Spotlight - Joseph Contrad

              by Artur Wielgus

          Joseph Conrad (150th anniversary, 2007)

In Memory of Joseph Conrad

Man of the sea, why are you departing, forever away,
touching a sail on the ship that glides, fading as a wave?
Winds of seas only waving, hugging flags goodbye for the brave.
The sails of your ship are shyly caressing wind at play.
Sorrow hymn is soaring and the grief is rising to the sky;
requiem of songs under the clouds, reminiscent of your ply.
Beyond depths of the ocean, you only become more silent.
In solitude your hardship; also love was born, peace, and strength.
Waves are rising and bowing - you on the ship as an island.
Urns with homeland's soil are swinging slowly to the rhythm.

Earth was bound with the ribbon of the water behind your ship.
The birds flew down on us, in your books of imagination;
there presiding, noble is spirit of right aspiration,
vivid pictures, distant lands - true landscapes. Now awaits a grief,
helm is free: forward, forward, guide to safety ship in distress;
flee from rocks under water far, after thick fog is dispersed.
The drums are playing long, in your honor, quiet requiem song.
Requiem pageant, dark covered in silence standing, all aboard.
Your noble urns of rest are anxious - saluted with the gong.
Enlighten, we shall carry your thoughts to the sides of the World.

© Artur Wielgus 2002

Johnny Highlander

Based on Amy Foster novel by Joseph Conrad. Commemorating 150 anniversary of  J.C. birth.

Johnny’s situation became very hard after the ship on which he was traveling to America had been destroyed and he became the only survivor. Johnny was in nervous shock.

He did not know where in the world he landed. He was hungry, wet and barely alive while local people had demonstrated hostile attitudes toward him. The barrier of language was the biggest obstacle, which prejudged the entire further hostile disposition of people toward the hero of the novel. Johnny would have died from hunger if Amy Foster had not helped him.

Amy, moved by pity, gave Johnny bread when he had been locked in wood-shed by Mr. Smith, who thought that Johnny presented a danger to society. Mr. Swaffer, who visited Smith in order to advise him what to do with the intruder, finally took Johnny with him.

Johnny then was working on the Swaffer farm as the helper. Friendship between Johnny and Amy developed later into the romance.

One day, while working on the Swaffer farm, Johnny saved the life of Swaffer’s three year old granddaughter, who nearly drowned herself in a pond. Mr. Swaffer was very thankful to Johnny for that.

From that time on, Johnny was allowed to eat in the kitchen with the Swaffer family, was receiving regular wages for his work and later when Johnny said that he would like to marry Amy Foster, he received from Mr. Swaffer an acre of land and a small cottage as his possession.

After Johnny married Amy, he changed his social status for better and when his son was born, Johnny became so happy that he would teach him his native language and would have a man to talk to.

People still did not want to accept Johnny in their society because he was different and did not know their language well. One day Johnny became sick, had high fever and he had asked his wife for water. She did not understand, because he was talking in his vernacular. Then he was shouting at her, got up and was walking toward her. Amy got scared, grabbed her baby from the crib and ran away to her father's house.

Next day in the morning, Kennedy, the village doctor found Johnny lying with his mouth next to the puddle. He was trying to drink the water. The doctor and his helper brought him to the cottage but in a few moments Johnny passed away. The doctor found out that the cause of Johnny’s death was heart attack.

I think that other contributing factors to Johnny’s death were isolation from society, loneliness and lack of support on part of his wife. The biggest tragedy for Johnny was the separation from his fatherland, his family and friends. This is the problem of all emigrants and it was also a painful experience of Joseph Conrad, the author of the Amy Foster novel.

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