mercredi 5 juin 2019

Femme Noire Analysis-African Literature By Leopold Senghor




“Femme noire/Black woman” is a short lyrical poem extracted from “Chants d’Ombre” collection , written by Senegalese Leopold Senghor. The poem was published after WWII denouncing colonization and celebrating the black culture of the African continent. In his poetic quest, Senghor presents a series of images that are, in effect, the attributes of the black woman in a figurative style. One, hence, perceives the impact of this poem through the imagery, metaphor, and personification that the poet employs in both sensory and emotional ways. Thereby, “Femme noire” became a hymn of praise to the black woman as an individual, and also as a symbol of African race. This essay analyzes the poet’s response and imagery usage throughout the four stanzas whilst explaining the illustrations used.
Within the first stanza, the first two lines serve as a statement of the poem’s theme: the beauty of the natural black woman, who though naked, is “clothed” in her color, which is life and whose form is beauty. The poet has grown up in her shadow and has felt the gentleness of her hands. He thus seems to name her qualities, beginning with a description of the natural woman, and then referring to her as the “promised land”, a plain that rustles and a noon sky at in the midst of summer, and her beauty strikes him directly to the heart, like the flash of an eagle. The poet sees her not only in terms of a person, but in terms of the earth itself, and even the universe.
Moreover, there are other metaphors in the second stanza (more erotic than the first) where the black woman is seen as a lover in terms of ripe fruit, a woman who can relocate him with petulant ecstasies of black wine, a woman with a mouth that makes his own mouth lyric. Senghor went on describing her as a limitless savanna that shudders beneath the caresses of the east wind; a woman who is like a tight, well-sculpted drum that resounds under the fingers of the invader; a woman whose dignified voice becomes the spiritual song of the loved one.
In the third stanza, the oil on her skin is seen by the poet as smooth as on the limbs of an athlete or on those of the princes of Mali. She is almost a goddess-so perfect, a graceful but celestial gazelle. Pearls become stars on the darkness of her skin. The reflections of the setting sun on her skin are delights on which the mind can exercise itself. The poet’s anguish is lightened by the sun-like glance from her eyes, when he is in the shadow of her hair.
Personification is another device used as the poet writes in the fourth stanza of Fate, in a more philosophical way.  The poet here informs the black woman that he is celebrating in verse her beauty, which is passing, and her form, which he establishes eternally in his poetry, before fate can turn her to ashes in order to nourish the roots of life.
In summary, the poet has moved, by means of description, metaphor, and personification, from praise of the black woman herself to an affirmation of the continuation of life. He has saved the best for last as he ends on a note of optimism within the last stanza.
Appendix:

French

Femme nue, femme noire

Vêtue de ta couleur qui est vie, de ta forme qui est beauté

J'ai grandi à ton ombre ; la douceur de tes mains bandait mes yeux
Et voilà qu'au cœur de l'Eté et de Midi,

Je te découvre, Terre promise, du haut d'un haut col calciné
Et ta beauté me foudroie en plein cœur, comme l'éclair d'un aigle

Femme nue, femme obscure

Fruit mûr à la chair ferme, sombres extases du vin noir, bouche qui fais lyrique ma bouche

Savane aux horizons purs, savane qui frémis aux caresses ferventes du Vent d'Est

Tamtam sculpté, tamtam tendu qui gronde sous les doigts du vainqueur
Ta voix grave de contralto est le chant spirituel de l'Aimée

Femme noire, femme obscure

Huile que ne ride nul souffle, huile calme aux flancs de l'athlète, aux flancs des princes du Mali

Gazelle aux attaches célestes, les perles sont étoiles sur la nuit de ta peau.

Délices des jeux de l'Esprit, les reflets de l'or ronge ta peau qui se moire

A l'ombre de ta chevelure, s'éclaire mon angoisse aux soleils prochains de tes yeux.

Femme nue, femme noire

Je chante ta beauté qui passe, forme que je fixe dans l'Eternel
Avant que le destin jaloux ne te réduise en cendres pour nourrir les racines de la vie.



                                                                      English


Naked woman, black woman

Clothed with your color which is life,
with your form which is beauty!

In your shadow I have grown up; the
gentleness of your hands was laid over my eyes.

And now, high up on the sun-baked
pass, at the heart of summer, at the heart of noon,
I come upon you, my Promised Land,
And your beauty strikes me to the heart
like the flash of an eagle.

Naked woman, dark woman

Firm-fleshed ripe fruit, sombre raptures
of black wine, mouth making lyrical my mouth
Savannah stretching to clear horizons,
savannah shuddering beneath the East Wind's
eager caresses

Carved tom-tom, taut tom-tom, muttering
under the Conqueror's fingers

Your solemn contralto voice is the
spiritual song of the Beloved.

Naked woman, dark woman

Oil that no breath ruffles, calm oil on the
athlete's flanks, on the flanks of the Princes of Mali
Gazelle limbed in Paradise, pearls are stars on the
night of your skin

Delights of the mind, the glinting of red
gold against your watered skin

Under the shadow of your hair, my care
is lightened by the neighboring suns of your eyes.

Naked woman, black woman,

I sing your beauty that passes, the form
that I fix in the Eternal,


Before jealous fate turn you to ashes to
feed the roots of life

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