Mamang Dai’s poem Small Towns and the River is a moving meditation on life, death, and the eternal pulse of nature. Through vivid imagery and personification, Dai contrasts the static, often sorrowful atmosphere of small-town life with the ceaseless, soulful flow of a river—a symbol of nature’s immortality.
In this post, we’ll break down the poem’s journey using an arrow diagram and include the original stanzas so you can experience its beauty all in one place.
The Original Poem
Small towns always remind me of death.
My hometown lies calmly amidst the trees,
it is always the same,
in summer or winter,
with the dust flying,
or the wind howling down the gorge.
Just the other day someone died.
In the dreadful silence we wept
looking at the sad wreath of tuberoses.
Life and death, life and death,
only the rituals are permanent.
The river has a soul.
In the summer it cuts through the land
like a torrent of grief. Sometimes,
sometimes, I think it holds its breath
seeking a land of fish and stars
The river has a soul.
It knows, stretching past the town,
from the first drop of rain to dry earth
and mist on the mountaintops,
the river knows
the immortality of water.
A shrine of happy pictures
marks the days of childhood.
Small towns grow with anxiety for the future.
The dead are placed pointing west.
When the soul rises
it will walk into the golden east,
into the house of the sun.
In the cool bamboo,
restored in sunlight,
life matters, like this.
In small towns by the river
we all want to walk with the gods
Breaking Down the Poem
Below is a step-by-step flow of the poem’s progression, visualized through an arrow diagram that captures its central themes and imagery:
Opening Mood & Setting
→ "Small towns always remind me of death. My hometown lies calmly amidst the trees, it is always the same, in summer or winter, with the dust flying, or the wind howling down the gorge."
The poem opens by establishing the somber, unchanging atmosphere of small-town life—a place steeped in the presence of death and monotony.
↓
Confrontation with Mortality
→ "Just the other day someone died. In the dreadful silence we wept looking at the sad wreath of tuberoses. Life and death, life and death, only the rituals are permanent."
Here, the poem reflects on the inevitability of death. Mourning and ritual become the constants in a life where change is scarce.
↓
The River’s Entrance
→ "The river has a soul. In the summer it cuts through the land like a torrent of grief. Sometimes, sometimes, I think it holds its breath seeking a land of fish and stars"
The river is introduced as a living, sentient force—a stark contrast to the stagnant, sorrowful town. Its perpetual flow and mystery symbolize nature’s eternal cycle.
↓
Nature’s Immortality & the Flow of Time
→ "It knows, stretching past the town, from the first drop of rain to dry earth and mist on the mountaintops, the river knows the immortality of water."
The river’s journey from rain to dry earth, and even to mist, emphasizes nature’s unending life force and resilience, knowing no end.
↓
Reflections on Childhood & Future Anxieties
→ "A shrine of happy pictures marks the days of childhood. Small towns grow with anxiety for the future."
A nostalgic glimpse at childhood offers a stark contrast to the heavy burden of adult anxieties and the inevitable march toward an uncertain future.
↓
Rituals of Death & Hints of Afterlife
→ "The dead are placed pointing west. When the soul rises it will walk into the golden east, into the house of the sun."
Directional symbolism here—west for the dead, east for rebirth—suggests that while physical life is transient, there is hope and renewal in the cycle of existence.
↓
Renewal & the Desire for Transcendence
→ "In the cool bamboo, restored in sunlight, life matters, like this. In small towns by the river we all want to walk with the gods."
The poem concludes on an uplifting note. Despite the omnipresence of death, there is a profound yearning to transcend mortal limits and embrace a more divine, eternal existence.
Final Reflections
Small Towns and the River invites us to ponder the fragile beauty of life in contrast with nature’s relentless continuity. Mamang Dai uses rich imagery—be it the mournful silence of a town, the soulful journey of a river, or the symbolic directions of the dead and the rising soul—to remind us that while human life is fleeting, the natural world endures.
The poem gently nudges us toward accepting life’s transience and, in doing so, to cherish the moments of renewal and hope.
Through this lyrical journey, we witness:
• The inevitability of death and the permanence of rituals that bind communities.
• The river as a metaphor for life’s ceaseless flow, a living testament to nature’s undying spirit.
• The interplay between childhood innocence and adult anxieties, highlighting how our perceptions shift as we grow.
• The promise of rebirth and transcendence, where even in the wake of death, there lies the possibility of walking with the gods.
Mamang Dai’s voice is both reflective and serene—a quiet surge that carries deep emotion without resorting to flamboyant expression. In small towns by the river, as she so beautifully puts it, we all long to touch the eternal.
That is all I wanted to share with you....
