The Sea is History by Derek Walcott -Literary and Biblical References Explained

The words Middle Passage are a reference to the trade in which millions of Africans were shipped to the New World (Europe/America/Australia) as a part of the slave trade.

In line 8 the caraval is a historical reference to the Portuguese ships of the 15th century (Age of Discovery) that were used to explore the West Africa and Atlantic Ocean. It was through these ships that the Europeans arrived at Africa.

In line 9 Genesis is a Biblical reference to The Book of Genesis which is the first book of Christian Old Testament or the Old Bible (Torah). The Genesis contains the story of the Origin or the beginning of the world where God created the world and man. The word genesis in itself means beginning. In the poem this means that the history of the African natives began when the European colonizers arrived.

In line 12 Exodus is a reference to the Book of Exodus, the second book of Christian Old Testament or the Old Bible (Torah). This book contains the story of the children of Israel leaving the slavery in Egypt, in the guidance of Moses. The word Exodus also means ending or closure. In the poem, the Exodus means that the story of the native Africans ends when they were taken aboard the ships as slaves and had to leave their homeland, this is in contrast to the Biblical reference mentioned above, where the slaves were freed when they left their homeland Egypt.

Throughout the poem, the poet connects the sufferings and historical moments of Jews and Christians with the African sufferings. He begins by stating that the history is in the sea, and then tells how the boats of the colonizers came from sea, and when they departed they took the African slaves with them who were moaning and crying from being beaten and harassed. These slaves died in the sea and their bones melted and became one with the corals of the sea, that is reinforcing the idea that the sea holds the history of the black African men. The corals and bones combined to make colourful mosaics under the sea that were covered by the so-called 'blessings' of the shark; here shark is a reference to the colonizers who were hungry like shark for power and domination. The poet is saying that the colonizers claimed that they are a blessing to the illiterate people of Africa but actually this blessing is a shark-like danger that will swallow everything out of hunger and greed. This is the Exodus, or Chapter 2 for the African book of history.

In line 16 the Art of the Covenant also known as the Ark of Testimony is a chest (described in the Book of Exodus) that contains the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments are written. This chest also contains Moses' Rod and a jar of manna (mann-o-salva). This chest (Ark) was kept in the Temple of Solomon for a long time and became lost when the Temple was destroyed. In the poem, the poet is saying that the bones of the slaves that rest under the sea make mosaics and they are the African version of Ark of the Covenant, meaning that they are the prized historical items for the Africans the same way the Ark contains the prized historical and religious items for the Christians.

In line 19 the plangent word means loud echoing and sorrowful sound. Therefore the plangent harp means the sorrowful songs of the Black tradition that speak of their sufferings.

In line 19 the Babylonian bondage is a historical reference to the Babylonian Exile or Babylonian Captivity which is the greatest pivotal event in Jewish history. This was the event in which the Jews were held captive in Babylonia (present-day Iraq). The word bondage means slavery. In the poem, the poet is trying to say that the sorrowful songs of the African people talk about the African version of the Babylonian bondage, to put in simple terms, it means those songs talk about the African native captives instead of Jewish captives. These sad songs are coming from the sea floor, which means the sea contains this moment of African history. In line 20 the white cowries is a nautical reference to the large white sea shells shaped like an egg. These shells are especially used as jewelry and for decorative purposes. These shells were used as currency in Africa for many centuries.

In line 21 the drowned women is a literary reference to the fact that suicide became a very popular subject in arts and literature of the Victorian society. The literary and visual representations or icons of drowned women reached all strata of the Victorian society. In London, although the rate of female suicide was not higher than of men, it was rumored that due to the rising economic needs of women and the need to marry a rich man, the women of Victorian society fell into prostitution out of despair and heartbreaks, and eventually attempted suicide by jumping off a bridge (mostly over River Thames). The women chose to die honorably rather than live in dishonor (because the Victorians cared a lot about their reputation). In the poem, the poet is saying that next in history came the story of these women who when drowned and dropped to the floor of the sea became covered by the sea-shells/ cowries that formed chains around them. In line 22 the ivory bracelets is the reference to this same, as ivory means white color and the cowries were white in color that formed chains and bracelets around the women.

In line 23 the Song of Solomon is a reference to a series of lyrical poems in the form of a dialogue between a young woman and her lover. The poems praised the greatness of Solomon as well that is why the title includes this name. This book of poems was included in the Old Testament of Bible. Possibly in the poem the poet is saying that the women who drowned were chained with the songs of their failed love stories (since they committed suicide when their love failed).

The poet says that the ocean keeps looking for history, meaning that this is still not the real history of the blacks, and that we have to go deeper into the ocean to locate more secrets, more memories in order to understand the real history of Africa. The men came with 'eyes as heavy as anchors that sank without tombs' is a reference to the colonizers the British and Europeans whose eyes were full of merciless expressions. The idea of 'Heavy eyes' creates a very unpleasant feeling. This can also be a reference to the facts that when the colonizers arrived at the African coasts they dropped the anchors of their ships so they could land and stay at Africa.

In line 28 the word brigands means the members of gangs that robbed people living in forests and mountains. It is possible that the poet is showing how those people who were robbing the country of Africa were enjoying themselves by hunting and killing the animals of Africa and making barbecues. This also shows they had a lack of conscience and guilt, for they continue to eat at their ease. Note that cattle are usually the animals kept by humans for their meat, milk etc. and are a source of business for the local people.

In line 31 tidal wave swallowing Port Royal is a historical reference to the most important city of Jamaica. Port Royal, Jamaica, commonly referred to as "the wickedest city on earth" conjures images of pirates, conquests, looting, riches, destruction and devastation. It rapidly grew to become the most important trading post in the New World. At the height of its glittering wealth, in 1692, Port Royal was consumed by an earthquake and two thirds of the town sank into the sea. A series of fires and hurricanes followed and the town was never restored to its former glory.

In line 32 Jonah is a Biblical reference to Younas the prophet of Israel who is famous for being swallowed by a giant fish or whale. In the poem, the poet is connecting the Biblical reference to the historical, and saying that the way the waves swallowed Port Royal, the hub of Caribbean coastal business, is similar to the way Jonah was swallowed by the giant fish.

In line 33 the poet asks where is the Caribbean version of Renaissance? We already know the European version of Renaissance, which was an important period in the English History. But where is 'your' i.e. the natives' Renaissance? The answer is that it is locked in the sea where the men of war floated down. The poet asks the reader to put on goggles so he can be guided safely to the bottom of the sea. The sea-bed is like a city in itself, it has colonnades of corals and it has Gothic windows in the form of sea fans. Note that both pillars or columns evoke the image of prestigious and old buildings like those of the Greek and Roman origin, and the Gothic windows remind us of the Gothic style architecture that was very common in the past. This again shows that the sea has its own forms of historical imagery under the water. In this underwater place a grouper (a large, heavy and ugly fish with rough scales) with onyx eyes (eyes shining and glittering like a precious stone called onyx) lives and its scales glimmer like jewels. The fish is being called as a bald queen, because although the fish has no crown on its head (it is therefore bald), it is still majestic in its own way. The fishes and the corals are the wealth of the sea that the sea protected from the hands of humans. Bald queen may also be a reference to Queen Elizabeth I who after suffering from small pox became half bald and dependent on wigs and cosmetics.

The underwater caves with a lot of ridges and creases are full of barnacles and these are our cathedrals.

In line 47 Gomorrah is a Biblical reference to the city mentioned in the Book of Genesis as well as in Quran. This city, among with five others, was called the 'cities of the plain' ; the plain (are north of modern day Red Sea) was compared to the garden of Eden, as being a land well-watered and green, suitable for grazing livestock. Judgement by God was passed down on these cities and Gomorrah was completely consumed by fire. Since then, Gomorrah is known as a symbol of unforgivable sin, and a manifestation of God's wrath. The poet is trying to say that there has been fires and destruction in Africa too, just like Gomorrah.

In line 53 brown reeds of villages means that the houses that had their roofs constructed from reeds, the thin tall, straw-like plants that grow in wet areas and used in construction. The villages of the natives were soon concealed and converted into towns. This is a reference to the reconstruction of the villages into towns in Africa as the colonizers brought with them better city plans for Africa.

In line 56 spires are conical or pyramidal structures on top of a building, particularly a church tower. Symbolically, spires have two functions. The first is to proclaim a war-like power. A spire, with its reminiscence of the spear point, gives the impression of strength. The second is to reach up toward the skies. A spire on a church or cathedral is not just a symbol of piety, but is often seen as a symbol of the wealth and prestige.

In line 57 lancing is a reference to the act of piercing. Perhaps the poet is trying to say that the churches that the colonizers have erected in Africa, their spires are so high and pointy that they are literally piercing God. This means the poet may be saying that the 'pious' acts of the colonizers are even hurting God and His son.

In line 61 Emancipation is a reference to the Historical event in English History in which the Blacks living in America were 'emancipated' or freed from slavery. The poet is saying that for the natives the religion of Christianity was supposed to bring freedom from paganism, from illiteracy and heathen rituals but this jubilation or celebration vanished swiftly the same way the sea lace dries quickly in the sun. It was a fleeting moment of joy that soon disappeared. But this is not what the African history is made of, it is not centered on religion.

Each rock breaking into its own nation can symbolize the segregation in which Africa was divided by the colonizers into smaller states that could be controlled easily by the French and English colonizers. After this came the church councils (synod) buzzing like flies, and the official clerks (secretaries) are like herons, the large fish-eating birds, the politicians are like frogs who came asking for votes, and there were intellectuals who lit up like fireflies with bright ideas for the betterment of the country, and then the ambassadors of other countries swooped in like bats, and the police and judges arrived as well and the whole Western System was brought into Africa. The poet is saying that this is where the history really began, when the political system began, because after this the Africans started to think about creating their own political parties in order to revolt against the imposing system of colonizers.

In the last three stanzas of the poem, the poet refers to various insects and animals like 'flies', 'bullfrogs' and 'mantis' which recall the Biblical story of the Ten Plagues that were sent by God on Egypt as punishment to Pharaoh for not freeing the Israeli people. The Ten Plagues included the plague of sending swarms of flies down on Egypt, swarms of frogs and swarms of locusts which are similar to grasshoppers and close relatives of the Praying Mantis. Basically, the poet is saying that the Bureaucratic posts in the democratic institutions brought by the colonizers are nothing but plagues and animals. 

-Credit -Moneeza Rafiq