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‘I BEG YOU’ BY LABAN ERAPU POEM ANALYSIS AND REVIEW


‘I Beg You’ is a poem by Laban Erapu about true love and the patience it should draw from those in courtship.


Laban Erapu writes about love in its raw and sincere form. In the poem, the person is talking to the one he or she love. The address is plain and simple; the persona is telling the lover to wait until the love has matured before they take anything serious. The persona reminds the lover that there maybe a lot of temptations along the way and so they ought to remain vigilant in order to avoid unnecessary mistakes.


DISCUSSION

The poem is written as a plea to the lover to be cautious about love. According to the persona, courtship is fiery and very enticing, it may lure one into doing things that they may live to regret. Therefore, the persona is asking for restraint, for careful consideration and for taking time to make the right decisions.


In the poem the persona observes that when love is fiery, heated and embraced quickly, lovers tend to make promises that they may not fulfill. They also tend to rush things which ultimately leads to disappointments and heartbreak. In this regard, the persona is pointing towards careful calculated moves which may lead to mature love.


The poem also mentions something about measured conversations. Lovers are people entangled in a mesh of optimism, in their world, even the unachievable appear just a stone throw away. The persona being aware of this, observes that it is imperative that when one is hypnotised by lover, the partner should talk them out of their dreamy world into reality. In which case, this will lead into less disappointments.


Finally, the persona is aware that when two people in love meet, a lot may go wrong. He calls for consciousness whenever two lovebirds meet a lone. That they should never allow their moments alone lead to something they would regret. It is best, they pull back and walk their separate ways.


I Beg You, unlike I Met a Thief is a poem that calls for caution and taking time. In “I Beg You’ the persona is wary of rushed intimacy and wants to be cautious especially with the matters of the heart. On the other hand, in ‘I Met a Thief’ the persona is reckless with love thus ends up being hurt.


‘I Beg You’ is a good moral poem for high school students due to its easy language and strong emphasis on friendship. It teaches about patience while building trust to point where, intimacy is not transactional but a point towards mutual understanding, growth and fulfillment. In the poem, intimacy is not a reward for being together but an ultimate goal for being patient to build a stronger unbreakable bond.


THEMES

Restraint vs Rushed love

The poem recognizes that sometimes passion may grow faster than we can control it but if caution is practiced, we can avoid surrendering to passion until love has fully grown. Rushed love my bring regret but restraint builds trust.


Pride and Ego

Courtship is about selling the best part of you. This often leads to pride and a show of might, accordingly, when pride is high, one may promise dreams they would never achieve or do things they will live to regret. The persona notes that, it is best for one to ensure that pride is fully managed before they could go any further.


Time as a Test of Love

In courtship, ‘surrendering to passion’ sooner shows that love exists. Many break ups occur when one of the partners exercises restraint. However, the persona says true love ‘waits’ until love ‘is primed.’


Fear of Premature/False commitment

It is true that men stop thinking rationally when aroused. The persona aware of this weakness pleads with the lover to instead kiss him before he makes promises he cannot keep.


Space and Freedom when Dating

relationships are sometimes about manipulation and false promises. The persona, fully aware of this, cautions on respecting each other’s space and freedom. He says, ‘Let’s say good bye for the day and walk our separate ways.’ This line holds strong connotation against clinginess and unnecessary surveillance like checking her phone or getting irritated when he/she does not respond in time.


 

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