Thus she had lain
sugar cane sweet
deserts her hair
golden her feet…
With the use of the word “thus” to begin the poem, one is given the impression that the speaker is telling a story. The first few lines of the poem appear to describe a woman. The subject has been laying down—as indicated by the past participle, “lain”—and her hair and feet are mentioned specifically. However, as the poem continues, it becomes clear that Angelou is actually describing Africa. The continent is simply personified as a beautiful and charming woman. Africa is as sweet as a woman, but the sugar canes represent the actual crop grown there. The sweetness is both literal and metaphorical. The deserts symbolize her hair, and her feet are described as golden—perhaps a reference to golden fields. The term “golden” also relays the idea of wealth and value—Africa is a country where the people may not be rich, but the resources and beauty are indeed precious. In this quote, Africa is represented initially as a place that is brimming with beauty—it is a motherland that is reposing gently.
Over the white seas
rime white and cold
brigands ungentled
icicle bold…
This quote can be interpreted both literally and figuratively. On one hand, Angelou describes the arrival of “brigands,” or bandits—the Europeans who arrived in Africa and enforced the slave trade. They effectively robbed the Africans of their rights and even their lives, just as a bandit commits a robbery. They sailed to Africa over white seas covered in icy “rime.” However, the quote is also rich in figurative language. The brigands are described as “ungentled,” or rough and harsh, as well as “icicle bold.” The description here mirrors the ice of the seas they have sailed on. Angelou seems to imply that they are not only bold but as cold as icicles. Interestingly, the brigands are never given a specific race or ethnicity. Rather, Angelou seems to drop a clever hint about their race by referencing white seas and ice—white people are arriving in the land of black Africans.
Now she is striding
although she had lain.
The last two lines of the poem contrast with the first stanza. In the first few lines of the poem, Africa was depicted as a beautiful woman unmarred by violence. By the poem’s conclusion, the “woman,” or continent, has suffered greatly. The image of laying down is no longer a peaceful one; Africa has been battered as a woman might be battered to the ground. However, these last two lines depict the continent’s resilience, as the African people have stood up again and are striding—or walking—once more. The African people are resilient. Even though they had lain—both peacefully in repose and painfully due to violence—they are now up and about, and ready to resist their oppressors.
