Once upon a time

By
GABRIEL OKARA
ABOUT THE POET
Gabriel Okara (born 1921) is a Nigerian poet
and novelist. His verse has been translated into
several languages. His poem The Call of the
River Nun won the best award for Literature at
the Nigerian Festival of Arts in 1953. Some of
his poems were published in the influential
periodical Black Orpheus, and by 1960 he
established himself as an accomplished writer.
He was honoured with the Commonwealth
Poetry Award. Okara’s typical poem transits
from everyday reality to moments of delight
and moves back to reality, making a complete
circle. Okara infused African thought, folklore,
and imagery into both his verse and prose. His
first novel, The Voice, is an outstanding
linguistic experiment. His later works include a
collection of poems The Fisherman’s Invocation
(1978) and two books for children, Little Snake
and Little Frog (1981) and An Adventure to Juju
Island (1992).
Once upon a time, son
They used to laugh with their hearts
And laugh with their eyes:
But now they only laugh with their teeth
While their ice-block-cold eyes
Search behind my shadow.

Laugh with their teeth - to fake a laugh

Ice- block cold eyes - Eyes lacking the feeling of warmth
Search behind my shadow – People are hypocritical and they don’t mean what
they say
Laugh with their teeth – to fake a laugh
Ice –block – cold eyes - Metaphor
When the poet was a child, people used to laugh with their hearts.
There was an honesty in their smile. Their eyes shone with real
happiness
Modern people show their teeth only while laughing

and their eyes are without any warmth

 There was a time indeed
They used to shake hands with their hearts
But that’s gone, son
Now they shake hands without hearts
While their left hands search
My empty pockets.

Search behind my shadow – People are hypocritical and they don’t

mean what they say
While their left hands search
my empty pockets --- evaluating one’s worth and power or calculating how he
could be exploited
Once, the people used to
shake hands expressing
their true joy conveying a
sense of togetherness.
Now people shake hands without
real gladness.A person shakes
his right hand with another, but
his left hand is trying to pick
the other man’s pocket.
“Feel at home!”, “Come again”:
They say, and when I come
Again and feel
At home, once, twice
There will be no thrice -
For then I find doors shut on me.
Feel at home

Come
again

“Feel at home” and

“come again” are
simply said without
sincere feelings
When the poet visits
someone for the third
time,the doors are
shut on him.
For then I find doors shut on me.
So I have learnt many things, son
I have learned to wear many faces
Like dresses – home face
Office face, street face, host face
Cocktail face, with all their conforming smiles
Like a fixed portrait smile.

Cock tail face - Face showing mixed emotions

The poet says that now,
he has learnt to change
his face according to
different situation. He
has become fake
And I have learned too
To laugh with only my teeth
And shake hands without my heart
I have also learned to say “Goodbye”
When I mean “Good-riddance”
To say “Glad to meet you”
Without being glad; and to say “It’s been
Nice talking to you”, after being bored.
 Good
riddance

Good The Poet says that

Bye
he has learnt to
shake hands without
heart. He says that
he has learnt to say
good bye when he
actually means “Good
riddance”

Good –riddance : Expression of relief at being free of an

unwanted person
 Oh! He is
OMG! Why I met boring too
him ........ much

Glad to
meet you

Nice talking to
you
But believe me, son
I want to be what I used to be
When I was like you. I want
To unlearn all these muting things
Most of all, I want to relearn
How to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror
Shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!
The poet says to his son
that he wants to be what he
used to be when he was like
his son. He wants to unlearn
all the artificial things that
he has learnt
 The poet wants to
relearn how to laugh.
He feels that when
he looks at the
mirror, his laugh
shows his teeth like a
snake’s bare fangs

Fangs – teeth of a venomous snake, used to inject poison

So show me, son
How to laugh; show me how
I used to laugh and smile
Once upon a time when I was like you.
The poet asks his son to
teach him how to laugh
and smile when he was
like his son.
 POETIC DEVICES USED IN THE POEM

Ice –block- cold eyes --- Metaphor

Faces like dresses --- Simile
Like a fixed portrait smile --- Simile
Good riddance --- oxymoron
Like a snake’s bare fangs --- Simile
PRESENTED BY

N.J.GOMATHI
P.G. ASST( ENGLISH)
NEELA KANDARAYAPURAM,
RANIPET DISTRICT