成人大片

OGUN: GOD OF IRON


    1

  1. Hand a鈥 bowl, knife a鈥 throat


  2. our sacrifice dispatched
  3. OGUN EATS FIRST

    4. 2

  4. Iron in the blood feeds
  5. your red-hot energy; fires
  6. your metallurgy in the
  7. cauldron or smelter,
  8. transmits your power
  9. to the forge, transmutes
  10. carbon into diamonds,
  11. expresses oil from rocky
  12. strate, bends the centre
  13. of gravity to your sword.

  14. For the kill, you arm
  15. battalions, beat
  16. ploughshare into gun,
  17. unleash atomic energy,
  18. distil power from the sun
  19. to shape our potential
  20. for death or - if you
  21. choose - life, for power
  22. is your calling and
  23. manifest its ways

  24. You forge our
  25. connections, you fashion
  26. our handshakes, our
  27. friendships you seal,
  28. bind out oaths sworn
  29. in blood; for the life
  30. of the spirit is fuelled
  31. by fire engendered where
  32. our heartbeats
  33. spark into life.

  34. Yet, heavenly transformer
  35. of our weak impulses,
  36. you allow our fevers,
  37. the fire in our loins,
  38. our burning desires
  39. to consume us
  40. while, knife in hand,
  41. iron-hearted warrior,
  42. you coolly
  43. stalk alone.

Annotations to the Poem

(prepared by Olive Senior)

OGUN: Warrior god of iron and war. He controls much of the material in the earth and represents primitive force and energy. He is known as Ogg煤n in Cuba and Ogun Feraille in Haiti (鈥渇erraille鈥 means 鈥渋ron鈥). The worship of Ogun may be traced back to Iron Age civilizations in Nigeria and adjacent countries.

Commentary

Written by Robin Brooks, University of Pittsburgh, with Hyacinth Simpson, Ryerson University

鈥淥gun: God of Iron鈥 is one of twelve poems in 鈥淢ystery: African Gods in the New World,鈥 the final movement of Gardening in the Tropics. In this movement, each poem is named for and features a god or goddess from the pantheon of African diasporic religions practiced in the Americas. The poems are literary representations or manifestations of the gods, who are also known as orishas, spirits, or lwa. In many West African and African diasporic religions, Ogun and the other spirits are messengers of the Supreme Being (or God) and they act as intermediaries between humans and the Supreme Being1 while often displaying human characteristics and personalities. In these religions, gods and goddesses are associated with and represent one or more aspects of the human and/or natural world. Senior draws on these associations in her poetic reimagining of the African spirits. As a result, the 鈥淢ystery鈥 poems extend Senior鈥檚 exploration of the nature theme which she explores from a variety of angles throughout the collection.

Iron is an abundant element in nature and in West African and African diaspora religions Ogun (who is also known as Ogg煤n, Ogoun, Ogum, Gu, or Ogou) is the god of iron, metal, and metal work. In his various manifestations, he is also a warrior and is associated with war, truth, and justice. The red clothing his devotees in Haitian vodun wear is a representation of his fire energy, which is borne out in his aggressive personality. Fire also signals his transformative and creative as well as his destructive powers.

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Part 1 of the poem enacts an invocation as Ogun is called on by his devotees to appear among them. The italicized line describes an act of animal sacrifice, which is a traditional way in which the spirits are invoked. The ritual is performed in a systematic manner and the sacrifice is not considered animal cruelty. Rather, it is a crucial means of gaining the attention of the spirit; and the capitalized words, 鈥淥GUN EATS FIRST鈥 (line 3), indicate that the summoned spirit is shown deference in the feast that initiates the god鈥檚 appearance. In a ceremonial setting, once fed, the spirit appears among and communicates with the worshippers鈥攕ometimes via taking over the voice and body of one of the devotees in what is known as spirit possession. While present, the spirit provides insight into the matter for which s/he was summoned.2

Upon being summoned, Ogun is able to manifest in a myriad of ways, and the structure of the poem enables the reader鈥檚 comprehension of the forms those manifestations can take. Part 2 consists of four stanzas, each dedicated to one of Ogun鈥檚 special characteristics or associations. The first stanza addresses Ogun鈥檚 dominion over iron, metal ores, and metallurgy and highlights his power as a creator. More specifically, the stanza describes the process of creating useful and valuable products from materials that make up the earth鈥檚 core. For instance, the creative process of extracting metal from ore is apparent in lines 5-7 where Ogun鈥檚 signature iron 鈥渇ires / [his] metallurgy in the / cauldron or smelter.鈥 In metallurgical processes, when high heat is applied to metal ores in a cauldron or smelter, the metal can then be extracted from its ore. Just as metal can be extracted from ore, under high pressure and temperature carbon is transmuted into diamond while heat aids the extraction of oil from rocks (lines 9-12). The phrase 鈥渞ed-hot energy鈥 (line 5) has dual signification as it refers to Ogun鈥檚 ability to transform matter with fire as well as his 鈥渆xplosive and fiery nature [which is] oftentimes ritually symbolized by the ignition of gunpowder鈥 (Mason 361). Ogun is god of all those who work with iron elements, including blacksmiths who are grateful that he 鈥渢ransmits [his] power to the forge鈥 (lines 8-9), the blacksmith鈥檚 workshop. The final lines of the stanza 鈥 鈥渂ends the centre / of gravity to your sword鈥 (lines 12-13) 鈥 emphasize that materials at the core of the earth are subject to being creatively transformed by Ogun who is represented by one of his weapons: a sword.

Known as the god of iron and associated with iron-making in Africa for over two thousand years (Barnes 5), Ogun is also strongly identified with war. The second stanza, which is filled with war imagery, calls attention to Ogun鈥檚 role as a warrior god. Ogun鈥檚 energy facilitates the production of weapons, usually made of iron and other metals, for use in battle. In keeping with the first stanza鈥檚 presentation of Ogun鈥檚 ability to fashion new products out of various materials, lines 15-16 鈥 鈥渂eat/ ploughshare into gun鈥 鈥 reference the popular wartime activity of transforming agricultural tools into military weapons. Here, Senior alludes to and plays on the common saying 鈥渟words to ploughshares,鈥 which is used to encourage the transition from war to peace and engagement in peacetime activities. It refers to reconstituting weapons of destruction (such as a sword or gun) into creative and useful tools (such as the agricultural ploughshare)3 that are beneficial to civilian life.

The juxtaposition of gun and plowshare highlights Ogun鈥檚 inherent duality as both creator and destroyer. As Wole Soyinka puts it, 鈥淥gun is [the] embodiment of Will, and the Will is the paradoxical truth of destructiveness and creativeness in acting man鈥 (150). In short, not only can Ogun鈥檚 force create and bring forth 鈥渓ife鈥 (line 21) or new products but it can also be used to destroy and bring forth 鈥渄eath鈥 (line 20), which is signified in him being ready 鈥渇or the kill鈥 (line 14)4. His propensity for destruction is further demonstrated in the fact that he can be called on to 鈥渦nleash atomic energy鈥 (line 17) by manipulating the atom and harnessing its potential for mass devastation. Or, on the productive side, his energy can facilitate the utilization of solar energy that can be used to sustain the various activities of modern life. It is not surprising that Senior foregrounds both creation and destruction, life and death, in her presentation of Ogun. Elsewhere in Gardening in the Tropics, she addresses these twinned and intertwined opposites as essential to both understanding human existence and making sense of the often traumatic histories of Caribbean communities and other cultures in the Americas. There is, for example, a purposeful symmetry in Senior鈥檚 choice to describe the gourd of the collection鈥檚 opening poem as both 鈥渨omb鈥 and 鈥渢omb鈥 (lines 13-14) and then return to the life/death duality in 鈥淥gun鈥 in the closing movement of Gardening in the Tropics. The message conveyed in the creation/destruction theme in 鈥淥gun鈥 and the collection as a whole is the importance of maintaining balance in every area of life, and also the inevitability of the cycle of creation and destruction.

Ogun鈥檚 association with fair dealing and his role as guardian of truth and justice find expression in the third stanza in Part Two. Sandra T. Barnes describes one of the many faces of Ogun as that of a leader 鈥渨ho nurtures, protects, and relentlessly pursues truth, equity, and justice鈥 (2). In this light, lines 25-29:

...you fashion
our handshakes, our
friendships you seal,
bind our oaths sworn in blood; . . .

underscore that he is linked to expressions of honesty and integrity in human relations. Whereas 鈥渇orge鈥 was used earlier in line 9 as a noun, it becomes an action word in line 24 and links Ogun鈥檚 creative power over metals to these other characteristics. In fact, these are such significant traits of Ogun that iron is used in many oath-taking ceremonies. As Henry John Drewal notes, 鈥淸I]n the courts of contemporary Nigeria, orisha worshippers swear their oath of truthfulness by putting their lips to a piece of iron and invoking Ogun鈥檚 name鈥 (236). It is also worth noting that the sword 鈥 one of Ogun鈥檚 weapons 鈥 is a universal symbol for Justice. The sword of Justice is double-edged. It cuts both ways and can be wielded for or against any party, which mirrors Ogun鈥檚 duality. The closing lines of this stanza make it clear that although Ogun is a god, he does not act unilaterally. Rather, his force manifests when it is channeled by human agents. Lines 29-33 link Ogun鈥檚 fire/fieriness and heat to the electrical signals originating in the tissues of the heart. These electrical sparks trigger contraction and expansion of the heart鈥檚 muscles, allowing it to pump blood and oxygen that fuel life in the human body. The idea conveyed is that in each and every moment that the beating of the heart signals the continuation of human life, the potential exists for the individual to tap into Ogun鈥檚 force.

Whether that force is used for good or ill is left up to the individual. Ogun remains neutral about who he influences, or to what end his energy is used. For those with 鈥渨eak impulses,鈥 Ogun allows 鈥渙ur fevers, / the fire in our loins, / our burning desires/ to consume us鈥 (lines 36-39). His destructive energies are released because of the motivations of those who call on him and not by Ogun himself; and so Ogun cannot bear the blame 鈥 or even claim the credit 鈥 for anything bad or good done in his name. Oral lore, as Adeboye Babalola indicates, casts Ogun as a 鈥渟olitary figure who . . . lives and travels alone鈥 (149). The poem鈥檚 final lines recall that lore and draws on the image of an aloof and distant god (the 鈥渋ron-hearted warrior鈥 of line 41) to underscore that humans are fully responsible for whether destruction or creation happens on earth.

Altogether, Senior鈥檚 poem pays homage to not only Ogun but also to African and African diaspora cultures. The tone of the poem is exalted, fit for a god, and the multiple uses of the words 鈥測ou鈥 and 鈥測our鈥 suit the formality with which gods are addressed. Like the other poems in 鈥淢ystery,鈥 鈥淥gun鈥 draws on African and African diaspora spiritual beliefs, cultural practices, and storytelling traditions; and it does so in a way that demonstrates these stories and traditions are very much alive in and relevant to our understanding of contemporary societies in the Caribbean and the Americas.

Notes

1 As a result of the transatlantic slave trade and forced migrations, gods of West Africa are revered across the Caribbean as well as South and North American cultural spaces. They are a part of many African diasporic religious traditions, including Vodou in Haiti, Santer铆a in Cuba, Obeah in Jamaica, and Shango in Trinidad. Ogun is one of the more recognizable gods from West African religious traditions, including that of the Yoruba and the Fon who refer to the Supreme Being as Olodumare or Olorun.

2 Ogun has close associations with Eshu/Legba, the god of the crossroads who opens the path. Also, like Ochosi (also known as Ososi and Osoosi), Ogun is associated with hunting. Such close associations between spirits are not unusual and reveal the interconnectedness of the orishas and various aspects of the natural and human world. In some places, Ogun, Legba, and Ochosi form a trio of warrior orishas, as Robert Farris Thompson discusses in 鈥淭he Three Warriors: Atlantic Altars of Esu, Ogun, and Osoosi.鈥

3 鈥淪words to ploughshares鈥 is also a biblical reference. The phrase is from the Book of Isaiah: 鈥淎nd he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more鈥 (Isaiah 2:4).

4 The interconnectedness of life and death is reminiscent of Eshu/Legba, the god of the crossroads who mediates between the living and dead. In Gardening in the Tropics, Senior highlights Gu茅d茅 as the god of the crossroads in Haiti. Eshu/Legba and Gu茅d茅 are closely associated.

Works Cited

Babalola, Adeboye. 鈥淎 Portrait of Ogun as Reflected in Ijala Chants.鈥 Africa鈥檚 Ogun: Old World and New. Ed. Sandra T. Barnes. 2nd ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997. 147-72. Print.

Barnes, Sandra T. 鈥淚ntroduction: The Many Faces of Ogun.鈥 Africa鈥檚 Ogun: Old World and New.Ed. Sandra T. Barnes. 2nd ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997. 1-26. Print.

Drewel, Henry John. 鈥淎rt or Accident: Yoruba Body Artists and Their Deity Ogun.鈥 Africa鈥檚 Ogun: Old World and New.Ed. Sandra T. Barnes. 2nd ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997. 235-262. Print.

Mason, John. 鈥淥gun: Builder of the Lukumi鈥檚 House.鈥 Africa鈥檚 Ogun: Old World and New.Ed. Sandra T. Barnes. 2nd ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997. 353-368. Print.

Soyinka, Wole. Myth, Literature and the African World. 1976. Cambridge: New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990. Print.

Thompson, Robert Farris. 鈥淭he Three Warriors: Atlantic Altars of Esu, Ogun, and Osoosi.鈥 The Yoruba Artist: New Theoretical Perspectives on African Arts. Eds. Rowland Abiodun, et al. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994. 225-39. Print