JAMB - Literature In English (1978 - No. 5)
In one of the three jugs
The three jugs were on certain evenings to return the tranquil souls,
the breaths of the ancestors,
The ancestors who were men,
The ancestors who were sages,
Mother has dipped three fingers
three fingers of her left hand:
thumb, forefinger and middle finger
I have dipped three fingers
Three fingers of my right hand:
thumb, forefinger and middle finger.
(From "Viaticum"by B. Diop)
In this poem, the repetitive pattern suggests
The three jugs were on certain evenings to return the tranquil souls,
the breaths of the ancestors,
The ancestors who were men,
The ancestors who were sages,
Mother has dipped three fingers
three fingers of her left hand:
thumb, forefinger and middle finger
I have dipped three fingers
Three fingers of my right hand:
thumb, forefinger and middle finger.
(From "Viaticum"by B. Diop)
In this poem, the repetitive pattern suggests
pain,agony, and misery
ritual or established form of worship
the love of a mother for her child
the beauty of the full moon
the glorious lives of our ancestors
Explanation
The poem "Viaticum" by B. Diop uses repetition, particularly in the actions of dipping three fingers and the naming of those fingers, to evoke a ceremonial or sacred atmosphere. This kind of repetition is characteristic of rituals or traditional forms of worship, especially when tied to ancestral reverence.
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The mention of ancestors, tranquil soul and the specific, repeated action involving dipping fingers all indicate a ritualistic gesture.
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Such patterns are common in traditional African religious or spiritual practices, where actions are symbolic, deliberate and repetitive to maintain sacred form.
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