GAIA
-Shreedhar Lohani, Nepal (1944)
Summary
and Analysis:
In
this poem, ‘Gaia’ means the earth. The title of the poem comes from a Greek
myth. In Greek myth, Gaia (also called Gaea) is considered to be the Goddess of
the Earth. Hence, Gaia is the symbol or personification of Mother Earth or
nature. The poem was composed by Nepali poet Shreedhar Lohani. He is a popular
writer, critic, and poet. Lohani has presented Earth not as dead space but
as a human being who contains both good and bad qualities. This poem has
only 12 lines in two stanzas.
Gaia herself is the source of power, beauty, and kindness, exactly like a
mother. That's why she manages to balance even the devouring rain and the
searing wind among the withered palm trees. The sea, with its vast and foamy
mouth, has the capacity to swallow everything, yet Gaia exists to oversee all
these natural elements specifically for human beings.
Though
nature is a goddess, she is surrounded by threats and challenges. The poet
shows that the earth, or Gaia, is in pain. But she is capable of taking care of
herself and enduring everything. The earth is gentle: feminine, nurturing, but
also cruel to those who exploit her. To show how death lives in all parts
of the earth, the poet has used many images of death. Lohani begins with the image of wind, which is surging (Rise or move forward), very hot wind, which has made the entire
palm tree wither (lose freshness/ fade) away. He writes that the rain, which is
generally supposed to be the source of life, is in fact devouring (destroying
completely) life itself. The poet most probably is referring to the floods
that occur time and again and sweep away human settlements by the image of
devouring rain. The world is described as a house that has been covered by
hunger from all sides. Then, the second-to-last line of the poem contradicts all destructive qualities of earth with another quality because the
earth tolerates all these obstacles (challenges, threats, and difficulties)
because she knows that there is no creation without destruction. Hence, Earth
alone can show the best way to live life. That is, we should not be afraid of
the difficulties of our life because they might have occurred to sharpen us so that
we can do our best in our life.
Gaia
has an appeal for the protection and preservation of the environment. She has been functioning as a mother to all
the creatures in general on the earth and also for human beings in particular.
Despite countless mistakes from human beings, Gaia, the mother earth, has not
become frustrated but is still taking care of us in the way she can. However,
there must be a limit to her endurance; one day, she could become quite
dangerous to us due to her equally devastating nature. She has the capacity to
devour the rain. Her condition is like that of a woman who can be quite hostile
(aggressive) if angry, but still, she remains quiet, kind, and loving, caring
for us due to her natural traits of saving others' lives. The poem speaks about
the ecological issue vividly, and the earth itself is a representative of the
female. That is why the poem has a strong ecofeminist tone.
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