Modern poetry is not everybody's cup of tea; there are those who are happy to cling to the traditional verse and feel so much at home with it that they almost become masters of it.  Raymond Caruana of Victoria has been writing poetry for the last three decades but it was only of late that he has given us his first anthology entitled Il-Ħajja Bħall-Fjuri (Life is like flowers), collecting into one volume sixty-one of his best poems. 

As students preparing for our Maltese Ordinary Level examination, we have all studied, most of the time by heart, some of the Maltese language's most famous poems.  Verses by our national poet Dun Karm as well as others by Rużar Briffa Anton Buttigieg, Ġorġ Pisani and Karmenu Vassallo became part and parcel of our education.  Most of their poems would have been written in what is known in Maltese as the settenarju and the ottanarju.  This means that most of the traditional poems in our Maltese literature were based on the seven-syllable and the eight-syllable verse.  Raymond Caruana writes all his poems in this style without ever daring to experiment different styles, thus identifying himself with what is now considered as a traditional way of writing poetry.   He seems to feel secure in limiting himself to the use of the eight and seven syllable lines repeating themselves to create a strophe.

Caruana is also traditional in his choice of subjects; his poems are inspired either by the islands' history or by religion themes.  Most of his poems are addressed to patronal saints revered in our towns and villages.  Hailing from Gozo's Rabat, it is to be expected that a couple of his poems are inspired by the military figure of St George while the Virgin Mary features too.  He has a narrative style which at some point borders with the descriptive but his verses are never boring or monotonous.  In some of his poems he writes in the first person singular identifying himself with birds or creatures in order to make his narration more vivid.  His poems lift up the reader's spirits since even when he tackles suffering and pain he is never tragic or pessimistic.  Caruana's poems reflect a solid Christian upbringing within the Catholic tradition; his personal devotion to particular saints comes out clearly in his poems.  Il-Ħajja Bħall-Fjuri can be read in one sitting but I do not suggest it; I would recommend reading one poem at a time so that one may have time to stop and think on what might have motived the poet to put pen to paper and write down his poem.  

The book was published on the initiative of the Cultural Committee within the Ministry of Gozo. Mr Joseph Debrincat member of the same committee was instrumental in publishing the book which was printed by Bonnici Press of Valletta and designed by Mr Joseph Cauchi.  The Hon. Justyne Caruana, Minister for Gozo, praised the initiative and has words of appreciation for Raymond Caruana who put together some of his best poems and provided the public with an anthology that reflects Gozo's religious and historical heritage.  Copies of the book can be obtained directly from the author (99235759) or from the Ministry of Gozo.

 

Published by Bonnici Press; Valletta, 2017, 92 p.