly from the sharp axe
for some distance through the air
arc,
and eternities later
settle down in showers
on the dewy grass'

With the first line the poet uses effective monosyllabic language to enhance the speed of the
action.
The words 'bright chips', because of their monoysyllabic, short and quickly spoken nature,
describe the speed of the motion of the chips, as they 'fly from the sharp axe'. Here too Mungoshi
manages the use of an alliteration in order to emphasise the speed of motion with, 'fly from', in
addition to the repeated monosyllabic language use evident in each of the above quoted words of
stanza 2,line 2.
The following line however, syllabilically speaking, is the longest in the stanza emphasising the
distance travelled by the chips, as in 'for some distance through the air,' which uses 7 syllables.

The natural references in this stanza, include a reference to air, water, wood, earth time and
metal, emphasising the impressionistic nature of the poem.
With reference to wood, 'bright chips', to metal 'sharp axe', to air, 'through the air, time in,
'eternities later', and water in, 'settle down in shower' and 'dewy grass' which refers equally to
land. The imagery created through this language use is very serene, even though the action
through which it is represented is a violent one (ie. Chopping).This stands testament to
Mungoshi's skillfull language use.

The shift from speed and acuteness to slow serene appreciation of the natural elements and time
(for which we owe Aristotle), comes from first the shift from monosyllabacy to long words
already described and the use of a single word line,'arc': Both these devices slow down the pace
of the poem's movement. 'Arc' has the benefit of having a line all to itself, through which
emphasis may be laid on it, causing the reader to halt momentarily, evn possibly experiencing
the imagery of the arching motion of the wooden chips.
This is followed by another (the second and last) seven syllable line in the sentence:
'and eternities later'- through whose language the length of time that the chips are seemingly
suspended in air is emphasised. The use of the word, 'eternities' does this through its meaning, of
infinite time and its length, holding the honour of the longest word in the stanza.
The use of the word 'showers' furtherr emphasises the easy movement as it is soft sounding
owing to the 'sh' sound and long owing to the long vowel sound and disyllabicity.

We are then introduced to the subject of this chopping with, 'It is a big log'. The overtly simple,
matter-of-fact, childish language. The words 'big log' indicate simplicity regarding the appriach
to the lod. As I understand it, Mungoshi uses the 'big log' as a metaphor for obstacles, but also as
a double-entendre for a rather self-evident sexual reference by an indication of the chopper's age
in 'but when you are fourteen'. He further clarifies the double-entendre with, 'big logs are what
you want'., perhaps implying (the sexual refernece being blindingly obvious) that the boy intends
to cement his ego through challenging himself.

The 'wood' reffered to in the next line of the 'big log' or the challenge, 'gives off/ a sweet nose-
cleansing odour,perhaps implying that challenges rejuvenate.
I reach this conclusion as the scent given off is a result of trying to chop the 'big log' and
metaphorically tackle a challenge. Therefore the 'nose-cleansing odour' is metaphorically a
reference to the fruit of success resulting from having undertaken the endeavour.

Mungoshi then writes in the fifth stanza,

'It sends up a thin spiral
of smoke which later straightens out'
This description of the smokes movement is characterized by a repeated consonance of the S
sound-. This consonance seems to folow into the next allowing it to seem as though the smoke is
flowing upwardsinto the sy-
This may be intepreted as a form of gving back to the nature that gave him the ability to
overcome his obstacle as Mingoshi calls it, 'or a sacrificial prayer.'

Further natural connotations are drawn of wood with a snake and fire with flying, in
'the wood hisses
and sparks fly'
Mungoshi addresses his final element fire with the use of the word 'sparks', appreciating that his
work continues with the use of a present continuous tense in 'hisses'.

Finally we now see a reference to the sun in the 6th stanza,

'And when the sun/ finally shows up'
The use of enjamerment here causes emphasis to be placed on 'the sun', allowing the gravity of
the advent of the sun in the poem to settle in.
I feel Mungoshi appreciates the gender ambivalence of nature using 'it' to describe the sun, a very
brave and mature step as he was reared in the male dominant society of 20th century Zimbabwe.
He then uses 'feast' to describe the events 'Before the Sun', possibly using it as a metaphor for a
traditional passing over to adulthood, rooted in nature.
Further evidence of thiss claim is found in the level of maturity we see in the character's actions,
being so reminiscent of adolescent behaviour.
We see immense projected emotional maturity in the invitation of the boy to nature in
'I tell the sun to come share /with me the roasted maize'. This indicates that the poet is implying a
trust in nature that we have forgotten. The boy invites nature (the Sun) to share in the 'roasted
maize', which metaphorically represents a carefully prepared childhood on whose foundations
rest the life of the young man. This metaphorically means that the boy is calling for nature to
guide him.

But, 'the sun just winks/

like a grown up'
Here he shows the sun as being very amiable throgh the use of again simple language showing
adolescent maturity in 'just winks'. The similie to a 'grown up' here is effective as it shows a
reverence and greatness in the sun that the boy respects through, firstly the sun being,
paradigmically supposedly above the boy, 'wink(ing)' in omnipotence.

Mungoshi ends this masterful poem with a rythmic allusion to life and a barely evident referenc
to death.
'one for the sun,
one for me,
This one for the sun,
This one for me'.
Through uninterrupted monosyllabacy he acheives a rythym that is coupled with repetition of the
word, 'one', symbolizing a unity and oneness between the boy and the sun, between the boy's
'roasted maize' and the sun's and prophetically between the boy and nature, between humanity an
nature.