To Return To The Trees
Derek Walcott
“Senex, an oak.
Senex, this old sea-almond
unwincing in spray”
(Full poem unable to be reproduced due to copyright)
VOCABULARY
Senex > ‘old man’ in Latin.
Boanerges > a name given by Christ to James and John in the Bible, meaning ‘sons
of thunder’, likely a reference to their honest but fiery tempers.
Geriatric > a word that describes the elderly, especially those needing care.
Obdurate > stubborn, refusing to change.
STORY/SUMMARY
Stanzas 1-4: The speaker (who we assume is Walcott himself) begins by addressing
an old man, Senex, and presenting the idea of two trees - an oak and a sea-almond. He
explores the idea of ‘returning to the trees - either physically to see them, or
metaphorically to become one with them in death. He thinks about how it would feel
to be the ‘burly’ oak, or to grow old like the ‘felled’ (fallen) sea-almond. He wonders if
he does look forward to ageing, or whether it’s a lie that he tells himself.
Stanzas 5-7: He sees himself as ‘a gnarled’ old poet, connected to the natural
elements - perhaps an allegorical reference to King Lear. He observes changes in the
sea and Morne Coco Mountain, which he seems to view daily.
, Stanzas 7- 13: Walcott says he once saw grayness as ‘the dirty flag/ of courage going
under’, which may mean he associated it with weakness and cowardice. He now views
it as crystal-like, and multifaceted. He perceives old age as a peaceful time, but one
which also requires great inner strength. Walcott references two myths: the Biblical
myth of Samson, whose once great strength that had been lost returned to him
momentarily when he was forced to hold up a pillar of the Philistines temple, and the
ancient Greek myth of Atlas, who was condemned to hold up the heavens (the
celestial spheres) on his shoulders for eternity.
Stanzas 13-18: He observes that this type of work is ‘balance’, and that this seems to
require some of the greatest strength possible. The final few stanzas shift to focus on
Seneca, a Roman philosopher, politician and playwright. Walcott seems critical of him,
calling him a ‘fabled bore’ with ‘gnarled, laborious Latin’, that he can only experience in
fragments. The poem concludes on an image of Senex, the old man, and the ‘obdurate
almond’ who we now may interpret as Walcott again, as Seneca, or as both and also
representative of any great person in general. Walcott observes how both the man and
the almond will eventually fade under the sand, being worn away by nature and by
time.
VOICE
The poem is written in first person, and we feel that the speaker is the poet himself.
Walcott explores his changing attitude to old age and his difficulty in deciding how
to grow old and respond to the ageing process.
ATTITUDES
● Ageing is a difficult and personal process that’s different for everyone -
Walcott himself is not sure whether his ageing is more like the ‘oak’ - strong,
tall, dignified, or the ‘sea-almond’ - twisted, bent, weathered but still hanging
on.
● Maintaining balance in life requires more strength than giving in to extremes
- the difficult task of Atlas, holding up the world on his shoulders, or Samson,
holding up a temple’s pillars, requires not only great strength to lift but also
balance to maintain. Walcott perhaps sees his role as a poet as similar to these
