Midsummer, Tobago

What do you think defines a "summer feeling"? Is it the weather, the freedom of being out of school, going to beaches, or the lethargy of lazy days? There are plenty of songs that try to capture the mood of summer, but do you know of any summertime poems?

The Caribbean poet Derek Walcott paints a poignant picture of sleepy summertime on the tropical island of Tobago in his poem “Midsummer, Tobago” (1976). In fewer than 40 words, the poet captures the feeling of time passing under the scorching summer sun and explores themes of loss and time.

“Midsummer, Tobago” by Derek Walcott: An Introduction

“Midsummer, Tobago” is a poem written by the Nobel Prize-winning poet Derek Walcott. The poem was published in his 1976 poetry book, Sea Grapes. Derek Walcott spent most of his life in the Caribbean, particularly on the islands of Saint Lucia and Trinidad.

The nature and culture of the Caribbean are infused in his poetry. Derek Walcott uses the imagery and atmosphere of nature to reflect human feelings. "Midsummer, Tobago" is written about the seascape of Tobago, a small island close to Trinidad where the poet likely spent time in the summer.

Fig. 1 - Tobago is a small island next to Trinidad. The two islands make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

“Midsummer, Tobago”: The Full Poem

Below is the full poem “Midsummer, Tobago” by Derek Walcott. While reading the poem, try to imagine the scene that the poet paints and think about what feeling he is trying to capture.

“Midsummer, Tobago”: Summary

Derek Walcott uses sparing but impactful language to describe a beach scene of heavy, tropical heat and the feelings of loss that come along with lethargic summer days.

Derek Walcott begins the poem by introducing the image of wide-spanning beaches. He describes the beaches as “sun-stoned.” He characterizes the scene with color, describing the “white heat,” “green river,” and “yellow palms” (2-4). Everything is bright and “scorched” in the summer sun (5).

The speaker writes from a summer house by the beach, which is characterized by a sleepiness similar to the rest of the scene. It's as if everyone and everything are exhausted from the heat.

The speaker nostalgically reminisces about the days that have come and gone in this summer house. He has tried to preserve time and memories with “harbouring arms,” but time has passed and people have outgrown him (11).

“Midsummer, Tobago”: Meaning

The poem features numerous literary devices including imagery, alliteration, contrast, sibilance, assonance, enjambment, anaphora, personification, and simile. Each of these devices helps shape the meaning, ideas, and feelings conveyed by the poem.

Imagery, Alliteration, and Contrast

The poem cleverly uses contrasting visual imagery to create a barren but striking beach scene. Derek Walcott uses alliteration to emphasize sounds that carry the poem along with a sense of fluidity despite the brevity of the lines.

In the example below, the use of alliteration is underlined and words that help develop contrasting imagery are colored. Notice how the poet evokes bright, contrasting colors and the contrasting feelings of cool water and intense heat:

The first line of the poem establishes the setting of the poem through natural imagery and alliteration of the "B" and "S" sounds. Derek Walcott paints a picture of a barren landscape that evokes feelings of loneliness in four simple words.

The fact that he describes the beaches as "broad" implies that they seem to span endlessly. The adjective "sun-stoned" cleverly suggests the feeling of the direct "white heat" of the sun, as the rocks and sand appear bleached by it. "Sun-stoned" also suggests that the color of the sand mimics the pink, orange, and white color of a sunstone gem.

Fig. 2 - The shoreline is a place of contrasting colors between the water and land. However, even the sand and sea contain a number of shades of different colors, which Walcott suggests in his poem.

Walcott's beach scene is not crowded but distinctively defined by colors. Even heat, which does not actually have a color, is described as "white heat" to suggest its abrasive intensity. The imagery in this section of the poem evokes both the senses of sight and feeling. The reader is meant to feel the heat of blinding white light contrasted with the cool relief of a "green" river.

A bridge, the first non-natural element described in the poem, appears to imply a pathway to relief from the sun, as it likely leads to the water and is sheltered by "scorched yellow palms" (5). The fact that the palms are "scorched" further emphasizes the intensity of the heat and the need for relief. The "scorched yellow palms" also reflect the speaker's personal state of being overwhelmed and seeking relief.

Fig. 3 - The green leaves of a palm tree turn yellow when "scorched" by sunlight.

Sibilance, Assonance, and Enjambment

Derek Walcott uses sibilance, assonance, and enjambment to create a sleepy, drowsy feeling within the reading of the poem.

In the following example, the use of sibilance is underlined and the use of assonance is featured in bold:

The scene Derek Walcott depicts in his poem captures the feelings of lethargy and tiredness from the heat of the sun. The poet emphasizes this sleepy feeling through the use of the sound-related literary devices sibilance and assonance.

The sibilance of the repeated "s" sound throughout these two lines lends a whispering sound to the reading. It's as if everyone is sleeping, so the speaker must keep his voice down. The fact that the beaches and house are quiet, also emphasizes the speaker's loneliness. The feeling of tiredness is emphasized by the repetition of the "ow" sound in the words "house" and "drowsing," which lends a slow, elongated effect to the reading that mimics the motion and sound of yawning.

The poet uses enjambment to make two lines one drawn-out phrase. This reflects the speaker's own lethargy as he slowly moves through the days in the "summer-sleeping house" (6). It also reflects the slow-moving, drowsy nature of the days themselves. The days are a haze and appear to exist in their own realm of time.

Anaphora, Personification, and Simile

Derek Walcott uses anaphora, personification, and simile to present the speaker's feelings about how time has gone by.

In the example below, the use of anaphora is featured in bold, the use of personification is featured in pink, and the simile is underlined.

The poet uses anaphora, repeating the phrase "days I have" and the word "days" to emphasize the idea of time. The speaker is nostalgic about the times he has spent in this summer island home. The memories remind him of all that he had and all that he has lost.

The poet uses personification to describe days as children who "outgrow" him to suggest how the passing of time has made him feel left behind and as if his best days are behind him.

Derek Walcott ends the poem with an impactful simile, writing that the days "outgrow" his "harboring arms" as if they were "daughters" (10, 11). These two lines present how the speaker has tried to hold on to people and to past times, but they have gone by, grown up, and left.

The word choice "harbouring" ties back to the imagery of the water, as a harbor is where boats are tied up and sheltered. Walcott's simile suggests that the speaker has tried to keep people safe by tying them to one place, but they had to move on and embark on their own journeys.

“Midsummer, Tobago”: Themes

The poem "Midsummer, Tobago" explores the themes of tiredness, time, and loss.

Tiredness

The feeling of tiredness characterizes the entire poem. Even the house is described as a "summer-sleeping house." There is a feeling of exhaustion under the sun, as the plants are scorched and the days pass drowsily. Everything appears to move slowly in the heat of tropical island life. The heat can make people both relaxed and lethargic.

In Derek Walcott's poem, the lethargy of the environment reflects the speaker's own feelings of sadness and tiredness. The speaker moves in a slow state, as the days seem to meld together. His life is colored by the sadness of holding on to the days that have passed. He seeks relief from both the physical heat and the mental weight of memory.

Time and Loss

In the last four lines of the poem it becomes evident that the poem is about the feelings of loss as time goes by. The speaker is likely in a summer home where he experienced many fond memories with people who have now grown up and gone. The scenery that once brought him peace and consolation is now overshadowed by the sadness of loss and clinging to the past.

The speaker feels he has lost grip of time. Whether he tries to hold fast to the past in memory and nostalgia, or lets days go by without distinction, numbed by the heat, he still feels the pangs of loss and the isolation of being left behind. The realization that everything will one day pass him by results in an unresolvable sadness.