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This is the dark time, my love – Martin Carter

January 24th, 2006 § 94 comments

Martin Wylde Carter

This is the dark time, my love,
All round the land brown beetles crawl about
The shining sun is hidden in the sky
Red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow
This is the dark time, my love,
It is the season of oppression, dark metal, and tears.
It is the festival of guns, the carnival of misery
Everywhere the faces of men are strained and anxious
Who comes walking in the dark night time?
Whose boot of steel tramps down the slender grass
It is the man of death, my love, the stranger invader
Watching you sleep and aiming at your dream.

Tagged: Guyana, martin carter

§ 94 Responses to “This is the dark time, my love – Martin Carter”

sheniece says:

May 4, 2009 at 9:43 pm

this poem is about the invasion of british soliders to maintain order in british guiana.the title alone tells us its about a current troubled time. the mood is sombre. there are metaphors such as brown beetles- they represent the invadors and destroyers, shining sun represents life. red flowers represents blood, danger,energy,love

shining sun is hidden in sky-sinister(aliteration)
dark metal- guns ammonation
festival of guns, carnival of misery- celebration bitter-sweet
slender grass- powerless locals
boot of steel leaves footprints- leaves destruction behind
watching you sleep – vulnerable
Collin henry says:

May 4, 2009 at 11:54 pm

this poem is the best poe thatb i have read . it tell the real things that our country`s freedom fighters had to go throught for our independece . i thanks MARTIN CARTER FOR HIS CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS OUR COUNTRY `S INDEPENDENCE.
cindy says:

May 7, 2009 at 2:43 am

i really enjoyed this poem but could someone help me out with the lynching i’m getting some trouble with this one……….
mandi says:

May 8, 2009 at 10:24 pm

hi ,my name is mandi and i am studing the poem.the thing about the poem is that is it captures yr attention whether u like it or not ,martin carter created that poem so we can make our own comment and for us to see ,feel and understand what had happen to him . anyway i need help with understanding it more. so please anyone can u help me
delroy says:

May 10, 2009 at 4:43 am

Thanks sheniece of comment 51 you helped me a whole of a lot
now i understand the poem even more
you really saved me now i can walk into the exam confident
thanks if they bring the poem in the exam

again thanks whoever you are
Zooby says:

May 12, 2009 at 8:12 pm

THIS POEMS SUCKS BALLSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HATE LITERATURE!!! AND THIS POEM IS BAD!
that suxx says:

May 13, 2009 at 7:56 am

This poem is very nice however it would have been nicer if we didn’t get it for CSEC and it would have been the nicest thing ever if we didn’t have twenty of these outrageous poems to complete. I don’t really understand how the past could affect anyone’s heart unless they themselves are somehow directly affected. The world keeps moving forward and it doesn’t make sense making it appear as this poem made a major impact on your lives at this time. For anyone still studying poems it isn’t too late. I am wasting my time with them, so should you.
hot girl says:

May 27, 2009 at 6:33 am

I love this poem and the effect it has on me.It is kind of difficult but if you read with much understanding it will convey a wonderful message.It shows the writers interst in his country and his disguss of the war.The only part i find difficult to understand is the juxpositionof guns and soilders with things of nature
gbaby says:

September 7, 2009 at 7:54 am

hey kevibeni, i have to reply to what you posted…i mean i partially understand what you are saying. the part about u being forced to write literature for cxc is kinda harsh but what i really want to address is the analysis part. seriously it is literally impossible for 52 different people to analyze one poem and get the same idea, i mean we work with different minds and it’s not possible. the only person who can give the perfect response is the poet who wrote the darn poem, no one else. yet we lose marks when we give an answer that they dont like. i personally find this really really wrong
gbaby says:

September 7, 2009 at 8:17 am

but to get back to the whole point of this blog, i really really love this poem, i had to say it once for elecution in my skool (yes elecution not election). i love the way he expresses his thoughts, his feelings. the last stanza really brings out duh best part of the poem, i feel he passion he felt when i say this poem, and it is strangely liberating.
spice says:

September 8, 2009 at 2:43 am

this is one of the best poem i have ever read.It is really inspirring to the people of guyana
zainab says:

September 11, 2009 at 3:05 am

well i like this poem nd im doin it rite now for csec..actually i wanted to knw the effectiveness of the metaphor “line 2″ “all round brown beetles crawl about”.does it actually make u the reader feel wat he is conveyin..well to me it does.it gives u the sense of many soldiers juz invain the lands..everywhere
zainab says:

September 11, 2009 at 3:26 am

its one of the easy poems to understand bt the wrds r vry strng nd i do respct grt poetry though u may not hav that passion for poetry
RH123 says:

September 21, 2009 at 4:44 am

hi, im studying this particular poem for my classwork and i need help with a question
1. identify and explain 2 contrasts in the poem
Can someone please assist me ?
Thank You
R123 says:

September 22, 2009 at 5:42 am

HI, i am studying this poem for my class and i need to find 2 contrasts which are found in the poem and discuss and explain . Can someone please help me?
amanda says:

October 21, 2009 at 2:42 am

this poem was well executed
amanda says:

October 21, 2009 at 2:44 am

i believe that Carter was heart felt when he wrote this poem. i am a fan of writing and i believes it comes from the heart poetry is not so bad you just have to put your mind to it
Kaila says:

November 3, 2009 at 7:30 am

I’m a ninth grader (3rd form) in the Washington Archibald High School and I am currently studying this poem i’m not the best at literature but I analyzed but it is really touching did u know that it was a letter written to his wife while in jail when the British soldiers came “maintain order” and he knew that the people of British Guyana were terrified and were afraid of them
sue says:

November 4, 2009 at 8:37 am

I am having problem with the poem please help me analyse it Tis is the dark time, my love by martin carter
sue says:

November 4, 2009 at 8:41 am

@niki niki, this is sue please help me with the poem this is the dark time my love by martin carter. i’ll have a test but this is too hard thank you
sue
Ashanti Persaud says:

November 5, 2009 at 3:11 am

Hi guys i will like to commend you on your incredible job. You have of course help me indirectly because i had this CXC question to complete for an assignment and i read your comments and i mastered i I GOT THE HIGHEST MARKS IN THE CLASS!!!
chardii boii says:

November 5, 2009 at 6:39 am

someone please respond asap
i need help with this poem. not a big fan of literature, but got sucked into it.i gotta do this poem for CSEC
sue says:

November 6, 2009 at 10:26 am

PLEASE GIVE ME A HAND WITH THE POEM. THANKS
Nardia says:

November 6, 2009 at 4:40 pm

Okay,I’m 15, in Jamaica, doing CSEC the coming year. I’ve read most of the comments and have frequently seen people requesting a synopsis or analysis of the poem, “This is the dark time, my love”. And people have asked how is it that it compares well with Colonial Girl’s school? Okay, for CSEC, the prominent theme is oppression. We see that in other poems being done, “The Lynching” (Claude McKay), “Epitaph” (Dennis Scott), “from The Emigrant” (Kamau Brathwaite), “Colonial’s Girls School” (Olive Senior), “Dreaming Black Boy” (James Berry).

For all these the basic idea is that some form of culture or group of people deems themselves superior to a group of culture they deem inferior. The geographical setting for both “Colonial Girls School” and “This is the dark times, my love” is within the Caribbean. That is firstly what makes the poems similar. All countries in the Caribbean were once a colony of a European mother country. Hence all Caribbean country was subjected to the negative effect of colonialization.

In “Colonial Girls School” the topic is oppression within the education system prior to post-emancipation. Slavery had ended physically but mentally it continues. The European countries practiced deracination- which is to rid one group of people of their culture so that ‘you’ may be superior- upon the Caribbean people.

“Borrowed images
will our skin pale” (1-2)
*Speaks of deracination. The Europeans worked at changing the way of thinking, the way of life of post slaves, children of post-slaves, and the children who continued to be born into colonies.

“yoked our minds in declensions in Latin
and the language of Shakespeare”
(Refrain: Told us nothing about ourselves; There was nothing about us at all)
Higlights the mental restrictions placed of children in schools constructed by European powers. The persona feels dejected at the fact that they were taught nothing good, modest, they were not meant to feel good about being black, being of African descendent. They were meant to feel dejected, unwelcomed in presence, and worthless. It was a means of physiological control.

“This is dark times, my love”. The persona speaks on behalf od everyone like himself. Black, a member of the population of Guyana. They opposed to the European’s occupation and control within the colony. This defiance leads to a means of physical control meted out to the people by European powers.

“…land brown beetles crawl…” (2)
*Metaphorically refers to military items: tanks and soldiers within the colony patroling and eliminating any resistance from people in Guyana.

“red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow” (4)
*Use of pathetic fallacy (when nature expresses feelings that only humans can)*Shares the feelin of oppression and dejection like the inferior culture being depleted and destroyed for wanting to be independent and not be subjected to control under European powers.

“watching you sleep and aiming at your dream” (12)
*The persona is subtly calling upon his people to stand up against their oppressors (Europeans). He warns them to protect themself and their future, to not give up fighting or they will live a life, and so will their children, or eternal turmoil and genocide of their culture.

Hoped I helped everyone in understanding.

PS. Literature is quite easy if you study a little history and read more.

PS2. I would appreciate it if people who are saying mean things about the poems talked about that they stop. I think that you guys out there wouldn’t appreciate it if others say bad things about what you appreciate. However if you don’t accept something about the poem or anyting at all, just write it, in a mature and logical term, explaining why. Don’t bash people’s culture and history by saying “stupid” or anything like that.
Maria (Jamaica) says:

December 9, 2009 at 6:30 am

I have been teaching this poem for a long time (about eight years or so with CSEC and three years with CAPE) and even though my students are stubborn about poetry, this is one of the few poems that they respond to with enthusiasm. They appreciate the context and how it is tied to their understanding of the poem. And, let’s just face it, words are as beautifual as they are powerful. Carter had a true gift.

This and “I come from the Nigger Yard” are my favourite Carter poems.
sandra says:

January 14, 2010 at 8:07 am

Can someone explain what the title This is the Dark Time My love means and stat why it is repeated in the first 2 stanzas.
Identify a paradox and what it means.
Using 2 examples from the poem that highlight the effect that “The strange invader” has on the people.
Fully explain the following line “whose boot of steel tramps down the slender grass”.
Thank you guys for your comment anxiously awaiting .
Voice of Guyana says:

January 14, 2010 at 6:33 pm

sandra looks like you just posted your homework assignment here
hairem leumas says:

January 19, 2010 at 7:53 pm

the poem this is a dark time my love is provoked by two influences: opression and imprisonment. My interpretation of the piece sees the exposure of Mr. martin’s sentence in prison. the piece can be directed to two love ( Martins wife and country).

The line this is a dark time my love is repeated to show emphasis on the dark time of the country or mr martins life in jail.

the poem is rather touching, especially if read aloud. it’s best competitor interms of readers emotions is sonnet from china xv.
it is a rather touching poem once read
Asha says:

January 24, 2010 at 11:14 pm

so who cares about this stupid poem.all poets jus make it hard for us to study.
tashana ramsaroop says:

January 28, 2010 at 5:48 pm

one of the greatest poems written to describe the hard times some guyanese had to face.
Voice of Guyana International - Phyllis Carter dies says:

January 31, 2010 at 8:13 am

[...] 31st, 2010 § 0 Phyllis Carter, the widow of Guyana’s poet laureate Martin Carter, has died. She was 77 years [...]
mimzi says:

February 9, 2010 at 5:56 am

what is the effectineness of the poem…plzz need it for tommorow…thanks
Shenika Agard says:

February 9, 2010 at 8:26 pm

I think that the poem is beautiful.Whenever i read this poem i love for persons to be around me so that i can relate the poem to them.I am very passionate about poetry and this poem amkes my passion even greater.I love it.
john says:

February 10, 2010 at 8:59 pm

i need help with some work compare this is a dark time my love with sonnet from china xv thank you
john says:

February 10, 2010 at 9:01 pm

please i am doing it now
john says:

February 10, 2010 at 9:14 pm

zooby you are the one that sucks
Bigbrowne says:

February 15, 2010 at 3:50 am

hey i have an essay on it to do and i was wondering if the following things could be clarified.

in the poem what makes the oppressors mysterious and how can this poem be linked to W H Audens “Sonnets from China XV”
surujdai says:

April 3, 2010 at 1:27 am

hi, i am a 7 grade student, i have been assigned with some question from this poem, need your help! please!
JENELLE GENESS says:

April 11, 2010 at 4:45 am

this poem was of great help for my english project
i dont really no wat it means ….and i really dont care
tarika says:

April 17, 2010 at 4:28 am

can some help me? i have a project about this poem . can someone help me wht is the mood of this poem tells about
Repugnant Thoughts says:

May 12, 2010 at 3:08 am

TRINIDAD BETTER DAN GUYANA!
Firstborn94 says:

June 14, 2010 at 12:20 am

Hey tnx Nardia for helping me understand those poems…i rly needed it..sounded very smart Im sure u Aced ur CXC literature exams this year…anyway tnx again!!!
PS.to the person who said Trinidad is better than Guyana..that statement is 100% WRONG..thank you! lol
chanelle95 says:

June 15, 2010 at 4:00 am

The comments were really cool. i really love this is the dark time my love, every time i read it i feel sooo proud of my country. im a grade 10 student n Seriously does any one have any points for the analysis of sonnets from china XV BY W. H. Auden!!!!!
Firstborn94 says:

June 21, 2010 at 6:16 am

HEY everybody…could sumbdy help me with the summary of dreaming black boy..and compare it with another of its kind from the syllabus? tnax in advance!!!

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