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'The morning sun is shining' by Olive THE MORNING SUN IS SHINING – OLIVE
SCHREINER
Schreiner
1 The morning sun is shining on
2 The green, green willow tree,
3 And sends a golden sunbeam
BACKGROUND
4 To dance upon my knee.
Olive Schreiner (1855-1920) was born at a mission station 5 The fountain bubbles merrily,
called Wittebergen near Herschel in the Eastern Cape.
6 The yellow locusts spring,
She is best known for her critically acclaimed novel The
7 Of life and light and sunshine
Story of an African Farm, initially published under the
pseudonym Ralph Iron because of a contemporary 8 The happy brown birds sing.
prejudice against women authors. After achieving 9 The earth is clothed with beauty,
recognition as a writer, Schreiner wrote extensively on a 10 The air is filled with song,
range of political and social issues as an opponent of
11 The yellow thorn trees load the wind
racism and an early feminist. Her book Women and
12 With odours sweet and strong.
Labour, written in 1911, was considered the bible of
the women's emancipation movement in England 13 There is a hand I never touch
and America. She was also a pacifist and did not agree 14 And a face I never see;
with British imperialism in South Africa or with the South 15 Now what is sunshine, what is song,
African (Anglo-Boer) War that was fought to achieve it. 16 Now what is light to me?
This poem conveys a strong sense of place and the
natural environment, as often found in Schreiner’s
works.
@Juffrou_Ansie
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THE MORNING SUN IS SHINING – OLIVE SCHREINER THE TITLE
The title introduces a positive image – we associate
1 The morning sun is shining on a bright, sunny morning with warmth and happiness.
2 The green, green willow tree, However, there is a figurative irony: Her sun (child) is no
3 And sends a golden sunbeam longer shining (has died).
4 To dance upon my knee. The title and the first 12 lines of ‘The Morning Sun is
5 The fountain bubbles merrily, Shining’ invite the reader to see the beauty of Olive
6 The yellow locusts spring, Schreiner’s Karoo, blessed with green willow trees,
golden sunshine, bubbling fountains, springing locusts,
7 Of life and light and sunshine
birdsong and the scent of the thorn trees’ yellow flowers.
8 The happy brown birds sing.
We realise in line 13, however, that the speaker is
9 The earth is clothed with beauty,
mourning someone’s death: ‘There is a hand I never
10 The air is filled with song,
touch/And a face I never see’. Because of this, she
11 The yellow thorn trees load the wind writes, ‘Now what is sunshine, what is song, /Now what is
12 With odours sweet and strong. light to me’. What begins as a lyrical celebration of
13 There is a hand I never touch nature ends up as a lament for the loss of a loved one.
14 And a face I never see;
15 Now what is sunshine, what is song,
16 Now what is light to me?
@Juffrou_Ansie
