Summary
‘The Voice of the Mountain’ by Mamang describes the language of the mountain and what it experienced in the past and the present.
‘The Voice of the Mountain’ by Mamang presents the worldview seen from the eyes of the ancient mountain. In this poem, the speaker is none other than the mountain itself, which finds its utterance in the poetic words. It describes what it has been experiencing throughout. Within it, there are different personalities. One is of an old man that gets rejuvenated with the winds that soothe. The mountain, being a part of nature, contains everything. Be it a desert, or the rain, each element of nature is there inside its heart. Moreover, there is a lady within it, lost due to the translation of time. However, in the last stanza, it seems that the poet is sitting in the mind of the mountain and utters what the mountain suggested to her.
Analysis, Stanza by Stanza
Stanza One
From where I sit on the high platform (…) crisscrossing the big river. ‘The Voice of the Mountain’ by Mam ang talks about the mountain in the first stanza. The mountain being at a higher platform visualizes everything like God. The mountain says that he can see the fairy lights that cross the big river below. As it is at a distance, the movement of the ferry appears as the “crisscrossing” light works on the river. The poet uses synecdoche in the “ferry lights” and the variety used here is “part for the whole”.
Stanza Two
I know the towns, the estuary mouth.
(…)
I can outline the chapters of the world.
‘The Voice of the Mountain’ by Mamang the mountain says he knows about the towns and estuary of the rivers. His omniscient view of the landscape makes him appear like the almighty. Moreover, the mountain point at the sea and says he can see the colors of the sky getting reflected on the seawater. Here, he metaphorically outlines the chapters of the world. It might be a reference to the rivers. The metaphor can also refer to the past episodes that the sea observed, as it is also ancient like the mountain. Collectively, they have watched many things that happened in the past.
Stanza Three
The other day a young man arrived from the village. (…) and as we speak in changing languages. ‘The Voice of the Mountain’ by Mam ang talks about a young man. He brought a fish as an offering to the spirit of the mountain, as he couldn’t speak. The person thought if the mountain took pity on him, he would grant his voice back. According to the mountain, such acts of pleasing him are repeated. Moreover, he says, as the territories are forever ancient as well as new, there is always a shift. However, the essence remains the same at the end.
Stanza Four
I, also, leave my spear leaning by the tree and try to make a sign. In this stanza of ‘The Voice of the Mountain’ by Mamang, the second speaker remarks, like the person who believed in the god-like qualities of the mountain, the speaker also makes a sign of reverence when the mountain comes in the sight. It seems that the second speaker is the poet herself. Through this section, she participates in the dramatic monologue of the mountain.
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