Joe Galea: Dija a collection of poems, Carmelite Institute Malta Publication, 2011, 123 pp. €7.50

I have already commented on Joe Galea’s (Fr Gioele) three previous collections of poetry: Ifrixli Ħdanek Beraħ (1996), O Għatx Imkebbes Fjamma (2007) and Dmija Fuq Il-Borra (2009).

The first collection, Ifrixli Ħdanek Beraħ, was a sort of prelude to the poetic journey that was to come.

It was an intimate rapport between God and man, the ecstatic poetic outbursts of a young man who had already dedicated himself and his life to God.

These were the writings of a young poet whose love for God could only be expressed and satiated in the lyrical outbursts reminiscent of St John of the Cross.

In that collection, fire played a major part in many of the poems. Each was an exercise in spiritual abandon, each symbolised love, at once ecstatic and painful, intense in its impassioned declamations and impatient yearnings.

In O Għatx Imkebbes Fjamma, fire was the main theme, and even went into the title. Eleven years had passed and the poet’s love and yearning for God had intensified.

The lines became more impassioned, restless, the yearning almost unbearable, and this highlighted the sheer beauty of the former lyrics the author had penned.

In Dmija Fuq Il-Borra, besides the symbolic importance of fire as a metaphor denoting impassioned love, the poet resorted to blood, adding equal intensity to its meaning and its symbolism of both love and pain.

Again, each poem was absolutely lyrical, often akin to a veritable prayer. In most one could again feel the pain, spiritual rather than physical, nurtured by hope, a pain that would paradoxically metamorphose into a joy bordering on a final ecstasy.

Now we have Dija, which includes 81 poems written between 2007 and 2010. In this collection water plays a major part; it is often symbolised as the spiritual thirst quencher, perfectly complementing the symbolism the poet had previously resorted to.

The many references to water in this collection seem to add an elemental touch to the final treks of the coveted journey in search of God, the poets’ greatest wish.

We feel, as he does, that he is getting nearer to his goal as, once again with utmost intensity, he strives to satisfy the raison d’être of his life, that of ultimately becoming one with God.

The poetry here attests to that conjecture. A little of everything that went into the previous three collections has found itself into this one, but here the poetry has reached sublime heights: poems such as Ejja, Ruħ Tiegħi, Ejja, Qatra, Ragħwa, Delirju, Frott, Eċċess, Din Patmos, La L-Ilma Jalgħaq Fuqna, Kontempalzzjoni, Fidwa and Qxur are real gems.

In an excellent critical introduction to the book, entitled Dawl Mid-Dlam, Fr Charlo’ Camilleri delves deep into these poems. His analysis examines mystic, philosophical and literary aspects vis-à-vis the poet and his works, correctly asserting that these latest poetic outbursts attest not only to Galea’s poetic stance but also to his maturity, both physical and spiritual.