LANDSCAPE OF THE CAPIBARIBE RIVER ********** Joao Cabral De Melo Neto

18.      Joao Cabral De Melo Neto    ********               Landscape of the Capibaribe River

Write an essay on the following

1.       Cabral’s poem is about environmental degradation. Discuss

2.       Cabral’s poem is as much about the river as it is about landscape. Substantiate

3.       To what extent can  “Landscape of the Cpibaribe River” be seen as a consciousness raising poem?

Joao Cabral De Melo  Neto is the most famous poet of Brazil. Cabral’s central image for the river is a dog. Rivers are the  mirrors of human culture and they are the cradles of civilization. But now rivers all over the world carry the burdens of human crime and deeds of destruction. Every where we see air pollution, sound pollution, soil pollution and water pollution. Capibaribe river in Brazil is no exception. Cabral cries about the environmental pollution of the Capibaribe river. The river is slowly and steadily dying for want of cleanliness and fresh flow of water. Once upon a time the river was the cradle of all varieties of fish, tortoise, octopus and other water creatures. But they are all dead and gone. Instead the river is full of silt, mud and rust and human wastes and night soil thrown into the river. The hospitals and factories discharge their effluents into  the river and the water is polluted. The poet if human beings continue to create  pollution and destructive activities, the Capibaribe River will be converted into a waste land with accumulation of silt, mud and mangroves and the riverscape becomes a dirty landscape.

The poem is built on a number of absences and presences. The river does not know the  pure  blue rain, the rose coloured fountain, the drinking water in the pitcher and the breeze on water. These images of pure water is absent. The poet now speaks about the things that the river knows. The river knows silt, mud, and  rust which pollute the river. As the river is stagnant because of flow of water is almost stopped, many mangroves are grown in  the river. The poet has employed many effective similes and metaphors. The river is smooth like the bulging belly of a pregnant dog. The sugar factories on the banks of the river is compared to huge trees dripping sugar into the river and  pollute the water flow. The river is almost stagnant and move slowly like an old man struggling to walk with a heavy burden on his back. 

In the end of the poem the poet asks the readers many questions. These questions are effective poetic techniques to make the readers aware of the cultural degradation of human beings all over the world. “These cultured families” neglect the flow and substance of the rivers and still engage in scientific, technical and literary activities while rivers are dying slowly everywhere. Once these rivers were enriched with pure water to drink and there were all kinds water creatures like fish and octopus and people carried water in pitchers from the river to drink, bath and clean house yards. At that time river water was glossy blue. Today the water turns to yellow and muddy colour.   kjt/-20-03-2020