This question is based on selected poems from Wole Soyinka (ed.) Poems of Black Africa and D.I. Nwoga (ed.) West African Verse. '...Tide and market come and...

This question is based on selected poems from Wole Soyinka (ed.) Poems of Black Africa and D.I. Nwoga (ed.) West African Verse.

'...Tide and market come and go

And so shall your mother.'

The above lines from J.P. Clark's 'Streamside

Exchange' depict the

Answer Details

The lines "Tide and market come and go, and so shall your mother" from J.P. Clark's 'Streamside Exchange' depict the constancy of nature. The poet is emphasizing the idea that just as the tides and market cycles are predictable and consistent, so too is the cycle of life and death. The use of "mother" suggests a personal connection, but the broader message is that all life is subject to this natural cycle of birth, growth, decline, and death.