Gabriel Okara’s “Were I to Choose”

Were I to choose

Gabriel Okara, a Nigerian poet, is immersed in folk-tradition and ballad. One can discern influences of native tradition and English romantic tradition and he often tries to create a synthesis between the two. He often utilizes ‘transliteration’ and thereby renders his poems regional, yet universal. His poems are often marked for their lyrical musicality.

Gabriel Okara’s “Were I to Choose” is reminiscent of Yeats’ “Adam’s Curse.” Adam toiling in the soil can be compared to the Negros working in the soil. They broke the stone themselves which was their very foundation. The red streams are symbolic of the multilingual diversity that reaches the womb Africa.

In this poem Gabriel Okara wants to free himself from the imprisonment of his dark ‘halo that is generally considered as ‘blessed; but seems dark to him. His conflict is not being able to choose from the different languages. He is torn between worlds. The poet likens his predicament with mingling with dust during the month December to February in Nigeria. The throat is dry and he is unable to speak out. He is delirious ass the flames of torture are burning his existence. The colonial period has made the poet an amalgam of European and African Cultures, and now he finds himself in a no man’s land. He relishes the idea of resolving the crisis by seeking refuge in the silence of the grave. He then would be cheating the worms because he would enjoy that state of affairs so these are the things which are discussed by Gabriel Okara in this poem.