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Subject: A Zulu poem. THE HERO OF BRITAIN Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:12 pm
Stumbled across this while surfing the web. I suppose that’s how they perceived us. And why not..
Zulu poem translated into English.
THE HERO OF BRITAIN
when we greet him, we call him: Steaming Body when we give him a nickname, we call him Burning Body when the imbongi gives him a name, it is: Damned Body come! come and report here!
let everyone gather and observe well let everyone assure themselves with regard to him and compare let all the peoples come together to see what kind of creature he is because he cannot be looked at and a person does not reach him in a straight-forward way
here comes the hero of Britain a descendant of the buffalo cow, Victoria that god-like woman in the land of humanity she is like a ghost, wielding magic and a priest of war
here he comes, the son of George the Fifth from the head house of the royal household a man the colour of cow dung whose eyes shoot lightning if he looks you in the eye you go blind the cow-dung-coloured man – oh the single pat of dung his eyes have a life of their own when he looks at you
here comes the son of the blackest cow dung in the kraal here he comes with elder’s blue crane feathers here he comes with the necklace of courage and the soft apron of a duiker skin he smells of scented herbs of the perfume of headmen he reeks of mint and the sweet-smelling grass of woven armbands he smells of aromatic bushes and tamboti his face is decorated with little white spots he walks neatly on his toes like a leopard come and report here you Philistine
hayi, Great Britain here you come with a bottle in one hand and a Bible in the other here you come with your vicar who is supported by a soldier you come with gunpowder and bullets with canon and guns Forgive me O God, hear us, to whom must we listen? Hail Calf-of-the-great-Beast he who tramples underfoot everything that is already trampled underfoot pass on you who gloats over my country’s inheritance long live the king I have spoken, I have nothing more to say I disappear like that star with its trail .
old historian2
Posts : 1095 Join date : 2009-01-14 Location : East London
Subject: Re: A Zulu poem. THE HERO OF BRITAIN Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:33 pm
I’m not sure what to make of that S.D. But I suppose in their eyes its true.
Quote :
here you come with a bottle in one hand and a Bible in the other
[quote]
Dave
Posts : 1605 Join date : 2009-09-21
Subject: Re: A Zulu poem. THE HERO OF BRITAIN Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:55 pm