As often happens these days I was searching for another poem when I came upon this one. I thought I’d give it a visual interpretation. I hope it works.
Let me know what you think…
In Bahrain and other parts of the Arabian Gulf, the Pearl divers went out to sea to look for pearls in, what were at the time exceedingly the rich oyster beds located in and around the gulf. It was a hard life and dangerous and much lore surrounded the profession and the songs. This traditional music, known as fidjeri, is an age-old repertory of vocal music sung by the pearl divers of Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. The Nahhaam, or pearl diver singers, were backed by a chorus of singers and clappers accompanied by the Mirwas – a small double-sided drum – and the jahlah – a clay pot.
In 1972, a film by Kuwaiti Khalid Al Siddiq, titled The Cruel Sea – better known by its Arabic title Bas Ya Bahr – related an artistic representation of the pre-oil life of the pearl divers. It proved to be a masterpiece and tells the story of a crippled old pearl diver who tries to prevent his son from taking up the trade because it is so fraught with danger, but the son is in love with a girl from a wealthy family and needs to make money to marry her. This poem hints at the story and the theme of the film, the sea: treacherous, unmovable, unchanged, eternal and ultimately cruel.
FictionPals 