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| | | Art Coelho, Grandma's Village, Biscoitos, 1991 |
| | | To the Azores and Back Again: In Poetry and Painting |
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| PART I |
| | | | | Portuguese immigrant and Luso-American poetry, like other ethnic lyric expression, has a thematic core which emphasizes nostalgia, cultural roots and adaptation (reaction) to new
stimuli. An extraordinary human experience is captured in the nutshell of a poem. Through it we learn that, like other American immigrant groups, the Portuguese have not come to this country without some pain.
The phenomenon of leaving one's birthplace forever, abandoning all ties and starting anew in an alien country, is often a traumatic experience. The immigrant is overwhelmed with the sounds and sights of the new country. In some cases, the shock is devastating. The verv core of the ',erson's identitv is shaken. The immigrant goes through a period (sometimes a lifetime) of contradictory feelings. Often, after a short trip by air, the
immigrant is placed in a complex and highly urban society which contrast sharply with the rural, pastoral settings of the homeland. This is the case of many Fortuguese arriving in Boston or
similar cities.
Some poets express the longing for the fatherland; others tell of the pain of leaving behind familiar surroundings. Often there is an initial feeling of isolation in America. The newcomer considers himself a stepchild.
The neighbor next door does not speak to me. He does not know who I am, but he reminds me that I am alone, that I am a stepchild to this country. (Helena Lima)1
The process of alienation is clearly perceived in Manuel Luis Ponte's "Emigrant/Immigrant."2 The ambivalent status of the person in transition, the sense of not belonging, is eloquently expressed by the poet: | |
If only you could
tell them you hadn't changed.
Emigrant, they called you
on departure.
Immigrant, they called you on arrival.
The transformation is overwhelming. The human brain cannot fully process such swift changes:
Two stamps in a numbered,
photo-deco rated booklet,
and you are no more
than the long ago of a few hours' travel
passed into memory... The poet immigrant goes through a process similar to bereavement. There is a sense of loss and only forgetting and forgiving can heal the wound.
PART II
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