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Acta Theologica
On-line version ISSN 2309-9089
Print version ISSN 1015-8758
Acta theol. vol.42 n.2 Bloemfontein 2022
http://dx.doi.org/10.18820/23099089/actat.v42i2.5
ARTICLES
In Honour of: Desmond Mpilo Tutu - (7 October 1931 - 26 December 2021), pryslied vir 'n vreeslose gewete / praise song for a fearless conscience / Sincoma iSazela / thothokiso ya mohale a tswang maroleng (Antjie Krog)
A. Krog
Extra-ordinary professor Department Afrikaans and Dutch. University of the Western Cape. E-mail: akrog@uwc.ac.za
hy wat daardie verskriklike dag met sy blindelingse vaart van aankoms
homself bo-oor die liggaam van 'n veroordeelde gegooi het
wat tussen siedende comrades, petrol en vuurhoutjies
met sy eie liggaam die liggaam van 'n vertrapte bedek het
sodat op daardie oomblik die goeie in die wêreld heilig word
en gloei ten aanskyn van 'n land vol ontmensliktes
ek glo nie in heiligmaking nie
maar die ingrypende aantasting van 'n ganse land
deur hierdie enkele mens laat my glo:
nou is hy dood - hierdie gewete
'n gewete wat nie bang was om alleen te wees voor 'n skare nie
'n gewete wat nie bang was om woedend soos 'n leeuwyfie om te draai
en die verkeerdes in die oë te staar nie
'n gewete wat nie bang was om alleen soos 'n skildvel te staan
terwyl leuens en beledigings hom tref nie
'n gewete wie se tong kon sprei soos die vlerke van 'n arend
wat 'n skare mense kon optel en neersit anderkant die vlamme
'n gewete wie se gebede die son kon laat stilstaan
in die dal van bevoorregting
en die maan oor die velde van townships
'n gewete wat daagliks gebede kon weef
rondom die dubbele ruggraat van 'n land
nou is hy dood - hierdie gewete
eiehandig het hy aan 'n diepverdeelde land
'n taal van ons-heid gemunt
hy wou dat ons woedend wees oor onreg
hy wou dat ons instem op die toonaard van omgee
hy wou dat ons leef in solidariteit met uitdeel
hy wou ons saambind in omarmende bondels
hy wou beskuttings met ons bou
hy wou groot en magtige dakke met ons pak
hy wou ons omskep in stellasies van menslikheid
nou is hy dood - hierdie gewete
ek prys die man
wat groot ruimtes oor die aarde versprei het
soos hy sy vel, sy liggaam, sy volkome wese
tot met sy oudag
selfloos oor ons uitgebrei het
hy is ons eie onheilige heilige
wat ons in die sleurstroom van die Goeie probeer hou het
ons, wat hom gefaal het, eer hom: Desmond Mpilo Tutu
ons, in ons wanhoop, treur oor hom: Desmond Mpilo Tutu
want hy is dood nou - hierdie gewete
praise song for a fearless conscience
he who that terrible day with his headlong arrival
threw himself over the body of a condemned one
who amongst seething comrades, petrol and matches
covered the trapped body with his own body
so that at that moment the good in the world became holy
and blazed at the sight of a country filled with dehumanised souls
I don't believe in sanctification
but the interventionist assault on a whole country
by this one man makes me believe:
now he is dead - this conscience
a conscience that was not afraid to be alone before a crowd
a conscience that was not afraid to turn around like a furious lioness
and stare the wrong ones in the eye
a conscience that was not afraid to stand alone like a shield
while lies and insults struck him
a conscience whose tongue could spread like an eagle's wings
that could lift up a crowd and set them down beyond the flames
a conscience whose prayers could make the sun stand still
in the vale of privilege
and the moon over the fields of townships
a conscience that could weave prayers daily
around the double backbone of a country
now he is dead - this conscience
singlehandedly he coined a language of us-ness
for a deeply divided country
he wanted us to be enraged by injustice
he wanted us to assent to the modality of caring
he wanted us to live in solidarity with distribution
he wanted to bind us together in embracing clusters
he wanted to build shelters with us
he wanted to raise great and mighty roofs with us
he wanted to recreate us in frameworks of humanity
now he is dead - this conscience
I praise the man
who spread great spaces across the earth
as he spread his skin, his body, his whole being
into his old age
selflessly over us
he is our own unholy holy one
who tried to keep us in the slipstream of the Good
we, who failed him, honour him: Desmond Mpilo Tutu
we, in our despair, mourn him: Desmond Mpilo Tutu
for he is dead now - this conscience
(translated by Karen Press)
Sincoma iSazela
nguye, uSazela weli lizwe ongoyiki ngakoyikiswa
ubhubhile
nguye, owangena phakathi kwezivuthe-vuthe zamaqabane,
wapheph'ipetroli nematshisi walikhuse ngowakhe umzimb' ekhusela umzimba
womntu owawunyhanyhathwe ngeenyawo khon' ukuze lowo mzuzu ibe
kukubona kwehlabathi ukujika kobuhle bube bubungcwele, obona buqaqawuli
kubuso babagxeki nakoothob' isidima sabantu
Andikholelwa kubungcwalisa
kodw' uhlaselo olubi kwilizwe lonke
ngale ndoda
lundenze ndanokholo: kufefe, nakokulungileyo
uSazela weli hlabathi
ubhubhile
uSazela owayengoyik' ukuba ngumth' umzimele phambi kwenyambalala
uSazela owayengoyik' ukuba ngumth' umzimele okwemaz' engonyama
ajamel' emehlweni abenzi bokungendawo
uSazela owayengoyik' ukuba ngumth' umzimele okwekhaka lofele
xenikwen' edlakazwa ziimbumbulu zobuxoki nemikhonto yezithuko
uSazela onteth' isandi sithe saa okwamaphik' okhozi
omazw' aphakamisa izihlwele az' azihlalise phants' okungaphaya kwamadangatye
uSazela omithandaz' ingamisa ngxi ilanga kwezo ntlambo zeelokishi nenyanga kwezo ntsimi zobulungisa
uSazela omihla ngemihl' uthung' imithandazw' ejikeleze umqolo walo mhlaba
eyedwa waziqingqela inteth' ekhuthaz' imbumba yobunye
belizw' elitsha elineyantlukwan' eyondeleyo
wayefuna siyichas' intswela-bulungisa
wayefuna sibe yinxalenye yobuncwane bokunik' inkathalo
wayefuna sihlale simanyene, sabelane kwaye kwabiwe ngokutsha
wayefuna ukusihlanganisa sibe yimbumba okwezithungu
wayefuna ukusibeka sibe luphahl' olukhulu, olomeleleyo
wayefuna ukusakha sibe ziindaw' ezikhuselekileyo ezincinane
ukuz' asenz' amanqwanqw' okunyuk' uluntu
ah!, sincom'indoda
eyavul' inkitha yamathuba kumhlaba jikelele,
walunwebela phezu kwethu sonke ufele, umzimba, nobuqu bakhe ngokuzinikezela
kwade kwasekufeni enteth' ivuth' umlilo wamadangaty' obulungisa naloo ntsini yobulungisa, ethandekayo
ubengoyena msindisi weth'ongcwele ngcwele
obesolok' esigcine sithe qwa ekwenzen'oKuhle
sithi, abamphoxileyo, mwongeni yena: uDesmond Mpilo Tutu
sithi, abamphoxayo, khathazekani ngaye: uDesmond Mpilo Tutu
siyalambatha ngaphandle kwakhe, kwaye singamadlavu
ubhubhile ngoku
ongoyiki ngakoyikiswa uSazela ongumhlanganisi - luntu luphela.
(translated by Dr Nomfundo Mali)
thothokiso ya mohale a tswang maroleng
yena eo ka letsatsi lela la mohlolo a fihlileng ka sefutho sa mohale
a itahlela ho kgurumetsa mmele wa ya tjametsweng ke polao
eo hara baitseki ba halefileng, ba fupere peterole le mollo
a kgurumetsa mmele wa ya tlanngweng ka mmele wa hae
hoo hanghang botle lefatsheng bo fetohileng kgalalelo
mme a tadima naha e tletseng meya e tlohileng botho
Ha ke dumele kgalaledisong
empa matla a monamodi naheng yohle
a monna enwa a le mong a ntshokollela tumelong:
jwale a se a ile boyabatho - maikutlo ana
maikutlo a pudumo ya seema-nosi hara letshwele
maikutlo a sa tshabang ho puruma a potoloha jwalo ka tau e befetsweng
mme a tjamela ba fositseng kahara mahlo
maikutlo a neng a sa tshabe ho ikemela jwalo ka thebe
ha a kalla mashano le mahlapa
maikutlo a alang leleme la ona jwalo ka mapheo a phakwe
a ka phahamisang letshwele le ho le hwaramanya kamora kgabo ya malakabe
maikutlo a dithapelo tse ka emisang letsatsi kgekgenene
phuleng ya boiketlo
ke kgwedi e aparetseng masimo a makeishene
maikutlo a ka lohang dithapelo letsatsi le letsatsi
ho potoloha naha e mekokotlo- mmedi
jwale a se a ile boyabatho - maikutlo ana
ka letsoho le le leng a bopa puo ya bo-rona
molemong wa naha e arohaneng ho tebileng
o ne a batla hore re kgobohiswe ke toka
o ne a batla hore re hahamalle mokgwa wa tsotellano
o ne a batla re phele bonngweng ka qhalakano
o ne a batla ho re bopa ngatana ka mahlopho a matahano
o ne a batla ho aha diqhobosheane tsa botshabelo mmoho le rona
o ne a batla ho emisa kgurumetso e kgolo ya botumo mmoho le rona
o ne a batla ho re hlahisa botjha meralong ya botho
jwale a se a ile boyabatho - maikutlo ana
Ke rorisa monna enwa
ya anetseng ka pharallo masabasaba a potolohang lefatshe
moo a thakgisitseng lekoko la hae, mmele wa hae, le boyena bohle
ho fihlela boqhekung ba hae
ka ho hloka boikabo hodima rona
ke mohalaledi wa rona wa mohlolo
ya lekileng ho re boloka molatswaneng wa ho Loka
rona, ba mo phoqileng, re a mo tlotla: Desmond Mpilo Tutu
rona, tsielehong ya rona, re a mo llela: Desmond Mpilo Tutu
hobane a shwele jwale - maikutlo ana
(e fetoletswe ke Thabiso Ntsielo)
Date received: 1 August 2022
Date accepted: 1 October 2022
Date published: 14 December 2022
1 The Afrikaans and English versions of this poem was reprinted with permission of the author. It was first published in "Plunder", Antjie Krog's book published in 2022 with Human & Rousseau.