ENTERPRISE by Ezekiel

ENTERPRISE

(Nissim Ezekiel)

Nissim Ezekiel (1924-2004)

Nissim Ezekiel (1924-2004) is one of the most important Indian poets of English. In fact, he is known as the Father of Modern English Poetry in India. He looked at even the most ordinary and everyday things from a very interesting and unique perspective. He received Sahitya Academy Award in 1983, and Padma Shree in 1988.

Enterprise is a short, epigrammatic, allegorical poem that talks about life as a journey to a pilgrimage. The poem has 30 lines and is divided into six stanzas of five line each with a rhyme scheme of ABABA.

The poem looks at life as a pilgrimage and this journey of life has been divided into five phases or stages. Each stage comes with its own set of challenges and everyone faces the challenges in their own unique ways. 

It started as a pilgrimage,
Exalting minds and making all
The burdens light.

The first phase begins with the start of the journey. This is the beginning of a pilgrimage, so everyone is happy, excited and enthusiastic. They anticipate a smooth sailing ahead. Besides, since this is a pilgrimage they have very lofty ideas in their minds, and nobody finds it burdensome. 

The second stage
Explored but did not test the call.
The sun beat down to match our rage.

As they move ahead, they enter the second phase of their journey where they do face certain difficulties that try to explore the level and depth of their commitment but they are still able to sail through. The sun, though, is blisteringly hot and it seems that it is trying to match the passion of the traveling group. The sun here might be a symbol of the forces of nature posing challenges before the travelers.

We stood it very well, I thought,
Observed and put down copious notes
On things the peasants sold and bought,
The way of serpents and of goats,
Three cities where a sage had taught.

The narrator believes that they have done pretty well till now. They have withstood the hardships gallantly. They keep themselves busy in observing their surroundings and taking down extensive notes about the produce in this part of the world, the trade, and about the antics of the animals here. They also cross three cities where, they have been told a sage gave his sermons.

But when the differences arose
On how to cross a desert patch,
We lost a friend whose stylish prose
Was quite the best of all our batch.

A shadow falls on us — and grows.

The third stage is reached in the journey when some differences take place among them on the most suitable way to cross a desert patch that has fallen in their way. They argue and one of their friends who happens to write fantastic prose pieces, leaves the group and goes his way. It seems that a metaphorical shadow of dissent and discord has engulfed their group and this shadow only grown from here. Things will only go downhill from here.

Another phase was reached when we
Were twice attacked, and lost our way.

A section claimed its liberty
To leave the group. I tried to pray.

Our leader said he smelt the sea.

The narrator tells that they entered the fourth phase of their journey when they were attacked twice and as a result lost their way. Since they are facing hard times, one section of the group declares themselves free and leaves them. The poet-narrator tries to find some strength in prayer. The leader of the group is still not praying and believes that the sea i.e. their destination is close by. They somehow continue with the journey. 

We noticed nothing as we went,
A straggling crowd of little hope,

Ignoring what the thunder meant,
Deprived of common needs like soap.
Some were broken, some merely bent.

The narrator tells that now all the zest for taking notes and keeping record is gone. Their primary concern is to complete the journey somehow. They are reduced to nothing more than a rambling crowd that has lost their way. They ignore the call of the thunder. The call of the thunder has a clear reference to T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland where the thunder teaches the humanity to give, to be kind and to control its desires. The travellers do not listen to the thunder and are struggling to have even common necessities like soap. By this time some people have completely given up on any hope and some others’ spirits are shaken badly. There is complete gloom and disappointment around. 

When, finally, we reached the place,
We hardly knew why we were there.

The trip had darkened every face,
Our deeds were neither great nor rare.
Home is where we have to gather grace

And finally, in the fifth phase, they reach their destination. But they do not have any sense of achievement because they have forgotten the very aim with which they began their journey. The journey has deprived them of their physical beauty, their faces are dark. They cannot rejoice in their accomplishment as they realize that their journey has neither been great nor have they achieved anything extraordinary.

Now they realize that “Home is where we have to gather grace”. This is the most famous line of the poem. It implies that at the end of this journey that has not been very great, they realize that it is not worth all the effort. Staying at home and indulging in spiritual acts and receiving and giving love to all is more meaningful and fruitful than going out and achieving great goals. Purity of one’s soul, love and compassion for everyone are the things that are more becoming for human existence. 

The journey here is a metaphor for life.  When we begin the journey we are full of vigour and energy and we believe that we will achieve something great. But moving ahead we bear hardships. These hardships test our beliefs, our commitment, and also our endurance. Sometimes we succumb to our egos the way the prose writer friend did. We make different choices and these choices decide the course of our lives. We move ahead despite all the adversity and try to put up a brave face. But we do not listen to the thunder call i.e. the call of our conscience that hints at the right path to follow. And finally when we do reach our destinations we realize that the journey has not been worth all the effort. When we reach the later stage of our lives we realize that all the humdrum of life, all the rat-race is actually futile. It’s the call of the conscience that matters the most, it is the purity of our souls, and how much we give in the form of care, compassion and love that brings grace to life.