Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.
- with elation - with happy thoughts in your head
- mirror - a piece of glass that reflects images
- ignore - take no notice of someone or something, pay no attention to someone or something
- know by heart - know it so well that you can repeat it from memory
- desperate - very sad and upset, with little or no hope
- peel - remove
- feast on - celebrate, enjoy
- Who is the poet speaking to?
- Listen closely to the first line. Now answer the question: When are the things in the poem happening?
- Does the poem contain positive or negative thoughts? Explain your answer with specific words or lines from the poem.
- Choose the two statements that are in line with the poem:
- Love is the most important thing.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself.
- Learning to love others begins with learning to love ourselves.
- Always put others first.
Extra reading and writing assignment
- Find out more about Derek Walcott: about his life, his work, any prizes, etc.
- Write a short report on the poet's life. Or create a timeline of his life.
Extra (close) reading assignment
- Listen to the poem again. Read the poem (below) while listening.
- Make two lists, one with positive words, one with negative words.
Or print the poem and mark the positive words with one colour and the negative ones with another. - Pick a favourite line or expression. Explain your pick.
Love After Love
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
Derek Walcott
