The Awakening Age

O ye who travel the meridian line,
May the vision of a new world within you shine.

May eyes that have lived with poverty’s rage,
See through to the glory of the awakening age.

For we are all richly linked in hope,
Woven in history, like a mountain rope.

Together we can ascend to a new height,
Guided by our heart’s clearest light.

When perceptions are changed there’s much to gain,
A flowering of truth instead of pain.

There’s more to a people than their poverty;
There’s their work, wisdom, and creativity.

Along the line may our lives rhyme,
To make a loving harvest of space and time.

                             – Ben Okri

GLOSSARY

meridian line (n.): any imaginary circle round the earth that passes through both the North and South Poles (metaphorically, here it means the dividing line of various kinds that brings division among human beings)
rage (n.): violent anger
awakening (adj.): making aware
ascend (v.): rise
harvest (n.): the act of cutting and gathering grain and other food crops

Summary plus Interpretation of the Poem

“The poem “The Awakening Age” by Ben Okri, a Nigerian poet, is a short inspiring poem written in 7 rhyming couplets. It is about a call for unity, peace and solidarity among human beings from different parts of the world.

The speaker in the poem addresses the people “who travel the meridian line,” meaning the people of the entire globe who live along and across the various kinds of dividing lines such as poverty, race, religion, political ideology, etc. In particular, the phrase might refer to the African people who are suffering because of various kinds of socio-economic and political divisions. These people are poor economically, but more than that, they are poor intellectually. They lack wisdom, because of which, they are narrowminded. So, first, they need the change of their poor, blurred and biased perception so that they can see the things clearly and know the truth. Thus, he invokes them to come together with the vision of new world where people will not fight and suffer any more but live in harmony promoting their work, wisdom and creativity.