Text of The Poem
Introduction:
This
poem, “The Stone-Chat” was written by famous Pakistani poet Taufiq Rafat. Rafat
is considered the founder of Pakistani poetry in English due to his
representation of Pakistani culture through the English language. His poetry is
characterized by the use of cultural imagery, nature, and the use of binary. In
his poem “The Stone-Chat,” all these characteristics are prominent.
Summary
and Analysis of the Poem:
The
poem starts with the poet declaring that beauty does not need any ornamentation
of words to be considered beautiful “The beautiful is beautiful anyway, so why
embellish it with words”. These first two lines set the entire mood of the
poem. The poet makes use of contrasting images to define what is beautiful.
Similarly, the use of the article “the” is significant as it may refer to any
muse the poet considers beautiful. The poem then shifts its focus and presents
the first contrasting imageries i.e. “green and fruitful movements” and “parched
for a desert”. These two binary imageries are important as they highlight
two basic phenomena: spring which is related to life and youth, and desert, which
is related to clarifying and maturity. The poet highlights how the eye is
accustomed to seeing the good and lively things, the immature things that now
it is at the mercy of the desert i.e. it longs for maturity. The poet then
presents the image of “Jhelum’s eroded hills,” where the poet stopped
once to alleviate or “relieve” himself. The poet then draws an analogy
between these eroded hills of Jhelum and “a village crone” (an old ugly village
woman). These hills, according to the poet, seem bedridden and hold no
significant value, but they seem to possess a special feature. These hills, just
like an old village woman, spit out an “occasional proverb”. They possess a
sense of maturity and experience. The poet continues and says that to
understand this maturity, one must first know himself “I must try and know
myself, as I must once have been, and become”. The poet, to further explain
his argument, presents the image of a “stone-chat,” a bird that is vibrating its
tail with excitement amid the colorless background. This bird, according to the
poet, has discovered its self-worth despite the scarcity of wheat. This bird, even living under harsh circumstances, is singing a song and calling this place
home. It has learned the art of distinguishing between these shades of grey, which at first seemed colorless. This bird, according to the poet, has adapted to
its surroundings while preserving its identity amid hardships. The poet then
presents completely opposite imagery of “neighborhood is a riot of color, ad a
ragged patch of wheat sufficient, cause to be mellifluous about”. The use
of these imageries at the end is significant as the poet highlights the basic
theme, which is the adaption to one’s surroundings. This adaption, according to
the poet, will eventually lead to satisfaction and sufficiency.
Themes
of the Poem:
Adaption to the surrounding: The main theme of the poem is an adaption to the surrounding. The poet uses the stonechat to explain this phenomenon of adaption to the surrounding. The poet highlights how the stonechat, who at first was “lost against the no-color background,” learned to “distinguish between the various shades of grey” till the “neighborhood is a riot of color”. This adaption of the bird leads the whole place to be mellifluous. The bird, despite the adversities and scarcity of wheat, sang and danced, vibrating its tail as it was eager to survive. This survival in the adverse circumstances was eventually overcome by the bird through adaption, which resulted in “wheat sufficient”. Rafat teaches adaption to the surroundings and survival even in the worst circumstances, as these circumstances will eventually be over and replaced by good ones.
Maturity
vs. Ignorance:
Another
important theme of this poem is the movement from ignorance to maturity. This
theme is presented by the poet in several places by drawing different binary
imageries. For instance, the poet highlights this movement from ignorance to
maturity by pointing out the thirst for dessert rather than greenery. According
to the poet, this thirst for desert or maturity can only be understood if one
understands himself. Similarly, even in the first two lines, the poet highlights
that beauty is beauty, even if it is not ornamented through words. Maturity, according to the poet, is the realization and acceptance of a beautiful thing as
beautiful.
Self-recognition
and self-reliance:
Self-recognition
and self-reliance are also presented by the poet to be major concerns in the
poem. The poet highlights that before knowing the manifestations of maturity
one must know himself and his value. To explain his philosophy of knowing one’s
self he gives the example of a stonechat. The stonechat, despite the adversities, wagged its tail and danced about, relying on itself, which leads the bird to
find its home, food, and basic satisfaction. In conclusion, one may say that
the poet Taufiq Rafat in this poem through different binary imageries,
analogies, and the stone-chat teaches the lesson of maturity by adapting to
one’s surroundings and accepting one’s self.
The
poem is interpreted by Syeda AreebaFatima, one of the permanent contributors to the SOL Community.
