We, unaccustomed to courage by Maya Angelou — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

We, unaccustomed to courage exiles from delight live coiled in shells of loneliness until love leaves its high holy temple and comes into our sight to liberate us into life. Love arrives and in its train come ecstasies old memories of pleasure ancient histories of pain. Yet if we are bold, love strikes away the chains of fear from our souls. We are weaned from our timidity In the flush of love's light we dare be brave And suddenly we see that love costs all we are and will ever be. Yet it is only love which sets us free.

Translation (English)

We, not used to being brave outcasts from happiness live wrapped in loneliness until love leaves its sacred place and comes into view to set us free into life. Love arrives and brings with it joys old memories of happiness ancient stories of pain. But if we are brave, love removes the chains of fear from our souls. We are freed from our shyness In the glow of love's light we dare to be courageous And suddenly we realize that love demands everything we are and will ever be. But it is only love that sets us free.

About the Poet

Maya Angelou (20th Century)

Maya Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies and several books of poetry. Angelou was known for her work in the Civil Rights Movement and her autobiographical writing, which brought her international recognition.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Free verse
When Written: 20th Century
Background: The poem reflects Maya Angelou's exploration of love as a transformative force that liberates individuals from fear and loneliness. It aligns with her broader themes of empowerment and resilience, often found in her work as a civil rights activist.

Sources: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6129-we-unaccustomed-to-courage-exiles-from-delight-live-coiled-in, https://youaligned.com/love-sex/touched-by-an-angel-a-love-poem/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou

Detailed Explanation

Maya Angelou's poem explores the transformative power of love. It begins by describing how people, unfamiliar with courage and alienated from joy, live in isolation until love intervenes. Love is depicted as a liberating force that frees individuals from the constraints of fear and loneliness. The poem acknowledges that while love brings joy and recalls past pleasures, it also reminds us of past pains. However, by embracing love courageously, individuals can break free from fear. The poem concludes with the realization that love requires a complete commitment of oneself, yet it is the only force that truly liberates and empowers us.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
unaccustomed	not used to	not familiar with	uhn-uh-kuhs-tuhmd
exiles	outcasts	people who are separated from their home or happiness	eg-zahyls
coiled	wrapped	twisted or wound around	koyld
temple	sacred place	a holy place or sanctuary	tem-puhl
liberate	free	to make free	lib-uh-reyt
ecstasies	joys	great joys	ek-stuh-seez
timidity	shyness	lack of courage or confidence	ti-mid-i-tee
flush	glow	a sudden rush of emotion or color	fluhsh
dare	risk	to be brave enough to do something	dair
brave	courageous	having courage	brayv
chains	bonds	things that hold you back	cheynz
weaned	freed	slowly separated from something	weend
costs	requires	needs or takes	kawsts
sets	makes	allows to be	sets
free	unrestricted	able to do anything	free

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