Nightsong City - Dennis Brutus
Background
Dennis Brutus (1924-2009):
- Coloured South African
- Fought against Apartheid
- Was separated from his lover (who was a white citizen)
- They had to separate as their affair was forbidden
Nightsong City: Analysis
- The poet gives us a specific setting in terms of both time and place
- “Nightsong” evokes images of a pleasant evening with music
- This Is deceiving as the reader assumes the poem will convey a message of
warm nostalgia for social evenings in an urban area (However, this is not the
case)
- The title also juxtaposes the connotations of a lullaby (peaceful, comfortable,
soothing, calm and safe) with the connotations of a bustling city (busy, crime,
hectic)
Sleep well, my love, sleep well:
the harbour lights glaze over restless docks,
police cars cockroach through the tunnel streets
from the shanties creaking iron-sheets
violence like a bug-infested rag is tossed
and fear is immanent as sound in the wind-swung bell;
the long day's anger pants from sand and rocks;
but for this breathing night at least,
my land, my love, sleep well
Structure:
- 3 stanzas
- 3 lines each
, - Rhyme and rhythm complements the aim of the poem (for addressee to
“sleep well”)
- Lyrical/lullaby (In juxtaposition with the images of fear and violence)
Theme:
Figures of Speech:
- Alliteration in the title: the “s” sound is repeated which indicates that the city
is peaceful at night.
- Long, open vowel sounds create assonance throughout the poem and
causes the pace to be slow
- This also adds to the aim of the poem, as a wish for the subject of the
poem to “sleep well” - like a lullaby.
Overall Tone:
- Soft , gentle, calming tone (almost like a lullaby)
- This softness covers up the underlying meaning of the poem
- There is also an underlying tone of longing, fear and worry
Stanza 1
IMAGERY in stanza Sleep well, my love, sleep well: Sleep well: The poem starts by
1 creates subtle wishing the speaker’s “love” to sleep
suggestions of well.
conflict, danger and - Creates a peaceful image
violence. - Repetition of “sleep well”
emphasises the speaker’s desire
for a calm night (as opposed to the
violent reality of Apartheid - night
was a time of terror or conflict)
Love: The implied “love” is the “land”
(as mentioned in the descriptions of
places in the next few lines, as well
as line 9).
COLON: Introduces a list of
circumstances under which his
“love” must sleep.
the harbour lights glaze over restless docks, Harbour lights: Creates a peaceful
image that one will associate with
“sleep”.
PERSONIFICATION: “glaze” - When a
person’s eyes glaze over, it means
that have stopped listening or
concentrating
- The speaker personifies the
harbour lights as looking out
Background
Dennis Brutus (1924-2009):
- Coloured South African
- Fought against Apartheid
- Was separated from his lover (who was a white citizen)
- They had to separate as their affair was forbidden
Nightsong City: Analysis
- The poet gives us a specific setting in terms of both time and place
- “Nightsong” evokes images of a pleasant evening with music
- This Is deceiving as the reader assumes the poem will convey a message of
warm nostalgia for social evenings in an urban area (However, this is not the
case)
- The title also juxtaposes the connotations of a lullaby (peaceful, comfortable,
soothing, calm and safe) with the connotations of a bustling city (busy, crime,
hectic)
Sleep well, my love, sleep well:
the harbour lights glaze over restless docks,
police cars cockroach through the tunnel streets
from the shanties creaking iron-sheets
violence like a bug-infested rag is tossed
and fear is immanent as sound in the wind-swung bell;
the long day's anger pants from sand and rocks;
but for this breathing night at least,
my land, my love, sleep well
Structure:
- 3 stanzas
- 3 lines each
, - Rhyme and rhythm complements the aim of the poem (for addressee to
“sleep well”)
- Lyrical/lullaby (In juxtaposition with the images of fear and violence)
Theme:
Figures of Speech:
- Alliteration in the title: the “s” sound is repeated which indicates that the city
is peaceful at night.
- Long, open vowel sounds create assonance throughout the poem and
causes the pace to be slow
- This also adds to the aim of the poem, as a wish for the subject of the
poem to “sleep well” - like a lullaby.
Overall Tone:
- Soft , gentle, calming tone (almost like a lullaby)
- This softness covers up the underlying meaning of the poem
- There is also an underlying tone of longing, fear and worry
Stanza 1
IMAGERY in stanza Sleep well, my love, sleep well: Sleep well: The poem starts by
1 creates subtle wishing the speaker’s “love” to sleep
suggestions of well.
conflict, danger and - Creates a peaceful image
violence. - Repetition of “sleep well”
emphasises the speaker’s desire
for a calm night (as opposed to the
violent reality of Apartheid - night
was a time of terror or conflict)
Love: The implied “love” is the “land”
(as mentioned in the descriptions of
places in the next few lines, as well
as line 9).
COLON: Introduces a list of
circumstances under which his
“love” must sleep.
the harbour lights glaze over restless docks, Harbour lights: Creates a peaceful
image that one will associate with
“sleep”.
PERSONIFICATION: “glaze” - When a
person’s eyes glaze over, it means
that have stopped listening or
concentrating
- The speaker personifies the
harbour lights as looking out
