Title: The night-jar and Inkosazana Yasezulwini
The princess of the Heavens
Summary:
The poem is about how a nightjar, a bird which is active at night and makes jarring a noise, becomes a messenger
and a guide. The nightjar points humans to a place where they can receive relief from their troubles
Analysis:
Stanza 1:
The speaker introduces the nightjar (nocturnal bird – rests in day/active at night). The bird visits the speaker’s
window and pecks on the window pane. The reflection of the stars is seen on its beak.
P-alliteration: pecking sound
1 The speckled bird as brown as dust Meaning: Description of the nightjar (bird with a speckled brown
plumage)
Simile: The colour of the bird is compared to the colour of dust.
2 which roosts inside a bush by day, Meaning: The nightjar hides/rests in a bush during the day.
The roots are brown, camouflaging the bird.
3 hiding its head against the glare, Meaning: The bird hides its head during the day for protection
from the bright sunlight
Personification: The bird is hiding
H-alliteration ‘hiding its head’: Emphasizes that the bird is
hidden and silent.
4 at midnight pecked against the pane Meaning: The bird wakes and pecks against a windowpane to
gain attention or communicate.
Midnight: Time when magic happens.
P-alliteration: Intensifies the pecking sound
5 and gently pecked, until I saw Meaning: Repetitive pecking of the nightjar wakes the speaker
6 the starlight glitter through its beak. Meaning: The speaker sees a bright, glitter of starlight in the
bird’s beak (instead of insect)
Stanza 2:
Speaker gives a clear description of a calm summer night and what the nightjar and moths do during the night.
7 On calm and tender summer nights, Personification: The summer night is like a gentle lover.
Meaning: Describing calm/pleasant summer nights.
*The bird migrates to Africa in the summer.
8 when fishes bite the wobbling moon, Personification: The moon is moving.
Meaning: The movement of the reflection of the moon in the
water is caused by the movement of the fishes in the pond.
O-assonance: emphasizes uncertain movement/shape of moon.
9 and moths rise to silvery fruit, Meaning: The moths are attracted to light and fly upward, the
moonlight on their wings making them look like silvery fruits
hanging in the night (stars).
Link to line1: Moths flying in the moonlight resembles speckles.
10 sprinkling the space among the boughs, Meaning: The moths resemble stars that are sprinkled amongst
the trees.
11 it wakes and glides from sill to sill Glides: Flows
Meaning: The nightjar awakens and flies from one windowsill to
another, looking for one who is pure of heart so the Princess of
Heavens (Inkosazana Yasezulwini) can appear to them.
S-alliteration: The sound of the birds gliding wings.
12 across the worn-out, curtained town. Warn-out: Refers to crumbling town or exhausted inhabitants.
Curtained: The curtains are shut – they shut out the heavens.
Meaning: The bird flies across a town with crumbling
buildings/closed curtains, emphasizing its journey through a quiet
and inactive urban setting.
The princess of the Heavens
Summary:
The poem is about how a nightjar, a bird which is active at night and makes jarring a noise, becomes a messenger
and a guide. The nightjar points humans to a place where they can receive relief from their troubles
Analysis:
Stanza 1:
The speaker introduces the nightjar (nocturnal bird – rests in day/active at night). The bird visits the speaker’s
window and pecks on the window pane. The reflection of the stars is seen on its beak.
P-alliteration: pecking sound
1 The speckled bird as brown as dust Meaning: Description of the nightjar (bird with a speckled brown
plumage)
Simile: The colour of the bird is compared to the colour of dust.
2 which roosts inside a bush by day, Meaning: The nightjar hides/rests in a bush during the day.
The roots are brown, camouflaging the bird.
3 hiding its head against the glare, Meaning: The bird hides its head during the day for protection
from the bright sunlight
Personification: The bird is hiding
H-alliteration ‘hiding its head’: Emphasizes that the bird is
hidden and silent.
4 at midnight pecked against the pane Meaning: The bird wakes and pecks against a windowpane to
gain attention or communicate.
Midnight: Time when magic happens.
P-alliteration: Intensifies the pecking sound
5 and gently pecked, until I saw Meaning: Repetitive pecking of the nightjar wakes the speaker
6 the starlight glitter through its beak. Meaning: The speaker sees a bright, glitter of starlight in the
bird’s beak (instead of insect)
Stanza 2:
Speaker gives a clear description of a calm summer night and what the nightjar and moths do during the night.
7 On calm and tender summer nights, Personification: The summer night is like a gentle lover.
Meaning: Describing calm/pleasant summer nights.
*The bird migrates to Africa in the summer.
8 when fishes bite the wobbling moon, Personification: The moon is moving.
Meaning: The movement of the reflection of the moon in the
water is caused by the movement of the fishes in the pond.
O-assonance: emphasizes uncertain movement/shape of moon.
9 and moths rise to silvery fruit, Meaning: The moths are attracted to light and fly upward, the
moonlight on their wings making them look like silvery fruits
hanging in the night (stars).
Link to line1: Moths flying in the moonlight resembles speckles.
10 sprinkling the space among the boughs, Meaning: The moths resemble stars that are sprinkled amongst
the trees.
11 it wakes and glides from sill to sill Glides: Flows
Meaning: The nightjar awakens and flies from one windowsill to
another, looking for one who is pure of heart so the Princess of
Heavens (Inkosazana Yasezulwini) can appear to them.
S-alliteration: The sound of the birds gliding wings.
12 across the worn-out, curtained town. Warn-out: Refers to crumbling town or exhausted inhabitants.
Curtained: The curtains are shut – they shut out the heavens.
Meaning: The bird flies across a town with crumbling
buildings/closed curtains, emphasizing its journey through a quiet
and inactive urban setting.
