See the full poem text and summary of Hearty Garlands by Afriyie Vidza (7 stanzas of 35 lines) and download the PDF with likely questions and answers.
Stanza 1
- For a person who has lived as long
- And one who, as well, has done much
- As you
- Life’s whole process blooms into stark beauty
- And failures give no trite, crippling regrets
Stanza 2
- Yet. On occasion, shamed, horrid green-eyed
- Envy fights benign Felicitation exclusively couched
- For you
- By us who won’t be left out of today’s joy
- And must send you warn hearty birthday garlands
Stanza 3
- You must, you wondrous mentor of rouges like us,
- Receive copious blessings today; d stay well blessed
- To you
- Age eighty-five is life’s smiley, cloudless dawn
- It is the gainful twilight of fulfilled dreams
Stanza 4
- Hope now nods in contented concert with spent desires
- Now restful Hope neither nags nor raves nor rants
- At you
- But your heart sits on garlanded satis shores
- Looking out to sea for health delivering vessels
Stanza 5
- From the subdued heights of your lofty conquered toils
- And from flights of vanquished steps, at five and eighty,
- Must you
- Watch us strive and beat your mahogany chest in pride
- You must shake your own hands like iroko agama
Stanza 6
- March on, old boy, do, and clinch yonder untamed gain
- For yon lies mop-up work and higher tasks still
- By you
- To be accomplished; then must you hear trumpet sound
- That to a guru must blow solo musical bravo
Stanza 7
- As you give yourself a cozy comfy treat today
- Reclining in reminiscing and fondling a lingering smile
- Could you
- A certain style of locomotion all your own recall,
- Best and aptly but simply dubbed ‘poetic walking’?
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