“Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok: A Critical Anlaysis

Introduction: “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok

Table of Contents

“Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok first appeared in Love Is Not Enough (Singapore: Times Editions, 1991, p. 59) and was later reprinted in Writing Singapore: An Anthology of Texts (London: Macmillan, 1989). The poem captures the emotional ambivalence of returning expatriates who, though “no stranger[s] from absence,” experience both familiarity and alienation as they revisit their homeland. Through vivid imagery of “hawker food,” “gula melaka,” and “rojak,” Leong reconstructs the sensory and cultural landscape of Singapore, highlighting the tension between nostalgia and estrangement. The “equatorial heat” and “laterite roots” evoke both rootedness and disconnection, suggesting that while the land endures, its people and memories evolve. The closing lines—“To end is after all to start, / To come home, to know where you belong”—encapsulate the cyclical nature of belonging and exile. The poem’s popularity lies in its poignant articulation of diasporic identity, the dual consciousness of home and elsewhere, and its delicate balance between irony and affection toward the homeland (Leong, 1991, p. 59).

Text: “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok

No stranger from absence
They come to see
New streets, pick hawker
Food, soak the crooked
Equatorial heat.
Orchids, hibiscus,
Greens of weeds and grass
Throw up, bruising
Eyes accustomed to less.

Chewing satay
Dripping kuah, they watch
Gula melaka leach
Chendol’s peaks;
Ask for rojak: hot-salt-sweet-sour
Aftertaste of past aches
Assorted on a plastic plate.

Families dispersed,
Laterite roots
Neither present nor future
Can disturb. So ancestral graves
Remain, untouched
In native earth.

Their children thrive
Elsewhere. These visitors
Shed no tears.
Place pierces,
Still their native tongue.

Exiles compare
Notes, size things up,
Scour bargains
Between torrid heat and temperate zone,
The yin and yang of home.

To end is after all to start,
To come home, to know where you belong.
Secure, they depart
And then return to air
Secrets of their zig-zag hearts.

Annotations: “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok

Line(s)	Explanation	Literary Devices
1. “No stranger from absence”	The exiles are not strangers to their homeland despite having been away; they still feel a connection.	Paradox, Ellipsis, Irony
2. “They come to see”	The returning exiles visit their homeland to observe how it has changed.	Simple diction, Enjambment
3. “New streets, pick hawker”	They walk through modernized streets and choose food from street vendors—symbols of local culture.	Imagery, Synecdoche
4. “Food, soak the crooked / Equatorial heat.”	They experience tropical humidity and local flavors; “crooked” conveys the intensity and discomfort of heat.	Sensory imagery, Personification
5–6. “Orchids, hibiscus, / Greens of weeds and grass”	The lush tropical flora reflects vitality and abundance of Singapore.	Natural imagery, Symbolism (roots, belonging)
7–8. “Throw up, bruising / Eyes accustomed to less.”	The bright colors overwhelm them after years abroad; “bruising eyes” suggests cultural and sensory shock.	Metaphor, Hyperbole, Personification
9–10. “Chewing satay / Dripping kuah, they watch”	They enjoy satay (skewered meat) with peanut sauce, symbolizing reconnection through food and memory.	Cultural imagery, Symbolism
11–12. “Gula melaka leach / Chendol’s peaks;”	The melting palm sugar over a local dessert (chendol) evokes sweetness and nostalgia.	Imagery, Symbolism (melting = time, decay)
13–14. “Ask for rojak: hot-salt-sweet-sour / Aftertaste of past aches”	The dish “rojak” symbolizes mixed emotions—its complex taste mirrors bittersweet feelings of return.	Metaphor, Symbolism, Juxtaposition
15–16. “Assorted on a plastic plate.”	The “plastic plate” highlights modern artificiality versus natural memory; emotions are served casually.	Symbolism, Irony
17–18. “Families dispersed, / Laterite roots”	Their families are scattered; “laterite roots” refer to the reddish tropical soil symbolizing ancestral connection.	Symbolism, Alliteration, Imagery
19–20. “Neither present nor future / Can disturb.”	Their roots—heritage and ancestry—remain untouched by time or modernity.	Contrast, Temporal imagery
21–22. “So ancestral graves / Remain, untouched / In native earth.”	The graves stand as symbols of permanence and cultural continuity.	Symbolism, Imagery, Alliteration
23–24. “Their children thrive / Elsewhere.”	The next generation prospers abroad, reflecting globalization and displacement.	Irony, Contrast
25–26. “These visitors / Shed no tears.”	The exiles feel emotional detachment—nostalgia without sentimentality.	Irony, Tone (detached), Antithesis
27–28. “Place pierces, / Still their native tongue.”	The homeland evokes pain yet preserves their identity; “place pierces” conveys deep emotional sting.	Personification, Paradox, Alliteration
29–31. “Exiles compare / Notes, size things up, / Scour bargains”	They discuss changes, compare economies, and measure progress—a pragmatic, modern perspective.	Irony, Alliteration
32–33. “Between torrid heat and temperate zone, / The yin and yang of home.”	The contrast between tropical and temperate climates symbolizes dual identity and cultural balance.	Antithesis, Symbolism, Allusion (Yin-Yang)
34–35. “To end is after all to start, / To come home, to know where you belong.”	Returning home gives closure and renewed identity; ending one journey begins another.	Paradox, Epiphany, Circular structure
36–37. “Secure, they depart / And then return to air”	Feeling temporarily at peace, they leave again, suggesting the cycle of migration continues.	Irony, Symbolism (air = transience, freedom)
38–39. “Secrets of their zig-zag hearts.”	“Zig-zag” reflects fragmented identities, emotional conflicts, and the restless nature of belonging.	Metaphor, Symbolism, Alliteration

Literary And Poetic Devices: “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok

Device	Example from Poem	Definition & Explanation
2. Allusion	“Hawker / Food,” “Gula melaka,” “rojak”	An indirect reference to cultural or historical elements. The poet alludes to Singapore’s multicultural street food, symbolizing the layers of ethnic and emotional identity in returning exiles.
3. Assonance	“Greens of weeds and grass”	The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words. The long “ee” sound evokes lushness and excess, mirroring the overwhelming visual richness of tropical nature.
4. Caesura	“Families dispersed, / Laterite roots”	A pause or break within a poetic line. The comma divides the generational and emotional distance between scattered families and the grounded “roots” that remain untouched.
5. Contrast	“Between torrid heat and temperate zone”	The presentation of opposing ideas or images. The contrast between climatic zones represents the emotional split between homeland passion and foreign restraint.
6. Cultural Symbolism	“Orchids, hibiscus, / Greens of weeds and grass”	The use of culturally specific images to represent broader meanings. Tropical flora symbolize the vibrancy, continuity, and rootedness of Singaporean identity despite migration.
7. Enjambment	“They come to see / New streets, pick hawker / Food, soak the crooked / Equatorial heat.”	The continuation of a sentence beyond a line break. The flow mirrors the restless movement of the returning exiles as they navigate familiar yet changed spaces.
8. Imagery	“Chewing satay / Dripping kuah, they watch / Gula melaka leach / Chendol’s peaks.”	Language that appeals to the senses. The vivid description of taste, smell, and sight immerses readers in Singapore’s sensory world, reflecting nostalgic longing.
9. Irony	“Secure, they depart / And then return to air / Secrets of their zig-zag hearts.”	A contrast between what is expected and what occurs. Though “secure,” the exiles’ hearts remain unsettled, revealing the irony of emotional exile despite physical return.
10. Juxtaposition	“To end is after all to start, / To come home, to know where you belong.”	The placement of contrasting ideas side by side. The tension between ending and beginning conveys the cyclical process of departure, discovery, and belonging.
11. Metaphor	“Laterite roots / Neither present nor future / Can disturb.”	A comparison without “like” or “as.” The “roots” metaphorically represent ancestry and identity, symbolizing cultural permanence unaffected by distance or time.
12. Mood	“These visitors / Shed no tears.”	The overall emotional atmosphere of a poem. The mood is bittersweet and reflective, suggesting quiet detachment mixed with lingering affection for the homeland.
13. Oxymoron	“Hot-salt-sweet-sour / Aftertaste of past aches”	A combination of contradictory words. The fusion of flavors mirrors the complex emotional mixture of nostalgia, pain, and affection associated with homecoming.
14. Paradox	“To end is after all to start.”	A statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals truth. The paradox reflects the transformation that endings bring—renewal through return and rediscovery.
15. Personification	“Place pierces, / Still their native tongue.”	Giving human qualities to non-human elements. The homeland (“place”) is personified as emotionally piercing, showing how deeply rooted cultural identity remains.
16. Sensory Imagery (Synesthesia)	“Hot-salt-sweet-sour / Aftertaste of past aches”	The blending of sensory perceptions. The combination of taste and emotional pain fuses physical and psychological experiences of nostalgia.
17. Symbolism	“Ancestral graves / Remain, untouched / In native earth.”	The use of concrete objects to signify abstract ideas. The graves symbolize heritage and continuity, representing an unbroken link between the exiles and their homeland.
18. Tone	“Secure, they depart…”	The poet’s attitude toward the subject. The tone is contemplative yet ironic, balancing pride in cultural roots with awareness of distance and change.
19. Visual Imagery	“Greens of weeds and grass / Throw up, bruising / Eyes accustomed to less.”	Language appealing to sight. The striking visual contrast between abundance and deprivation highlights the exiles’ sensory shock and emotional readjustment.
20. Yin-Yang Symbolism	“Between torrid heat and temperate zone, / The yin and yang of home.”	A symbolic representation of duality. The yin-yang metaphor conveys balance and contradiction—the coexistence of familiarity and foreignness, love and detachment.

Themes: “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok

🌏 Theme 1: Diaspora and Displacement: “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok poignantly captures the emotional geography of displacement. The “exiles” are visitors “no stranger from absence,” suggesting that despite their physical distance, their emotional connection to home persists. Yet, their homecoming reveals the alienation of belonging to two worlds—“between torrid heat and temperate zone.” The poem juxtaposes the comfort of familiarity with the estrangement of modernization through images like “new streets” and “hawker food,” symbols of both continuity and change. The exiles’ children “thrive elsewhere,” signifying the generational diffusion of identity. Their inability to “shed tears” highlights emotional dislocation, where memory is preserved but sentiment eroded. Thus, displacement becomes not just spatial but psychological—a state of being “secure” yet perpetually in motion, departing and returning to “air secrets of their zig-zag hearts.” The poem underscores how exile transforms belonging into a transient emotion rather than a stable homecoming.

🌺 Theme 2: Memory, Nostalgia, and Cultural Identity: “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok saturates every sensory detail with nostalgia—from “chewing satay dripping kuah” to “Gula melaka leach chendol’s peaks.” These vivid cultural markers act as mnemonic devices, evoking a longing for the homeland’s taste, texture, and warmth. Food here is not mere sustenance but a metaphor for cultural identity, embodying the “aftertaste of past aches.” The poet uses tropical imagery—“Orchids, hibiscus, greens of weeds and grass”—to contrast the lush vitality of memory against the muted tones of exile. Yet, the nostalgia is bittersweet; the exiles “shed no tears,” for the homeland has become a place of remembrance rather than residence. The ancestral “laterite roots” that “neither present nor future can disturb” signify cultural permanence amid personal displacement. Leong’s delicate balance of emotion and restraint reveals that memory and identity survive, not in permanence, but through their ability to adapt across borders and generations.

🪶 Theme 3: The Paradox of Belonging and Alienation: “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok unfolds as a meditation on the duality of belonging and alienation. The title itself embodies irony: the “return” of exiles should restore belonging, yet it instead exposes estrangement. The poet encapsulates this paradox in lines like “Place pierces, still their native tongue,” where home simultaneously comforts and wounds. The exiles’ interaction with the homeland is both intimate and detached—they “scour bargains” and “size things up,” observing rather than participating. Their sense of rootedness lies beneath the surface, in “ancestral graves” and “native earth,” while their lived reality remains transient, “secure” only in departure. The oscillation between emotional attachment and pragmatic detachment—between “torrid heat and temperate zone”—creates a yin-yang of home, symbolizing divided identity. Leong presents belonging not as a fixed state but as an ongoing negotiation between memory and modernity, heart and homeland.

🌿 Theme 4: Continuity, Change, and the Cycles of Return: “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok explores how time transforms both place and people, weaving a meditation on continuity and change. The exiles encounter “new streets” and “crooked equatorial heat,” reminders that the homeland has evolved beyond memory. Yet amid this change, certain anchors remain: “ancestral graves remain untouched / in native earth.” This contrast between permanence and flux mirrors the cyclical rhythm of exile—departure, return, and re-departure. The closing lines, “To end is after all to start,” and “Secure, they depart,” articulate the eternal recurrence of migration and emotional renewal. Home becomes less a physical location than a psychological state—where endings are beginnings, and every return redefines identity. The “zig-zag hearts” of the exiles symbolize this non-linear continuity, fragmented yet resilient. Through this rhythm of return, Leong portrays the modern exile’s life as a perpetual dialogue between rootedness and reinvention, memory and movement.

Literary Theories and “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok

Literary Theory	Application with Reference from the Poem
1. Postcolonial Theory	In “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok, postcolonial theory highlights the exiles’ negotiation between colonial modernity and native identity. The lines “Between torrid heat and temperate zone, / The yin and yang of home” symbolize a cultural duality—caught between Western influence (“temperate zone”) and Eastern roots (“torrid heat”). The exiles’ act of “scouring bargains” in their homeland reveals a commodified gaze shaped by colonial experience. Leong’s imagery of “new streets” and “hawker food” reflects the postcolonial transformation of Singapore, where identity is reconstructed through both continuity and change.
2. Diaspora / Transnational Theory	The poem epitomizes diasporic consciousness—nostalgic yet detached. Through food metaphors like “Ask for rojak: hot-salt-sweet-sour / Aftertaste of past aches,” Leong encodes the complexity of hybrid identity. “Rojak,” a local mixed dish, becomes a metaphor for cultural blending and emotional contradiction. The exiles’ “children thrive elsewhere,” showing transnational dispersion and the transformation of belonging into memory. The homeland becomes an archive of sensory nostalgia—experienced through taste, smell, and climate—yet remains distant and idealized, mirroring diasporic identity suspended between nations.
3. Psychoanalytic Theory	From a psychoanalytic lens, the poem represents the unconscious struggle between desire for home and fear of displacement. The line “Place pierces, / Still their native tongue” captures the trauma of return—the homeland evokes pain (“pierces”) even as language anchors identity. The “zig-zag hearts” at the end symbolize divided selves, haunted by incomplete reconciliation. The return is not healing but repetition; a Freudian compulsion to revisit the repressed past that shapes the exiles’ fragmented subjectivity.
4. Ecocriticism	Leong uses tropical imagery—“Orchids, hibiscus, greens of weeds and grass”—to connect nature with memory and belonging. Ecocritically, the landscape acts as a living archive of cultural identity. The “crooked equatorial heat” and “laterite roots” symbolize continuity with the land that “neither present nor future can disturb.” Nature preserves what modernization erodes; it mirrors the exiles’ inner turbulence while offering a sense of rootedness beyond geography. The environment thus becomes both home and history, reflecting ecological and emotional continuity within displacement.

Critical Questions about “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok

🌺 Question 1: How does “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok portray the theme of displacement and belonging?

“Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok captures the emotional paradox of exile—the simultaneous yearning for and detachment from one’s homeland. The exiles are “no stranger from absence,” suggesting familiarity with distance yet unease in presence. As they walk through “new streets” and taste “hawker food,” sensory memories trigger nostalgia but not comfort. The “hot-salt-sweet-sour aftertaste of past aches” symbolizes the layered pain and pleasure of remembering home. Even as they “shed no tears,” the homeland “pierces still their native tongue,” proving that language and memory preserve belonging despite displacement. The final lines—“To end is after all to start, / To come home, to know where you belong”—resolve this conflict: exile is not a rupture but a cyclical journey of rediscovery. Thus, the poem reflects the diasporic consciousness of being both insider and outsider—rooted and uprooted at once.

🌿 Question 2: In what ways does “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok use sensory imagery to reconstruct memory and identity?

“Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok relies heavily on vivid sensory imagery—taste, smell, and sight—to evoke the homeland’s texture and reconstruct identity. Through the imagery of food—“chewing satay dripping kuah,” “gula melaka leach chendol’s peaks,” and “rojak: hot-salt-sweet-sour”—the poet turns culinary details into metaphors of cultural memory. Each flavor evokes emotional resonance, reminding the exiles of both pleasure and pain. The “greens of weeds and grass” that “bruise eyes accustomed to less” use visual imagery to depict sensory overload, contrasting the abundance of homeland nature with the restrained landscapes of exile. Such imagery serves as an anchor for displaced identity: through smell and taste, the exiles momentarily reclaim what they have lost. However, the “aftertaste of past aches” reveals that memory is bittersweet—identity can be remembered but not relived. The poem thus transforms sensory experience into a medium of both remembrance and self-realization.

🌸 Question 3: How does “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok explore generational continuity and cultural roots?

In “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok, the poet reflects on generational separation and cultural persistence through the imagery of “families dispersed, / Laterite roots neither present nor future can disturb.” The metaphor of “roots” symbolizes the deep ancestral connection that survives despite geographical distance and temporal change. The “ancestral graves remain, untouched / In native earth” signify the permanence of cultural identity anchored in homeland soil, even as descendants live “elsewhere.” Yet, there is resignation in the tone—“these visitors shed no tears”—indicating acceptance of generational transformation. The older generation’s emotional connection contrasts with the children who “thrive elsewhere,” embodying adaptation and assimilation. Still, the poem insists that heritage remains intact—“place pierces, still their native tongue.” Language and memory act as unbroken threads across generations. Thus, Leong celebrates endurance in cultural identity, affirming that displacement cannot erase the moral and emotional inheritance of one’s origins.

🌼 Question 4: What does “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok suggest about the paradox of homecoming?

“Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok presents homecoming not as fulfillment but as paradox—a confrontation between memory and change. The exiles return to a homeland both familiar and estranged: “new streets” and “crooked equatorial heat” remind them that time alters even what was once home. Their visits are transactional—“exiles compare notes, size things up, scour bargains”—suggesting emotional detachment replaced by pragmatic curiosity. Yet, beneath their composure, “place pierces,” exposing hidden longing. The duality reaches its peak in the line “between torrid heat and temperate zone, the yin and yang of home,” expressing the push and pull between belonging and alienation. Ultimately, the poem concludes that “to end is after all to start,” redefining home as a process of continual departure and rediscovery. Leong’s exiles embody the modern diasporic self—at once secure in movement and unsettled in return, carrying multiple versions of “home” within.

Literary Works Similar to “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok

🏝️ “Homecoming” by Lenrie Peters

Peters’ “Homecoming” mirrors “Exiles Return” in depicting the bittersweet experience of returning to one’s homeland after long absence. Both poets highlight how memory idealizes the past, while reality exposes change and disconnection between self and society.

🍃 “A Far Cry from Africa” by Derek Walcott

Like Leong’s “Exiles Return,” Walcott’s poem deals with divided identity and postcolonial belonging. Both poets express tension between love for homeland and the alienation caused by cultural hybridity, colonial history, and the loss of pure roots.

🕊️ “Postcard from Kashmir” by Agha Shahid Ali

Ali’s “Postcard from Kashmir” parallels “Exiles Return” in its nostalgic tone and emotional exile. Both poets use visual and sensory imagery to express the longing for a homeland idealized through memory, yet unreachable in reality.

Representative Quotations of “Exiles Return” by Leong Liew Geok

🌸 Quotation	📖 Context & Theoretical Perspective
🌿 “No stranger from absence”	Postcolonial Perspective: The opening line establishes the paradox of the exiles’ identity — though absent, they remain emotionally connected. It reflects the postcolonial condition of displacement where identity is continuous despite distance.
🍃 “New streets, pick hawker food”	Cultural Materialism: The modernization of the homeland is visible through consumer culture and urban growth. The exiles confront a commercialized version of home, symbolizing material transformation under postcolonial capitalism.
🪷 “Orchids, hibiscus, greens of weeds and grass / Throw up, bruising eyes accustomed to less”	Ecocritical Perspective: The tropical flora represents sensory overload and re-encounter with native ecology. The lush imagery contrasts with the restraint of exile life, symbolizing reconnection through nature.
🥢 “Chewing satay dripping kuah”	Diaspora Theory: Food serves as a cultural mnemonic linking identity and homeland. The act of eating local cuisine evokes diasporic nostalgia, reconnecting the exiles to collective memory through taste.
🍯 “Ask for rojak: hot-salt-sweet-sour / Aftertaste of past aches”	Transnational Identity: “Rojak,” a mixed dish, symbolizes cultural hybridity and emotional ambivalence. The “aftertaste” reflects the bittersweet fusion of multiple homes, languages, and identities.
🪶 “Families dispersed, laterite roots / Neither present nor future can disturb.”	Psychoanalytic & Postcolonial Perspective: The ancestral “roots” symbolize unconscious attachment to homeland and cultural memory. This line embodies collective continuity amid temporal and emotional displacement.
💧 “These visitors shed no tears.”	Existential Perspective: The emotional detachment signifies modern alienation — they observe without mourning. This loss of affect illustrates how displacement dulls emotional intimacy with home.
🔥 “Place pierces, still their native tongue.”	Psychoanalytic & Linguistic Perspective: The homeland “pierces” the psyche, while the native tongue represents the unconscious persistence of identity. Language becomes both wound and refuge in exile.
☯️ “Between torrid heat and temperate zone, / The yin and yang of home.”	Postcolonial Hybridity: The climatic contrast represents cultural duality — East versus West, tradition versus modernity. The “yin and yang” captures the balanced tension of hybrid identity.
🕊️ “To end is after all to start, / To come home, to know where you belong.”	Philosophical Humanism: The poem concludes with renewal through cyclical return. The lines affirm existential reconciliation, suggesting that belonging is a process, not a place.