Full Title: Snowflakes Sail Gently Down

Author: Gabriel Imomotimi Gbaingbain Okara 

Life Duration: (1921–2019)

Written Date: Around the 1960s

Published Date: Exact date not clearly recorded; published during the post-independence period of African literature

First Collected In: Collected Poems of Gabriel Okara (2016)

Publisher: Various Nigerian and international anthologies of African poetry

Genre: Nature poem / Reflective poem

Form: Free verse poem without a fixed rhyme scheme

Rhyme Scheme: Irregular; uses soft rhythm, repetition, and vivid imagery instead of end rhymes

Total Lines: Not fixed (varies slightly by publication version)

Total Stanza: Not fixed; written as a continuous flowing reflection

Meter: Free and musical rhythm that mimics the gentle fall of snow

Tone: Peaceful, calm, reflective, and meditative

Point of View: First-person (the poet’s quiet observation and emotional reflection)

Climax: The realization that snow covers everything equally, symbolizing purity, renewal, and peace in both nature and human life.

Summary in One Line: The poem portrays the quiet beauty of falling snow as a symbol of peace, purity, and renewal of the world.

Famous Line: “Snowflakes sail gently down, softening the world below.”

Setting:

• Time Setting: A peaceful winter moment during snowfall
• Place Setting: A calm and silent snowy landscape representing purity, harmony, and reflection