Introduction of Poem:
This poem “Enterprise” appeared in Nissim Ezekiel's fourth volume of poems which was first published in 1960 and, in its second edition, in 1965, under the heading "The Unfinished Man". Here we have an allegorical poem, that is, a poem which, apart from its surface meaning, has a meaning below the surface. R. Parthasarathy, himself a poet, says that Ezekiel's poetry is the work of a keen, analytical mind trying to explore, and communicate, on a personal level, feelings of loss and deprivation. Nissim Ezekiel himself said that scores of his poems were written for his personal, therapeutic purposes (that is, for purposes of giving an outlet to his morbid feelings and unpleasant thoughts in order to find relief and comfort). One such poem is Enterprise. In this poem a situation is examined with ironic detachment in the hope that it would offer the writer with a release for his pent-up feelings.
Poem "Enterprise"
It started as a pilgrimage,
Exalting minds and making all
The burdens light, the second stage
Explored but did not test the call.
The sun beat down to match our rage.
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.
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.
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.
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.
When, finally, we reached the place,
We hardly know 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.
Critical Summary of the Poem:
A group of men, including the poet, embarked on a voyage. They called it a “pilgrimage”. They were spiritually exalted. Because of the noble and sacred nature of their enterprise, i.e., the journey, they made light of the hurdles in their way. The first phase went off well, but the pilgrims found that, at the second stage, the sun scorched them; it tested their courage and fortitude. At a spiritual level, the journey was akin to the journey to the Holy Land.
They bore this well. They were keen observers; they took copious notes and recorded their observations “on the things peasants sold and bought” as well as the behaviour of serpents and goats, as also the “three cities where a sage had taught”. The allusion to the “three cities” is obscure here.
They then reached a desert, and there arose differences among them on how to cross that patch. One of the pilgrims, who possessed a gift for stylish writing, abandoned the journey midway. They lost their best intellect. This entailed a great loss, and they were dismayed. A pall of gloom fell over them.
In another phase of the voyage, the pilgrims were attacked twice and they lost their way. Some of them broke away from the group as they wished to travel the rest of the way on their own. The poet tried his best to persuade them to remain with the rest of the group. He also “tried to pray” for the success of their enterprise, and the leader informed him that they were near the sea, meaning that they were on the right track. Now they could continue their “pilgrimage”.
On their way, this small group of stragglers did not notice anything. They were without hope; they did not pay and heed to what the thunder said. They despaired of the success of their mission. They were deprived of their common basic needs like soap. Some of them were totally broken down, while others were bent with their physical and spiritual burden.
Finally when they reached their destination, they hardly knew that they were there. They had all become dark and gloomy; they were all clueless. They hadn't achieved anything great or exceptional in the alien land. Their best achievements had been back home, and that is where their future achievements would lie.
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