The Full Text of “First Day After the War”
The Full Text of “First Day After the War”
-
“First Day After the War” Introduction
-
-
“First Day After the War” Summary
-
-
“First Day After the War” Themes
-
The Joy and Optimism of Peace
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-18
-
Community and Togetherness
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-18
-
-
Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “First Day After the War”
-
Lines 1-3
We heard the ...
... blades of grass. -
Lines 4-8
At first we ...
... after the war" -
Lines 9-11
Then without waiting ...
... of the earth. -
Lines 12-15
We shook up ...
... across the waterfalls -
Lines 16-18
People came from ...
... on the horizon.
-
-
“First Day After the War” Symbols
-
The Wedding Party
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Line 1: “We heard the songs of a wedding party.”
-
Nature
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Lines 2-3: “We saw a soft light / Coiling round the young blades of grass.”
- Line 9: “Then without waiting we ran to ”
- Lines 9-10: “the open space / Ululating to the mountains and the pathways”
- Line 13: “We asked for all the first fruits of the season.”
- Line 15: “We shouted across the waterfalls”
-
-
“First Day After the War” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
-
Alliteration
Where alliteration appears in the poem:- Line 1: “songs”
- Line 2: “saw,” “soft”
- Line 4: “first,” “footprints”
- Line 5: “face,” “freedom”
- Line 6: “smile saying”
- Line 7: “suddenly”
- Line 8: “said”
- Line 9: “without waiting we”
- Line 12: “festival”
- Line 13: “for,” “first fruits”
- Line 14: “held hands”
- Line 18: “traveling tall”
-
End-Stopped Line
Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:- Line 1: “party.”
- Line 3: “grass.”
- Line 4: “footprints.”
- Line 5: “freedom!”
- Line 7: “suddenly?"”
- Line 11: “earth.”
- Line 13: “season.”
- Line 17: “peace.”
- Line 18: “horizon.”
-
Imagery
Where imagery appears in the poem:- Lines 1-6
- Lines 9-11
- Line 15
-
Personification
Where personification appears in the poem:- Lines 4-8: “At first we hesitated, then we saw her footprints. / Her face emerged, then her eyes of freedom! / She woke us up with a smile saying, / "What day is this that comes suddenly?" / We said, "It is the first day after the war"”
- Line 18: “We saw our Ancestors traveling tall on the horizon.”
-
Repetition
Where repetition appears in the poem:- Line 1: “We heard”
- Line 2: “We saw”
- Line 4: “we hesitated,” “we saw,” “her footprints”
- Line 5: “Her face,” “her eyes”
- Line 8: “We said”
- Line 9: “we ran”
- Line 12: “We shook”
- Line 13: “We asked”
- Line 14: “We held”
- Line 15: “We shouted”
- Line 18: “We saw”
-
-
“First Day After the War” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Ululating
-
(Location in poem: Lines 9-10: “Then without waiting we ran to the open space / Ululating to the mountains and the pathways”)
-
Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “First Day After the War”
-
Form
-
Meter
-
Rhyme Scheme
-
-
“First Day After the War” Speaker
-
-
“First Day After the War” Setting
-
-
Literary and Historical Context of “First Day After the War”
-
-
More “First Day After the War” Resources
-
External Resources
-
An Interview with the Poet — Listen to Kunene talk about his work.
-
More About Ululating — Watch a feature on the traditional "Ululating" mentioned in the poem.
-
Kunene's Legacy — Learn about Kunene's impact on African and world literature in an interview with Mathabo Kunene (the poet's wife).
-
Kunene, Remembered — Read the Guardian's 2006 obituary for the poet.
-
The Poet's Life — A brief biography of the poet at the Poetry Foundation.
-
The Era of Apartheid — Learn more about the system of racial segregation and oppression in South Africa during the mid to late 20th century.
-
-
