Lament for a dead cow: Francis Carey Slater (Chant by Xhosa family on the death of Wetu, their only cow) Siyalila, siyalila, inkomo yetu ifile! Beautiful was Wetu as a blue shadow That nests on the grey rocks About a sunbaked hilltop: Her coat was black and shiny 5 Like an isipingo-berry; Her horns were as sharp as the horns of the new moon That tosses aloft the evening star; Her round eyes were as clear and soft As a mountain pool, 10 Where shadows dive from the high rocks. No more will Wetu banish teasing flies With her whistling tail; No more will she face yapping curs With lowered horns and bewildered eyes; 15 No more will her slow shadow Comfort the sunburnt veld, and her sweet lowing Delight the hills in the evening. The fountain that filled our calabashes Has been drained by a thirsty sun; 20 The black cloud that brought us white rain Has vanished – the sky is empty;Our kraal is desolate;Our calabashes are dry:And we weep.2
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 13:33:22 +0000
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