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.