{ Antjie Krog, Neither Family nor Friends. }

[delga]

Neither Family nor Friends
by Antjie Krog

tonight everything speaks through the dead
towards me
your brittle bundle of bones
my longestloved beloved
lies lonely and longingly cradled somewhere lost
and lean
I am overwhelmingly awake tonight
of me so little has become
you are all I had in this world
beloved deathling
alone and cold it is behind my ribs
Africa had me giving up all
it is so dark
it is so bleak
soft beloved taunter
of me so little has become
I am down
to my last skin

nòg familie nòg vriende

alles praat heen deur die dooies
na my toe
jou bros bondel bene
my liefste liewerlee
lê lankuit bewaar
ek is oraloor wakker vannag
maar van my het so min gekom
jy’s al wat ek in die wêreld had
liefste dooieling
alleen en koud is dit tussen
my ribbes Afrika het my alles laat prysgee
dis so donker
dis so kil
sagte koggelaar
van my het so min gekom
ek is af
tot my laaste vel

--

Dear Civil Service Recruitment Gateway,

Way to be complex. Is this the first stage of the interview process? 'Successfully navigated website: has potential'. Well: I HAVE SEEN THROUGH YOUR PLOT.

Very little love,
M

Comments

[melliyna.livejournal.com]

Government Recruitment Websites = tools of some plot or other. I'm not sure what plot, but there's one, it's devious and we've obviously inherited it from the British ;)

[melanie-anne.livejournal.com]

Squee! I love Antjie Krog. And you posted in Afrikaans! Awesome. :)

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Do you know where I can find more of her work? I love the above.

Hee :) I try to read as many translations as possible and, if I can find them, post the source texts.

[melanie-anne.livejournal.com]

Sorry this is such a late response. I'd been looking for a poetry collection (finding anything in my room is a challenge!) and then it turned out not to have any of her poetry after all. *sigh*

So I turned to the Interwebz.

land

Ma will be late

Country of Grief and Grace

my words of love...

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Hee, thank you! These are much appreciated :)