Our land

By: Yannis Ritsos

We climbed the hill to look over our land:

fields poor and few, stones, olive trees.

Vineyards head toward the sea. Beside the plow

a small fire smoulders. We shaped the old man’s clothes

into a scarecrow against the ravens. Our days

are making their way toward a little bread and great sunshine.

Under the poplars a straw hat beams.

The rooster on the fence. The cow in yellow.

How did we manage to put our house and our life in order

with a hand made of stone? Up on the lintel

there’s soot from the Easter candles, year by year:

tiny black crosses marked there by the dead

returning from the Resurrection Service. This land is much loved

with patience and dignity. Every night, out of the dry well,

the statues emerge cautiously and climb the trees.

History is easy to learn, difficult to remember and even easier to forget. I for one love history. I think it is important to remember our past, so we can build a better future. This is what this poem reminds me of. Prior to the 21st century, the farmer was the backbone of every community. Especially in the west of the united states in the mid 19th century. The theme of this poem makes me think of the life that many Americans picked up due to the Homestead act, which promoted migration to the vast untapped prairie lands of the west. Coming with a hopeful mindset, many farmers were disappointed with the conditions of the land and life. I think this poem is a great example of this time in history.

To me this poem is describing the life of a farmer through the eyes of the farmers child. The child, overlooking the land that his family tirelessly works on day after day, only to receive little in return. However, there is still the childlike happiness that most adult farmers would not see. For example, “Our days/ are making their way toward a little bread and great sunshine.”. Although the life is difficult there is always a silver lining, in this case it is the “great sunshine”. But hardship still can overcome. When the line “Black crosses marks the dead” pops up, this makes me think of the loss of loved ones. Especially easy in the rural west, it can be assumed in this case that death is nothing new or strange in daily life. In conclusion he ends by describing that even though this hardship is present, the farm and land is still loved.