Childhood in Heidelberg by Andries Walter Oliphant

The speaker uses a variety of images and poetic devices in order to paint a picture of the kind of home they initially grew up in. As the poem progresses, the child’s understanding of the world changes. They grow up very quickly in the final lines of ‘Childhood in Heidelberg.’ 

Summary

‘Childhood in Heidelberg’ by Andries Walter Oliphant is a thoughtful and multilayered poem told from the perspective of a child looking back on their youth.

In the first lines of ‘Childhood in Heidelberg,’ the speaker begins by describing their home and how closely tied it is to their perception of history and family. The speaker describes, using poetic language, the influence their ancestors have on their everyday life. As the poem progresses, the speaker reveals more about their home and their surroundings. But, at the same time, the darkness at the heart of the poem comes through. The family is forced to leave their home and live in one of a series of “matchbox” houses that resemble tombstones in a graveyard. 

You can read the full poem here.

Detailed Analysis

Stanza One

 I was born in a house where ancestors 

were suspended from the walls.

 (…)

of the dark house, slowly 

as if strolling through a womb. 

In the first lines of ‘Childhood in Heidelberg,’ the speaker begins by noting that they were born in a house where “ancestors / were suspended from the walls.” This is a creative and lyrical way to allude to the pictures of their relatives that they saw on a daily basis. Their life was so influenced by these ancestors that it was as though they were still alive. They would, ghost-like (and hyperbolically) descend from their frames and walk through the house “slowly  / as if strolling through a womb.” 

The use of the “womb” image is suggestive of safety, childhood, and the past. The house is the womb where all of these ancestors spent time, and the speaker now lives out their life.

Stanza Two

The roof is a vantage point for birds and pigeons.

 On the stoep in

 (…)

The stars are candles 

which my grandmother has lit.

In the next lines, the speaker goes on to describe another portion of their home, the roof. It’s a “vantage point for birds and pigeons.” Around the house, there is also a gumtree and a chair where the speaker’s “name-sake sits,” or someone who they are named after. This person is older than they are, but no other details are revealed about how they are related. 

Once again emphasizing how important family and heritage are to this speaker and their home, they note that their grandmother “lit” the “stars” 

Stanzas Three and Four 

 Every morning father wakes to find a man 

with a hole in his head

 sleeping in the drift sand

 (…)

I ended up with Rover and the cats 

on the back of a truck 

with all the household goods. 

I thought, if this is part of life, it’s fun.

In the third stanza, the tone of the poem starts to shift. The speaker notes that his father finds “a man / with a hole in his head” every morning. This surprising turn suggests that the area around their home is not as safe as they’d like it to be. People are dying there, specifically, they’re being murdered. 

The speaker also describes, as the scene darkness, their family packing up and leaving. At first, it seemed like “fun.” They put all their household goods into the back of a truck and left their home. This was new to the speaker at the time and its novel nature brought him some joy.

Stanza Five  

At the end of the truck’s journey through 

the sky, we arrived

(…)

At once, I understood why mother cried

In the fifth stanza, the speaker’s poetic language continues, and they are describing pulling into a “toy town of match-box houses.” There, they have to make their new home, and it’s clear that the mother and father don’t want to be there. The houses were “lined up like tombstones in a graveyard.” This very evocative simile suggests that their new home is filled with death or will eventually lead there. The speaker’s understanding of what’s going on changes. He realizes why his mother “cried” as they left their true home and arrived there. 

Structure and Form

‘Childhood in Heidelberg’ by Andries Walter Oliphant is a five-stanza poem that is divided into sets of five, six, seven, or eight lines. These stanzas are written in free verse. This means that the poem does not conform to a specific rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. But, this doesn’t mean the poem is without structure entirely. Readers will find examples of repetition, with similar or related imagery occurring throughout the poem. 

Literary Devices 

Throughout this piece, the poet makes use of several literary devices. These include but are not limited to: 

• Enjambment: occurs when the poet cuts off a line before its natural stopping point. For example, the transition between lines one, two, and three of stanza three.
• Alliteration: can be seen when the poet repeats the same consonant sound at the beginning of words. For example, “giant gumtree” in stanza two and “sun sets” later on in the same stanza.
• Imagery: occurs when the poet uses especially interesting and effective descriptions. For example, “ On hot afternoons / they would descend and walk silently through  / the cool passages.”
• Simile: occurs when the poet makes a comparison between two things using “like” or “as.” For example, “as if strolling through a womb.”

FAQs 

Similar Poetry 

Readers who enjoyed ‘Childhood in Heidelberg’ should also consider reading some related poems. For example: 

• ‘A Far Cry from Africa’ by Derek Walcott – a poem based around the struggles in Africa.
• ‘Nothing’s Changed’ by Tatamkhulu Afrika – talks about the rampant apartheid system in District Six near Cape Town in South Africa, and explores racism.
• ‘Stolen Rivers’ by Phillippa Yea de Villiers – is dedicated to Chiwoniso Maraire, who was well-known as a Zimbabwean singer, songwriter, and an exponent of Zimbabwean mbira music