Before the Sun by Charles Mungoshi

Before the Sun – Charles Mungoshi

Full Poem

Before the sun
Intense blue morning
promising early heat
and later in the afternoon,
heavy rain.

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.

It is a big log:
but when you are fourteen
big logs
are what you want.

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.

Overview

• A reflective poem capturing a quiet, early morning moment before sunrise.

• Follows a 14-year-old boy who chops wood and prepares roasted maize.

• Set in nature, the poem explores peace, routine, and the beauty of simplicity.

• Emphasizes themes of self-reliance, connection to the natural world, and youthful joy.

Key Quotes:

• “It is a big log: but when you are fourteen big logs are what you want.”

• “Intense blue morning promising early heat”

• “This one for the sun, this one for me”

Underlying Meanings

• Suggests the quiet dignity and independence of rural life.

• Youth is presented as a time of physical strength, purpose, and harmony with nature.

• Fire and maize symbolize transformation and nourishment.

• The sun becomes a spiritual or divine presence, treated like a guest.

• Innocence and imagination are shown through the symbolic “sharing” of maize with the sun.

Key Quotes:

• “a signal of some sort, or a sacrificial prayer” – suggests spiritual significance.

• “the sun just winks like a grown-up” – personifies the sun, showing connection.

• “till the cobs are just two little skeletons” – shows transformation and time passing.

Poetic Techniques

• Imagery: rich sensory images (“dewy grass”, “sweet nose-cleansing odour”) create a vivid natural setting.

• Personification: the sun is described with human traits, like “winking” and arriving “late”.

• Symbolism: maize = nourishment; fire = transformation; sun = time, divine presence.

Key Quotes:

• “the bright chips fly from the sharp axe”

• “the sun just winks like a grown-up”

• “a thin spiral of smoke... a sacrificial prayer”

Literary Techniques

• Alliteration: phrases like “sweet nose-cleansing” and “settle down in showers” enhance rhythm and tone.

• Contrast: calm morning vs. the coming “heavy rain” later – a reminder of life’s changeability.

• Enjambment: fluidity of lines reflects natural thoughts and the smooth flow of time.

• Metaphor: “two little skeletons” = remains of the maize, marking the passage of the morning.

Key Quotes:

• “two little skeletons in the sun”

• “like some latecomer to a feast”

• “the wood hisses, the sparks fly”

Structure

• Free verse: no rhyme scheme or set meter; mirrors the natural rhythm of life and routine.

• Chronological flow: moves from early morning preparations to eating breakfast after sunrise.

• Shifting stanza lengths: reflect the movement of thought and attention to detail.

• Reflective tone: calm, nostalgic, quietly celebratory of a simple morning task.

Key Quotes:

• “And when the sun finally shows up in the East”

• “So I go ahead, taking big alternate bites”

• “This one for the sun, this one for me”