Introduction of the Poem:
The poem “Enterprise” is taken from the third volume of Ezekiel published in 1959. The poems included in the volume show that Ezekiel is a great poet of human relations. He is in favour of an integrated personality, a perfect fusion of body, mind and heart. “Enterprise" gives us an idea of human nature and psychology. Whenever a group of friends goes on some journey or mission, they are full of enthusiasm and here is seen great intimacy among them. They have all the time their mission in their mind. But this friendship, co - operation and devotion to the mission remain in their mind for a very brief period. Soon differences arise among them. Then, differences of opinion take the form of discord and they begin to quarrel over petty issues forgetting all their mission and intimacy. Companions begin to leave the group one by one and thus the whole mission ends in fiasco and the members of the group who were full of enthusiasm in the beginning appear frustrated and disappointed. This is what Ezekiel depicts in “Enterprise” in an artistic manner.
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| Poem Enterprise by Nissim Ezekiel— Summary and Critical Analysis |
Summary of the Poem:
Stanza 1:
It started as a pilgrimage,
Exalting minds and making all
The burdens light. The second stage
Explored but did not test the call,
The sun beat down to match our rage.
Explanatory Word-Meanings:
Pilgrimage= to undertake journey to some holy place. Exalting = elevating. Explored= searched (travel) forth purpose of discovery, examined thoroughly. Rage= fury.
Paraphrase:
A group of people or friends including the poet decides to go on a pilgrimage. They are full of enthusiasm and their minds are full of noble and elevated thoughts. They hope to achieve something of which they will feel pride. Their burdens, difficulties, troubles etc. mean nothing to them. They feel light hearted. This first stage of journey is symbolic of innocence. They are unaware of frustrations and failures which they may face in future. But in the second stage of their journey, they are faced with dangers and difficulties. They examined the second stage. Their passion for some heroic endevaour is as hot as the sun which beat down upon them.
Stanza 2:
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
Stood = faced, tolerated. Observed = saw and noticed. Copious = abundant, ample, abounding in words.
Paraphrase:
They faced the difficulties and danger boldly, at least the poet thought so. They watched everything carefully and noted down whatever they saw during their journey. They noted down the things that peasants bought and sold. They observed the way of serpents and goats. They also visited the three cities where a sage had taught.
Stanza 3:
But when the differences arose
On how to cross a desert patch,
We lost a friend whose stylish prose
Was quite the best of all our batch?
A shadow falls on us - and grows.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
Differences = difference of opinions. Arose = took place.
Paraphrase:
But soon the difference began to arise among the friends. Differences arose over the question how they should cross the desert patch. It was quite a petty issue but there developed so much bitterness on this issue that a friend of them whose stylish prose was the best of them all left the company. There was a discord in the company and this shadow of discord fell on their enterprise. It meant the difference grew bitter and affected their enterprise.
Stanza 4:
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
Phase = a turning point, stage. Smelt the sea = dead end, the point beyond which they could not go.
Paraphrase:
When the differences grew bitter, they were divided into groups and each group criticised and attacked the other group. They forgot all about their noble ideals. A group declared that it would not continue the journey in the company of others. It separated from the others. The poet tried to pray for the unity of the company. But their leader said that they had reached a dead end, they could not continue their enterprise and therefore they must go back.
Stanza 5:
We noticed nothing as we went,
A straggling crowd of little hope
Ignoring what the thunder meant,
Deprived of common needs like soap.
Some were broken, some merely bent.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
Straggling = wanderers. Deprived = berefted. Bent = stooped.
Paraphrase:
Despite the differences among friends, they continued their journey. But since they had lost their enthusiasm, their high ideals, they noticed nothing worthwhile. They were no more a disciplined company or group. They were only aimless wanderers. They were deprived of things of everyday use such as soap etc., so they were dirty and shabbily dressed. Some of them were tired and exhausted others were broken in spirit.
Stanza 6:
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
Darkened= disappointed, blackened with frustration. Grace = respect, dignity.
Paraphrase:
At last they reached their destination but they were frustrated and disappointed and without any ideal. They could not arrive at the conclusion why they were there. Their trip was a failure and it had disappointed and broken them completely. They did not achieve anything unique or grand. They realised that home is the best place. It is only at home that man maintains his grace.
Critical Analysis of the Poem:
Introduction:
Enterprise is one of the well - known lyrics of Nissim Ezekiel. It is an allegory of the human condition. The poem refers to a journey made by a number of people and the poet himself.
Thought-Content:
A number of people, including the poet, as is clear from the use of the first person pronoun ' we ' decide to go on a pilgrimage. They are city dwellers and the journey they undertake is to some romantic, primitive hinterland. They start with hope, courage and determination and with noble ideas. They are out to make some heroic efforts. The pilgrims hope that they would attain some achievement. Their minds are exalted and they are not afraid of any dangers and difficulties. They think that their all burdens seem to them to be light. The first stage of the journey is symbolic of the stage of innocence. They have the innocence of the Eden garden. This innocence is enjoyed at the early stage of man when man is entirely unconscious of the human predicament. The man at the early stage is quite unconscious of the frustrations and failures which life brings at every stage. But this stage does not last long. In the next stage of their journey which follows, the pilgrims are faced with dangers and difficulties. They explore the second stage but they do not testify whether their idealism i.e., call is tested or not. Their rage, their passion for some heroic endevaour, is as hot as the sun above their heads. The sun beats down upon them. This is symbolic of the fact that the nature is sometimes hostile to human idealism and heroic aspirations. If we are hot in our aspirations, the nature will also be hot its approach.
The poet further says that the group of travellers is able to put up very well with dangers and difficulties for some time. They continue to proceed further in hope. They do not discontinue their journey. They take notes as they move along. They note down the goods being bought and sold by the peasants. They also observe the ways of serpents and goats and note them down. They pass through three cities where a sage had taught but they do not care to find out what he had taught. They do not even care for the message of the sage. The idealism of the pilgrims soon degenerates into the trivial and the commonplace.
The poet also says that the difficulties and dangers caused by man are not so damaging as the result from his own insufficiency. The poet says that soon there are differences of opinion among the pilgrims. They begin to quarrel over petty matters. They had to cross a piece of waste land 'a desert patch'. They could not agree as to the best way of doing so. One of their friends was very proud of his stylish prose. He became very angry. He left the company. There was a discord in the company. This shadow of discord fell on their enterprise. This shadow began to grow further.
Here the poet further says that the pilgrims are divided into groups. Each group is attacking the other group. In the mids of quarrel they lose their ways. They forget their mission. They forget their noble aspirations by which they were motivated for the enterprise. Their goal and their purposes are forgotten. Their idealism is gone. Some of them decide to leave the group. Frustration and difficulties overwhelm the human spirit and many do not have the courage to face the realities of life. They try to escape. They seek relief in escape. They try to withdraw themselves. Some try to pray and seek divine assistance and blessings. Their leader feels that he “smelt the sea”. This means that they have reached a dead end and therefore, they must go back. Their blessings must come to an end.
While talking about the journey made by the pilgrimage the poet says that despite their division in the group and frustration, they persist their journey. It is true that they had lost all the significance of the journey. They have lost their idealism. They have lost their heroic aspiration. Therefore, they notice nothing as they move along. They are no longer a disciplined group of devoted idealists. They are now only a struggling crowd. They are now a few defeated, tired and hopeless survivors. They are dirty and shabby as they have been deprived of such common things as soap. They are broken in spirit.
Disillusionment in the Way of Their Journey:
The poet is also talking about the ultimate end of all human enterprise. This is the essential truth of human life. The poet says that the travellers do not even hear the thunder as they are so absorbed in their petty quarrels. They are extremely tired and exhausted. They are frustrated. They ignore the thunder. The disillusionment of the pilgrimage is total. They even doubt the very worth and significance of their journey. It seems that the journey was meaningless. All their noble aspirations are forgotten. They realise that their deeds were neither great nor rare. They even finally realise that where there is grace, there is home. Home is associated with grace.
Style of the Poem:
While appreciating the poem C. D. Narasimahah says that the development of the lyric is quite original. The lyric shows the mastery of the poet over forms. Proper words have been used at proper place. The poem is philosophical in nature. It also talks about human predicament. The poet is exploring the essential truth associated with the life of man.
Needless Quarrels over Petty Matters, Common in Human Life:
The poet suggests that bickerings over petty matters, needless quarrels over small matters are common things in human life. They are ingrained in human nature and thus man carries the seeds of his failure. The pilgrims are no exceptions. Ezekiel again refers to the universality of human experiences.
Moral of the Poem:
The last line carries the moral of the lyric. We must accept the limitation of our lot. We should try to do our best within that limitation. The poet emphasizes that heroism means the acceptance of our lot in life and the doing of our best in the service of God and humanity.
