03 July 2012

THERE IS A NEW SADNESS


THERE IS A NEW SADNESS  
© Farouk Asvat  

There is a new sadness
In our voices:
Tired and full of pain.

We have seen it all before:
Ambulances full of gunfire
Children dying in the motion of playing
Smoke and cinders in the cauldron
Of our desires.

But what do we have:
Stones in our armoury,
Hope in our breasts,
The desire to die living
Dancing in carnival carousels
Around the flames of hope
And destruction:
The bonfire of our lives.

Just what do we have
But pain
Flowering in our hearts:
Treacherous trust of friendship,
Love fading before the motions are over,
Friendship dying in birth,
And the eternal pain,
The pain,
That grows without eyes:

A cracked skull
Oozing brain,
Gnarled trees of lust,
Surrealistic dreams of alcoholic minds,
And love for our land
Growing through virgin
And battered bodies:

So come with your scythe,
Leave your barren lands
And your fertile women,
Come, prophets of our townships,
Shebeendrunk and godless,
Fatherless,
Born of many fathers,
With only one mother to suckle from,
Come, all of you,
Dressed in white shroud,
Black fist raised to the skies,
In defiance or bitterness
Or determined predetermination,
AK 47 in the other hand,
Walk through the mieliefields
Elephant grass and minefields
Of the usurped territories;
Harvest again,
Claiming kudu and protea
Antelope horn and cheetah
Springbuck and elephant

O Nkulunkulu!  O Modimo!
Help us
So that we may walk again
These streets
And these beaten paths,
Proud of what is ours:
The earth and the universe,
Scintillating beachsand
Scattered among the dark heavens,
The whispering sea,
And the sun,
Our saviour and guide;
And rain! rain!
Rain on us
That we may drink again
Fresh water
Untainted by blood
And the sewer of human filth


© farouk asvat

composed: 1985 [Johannesburg, South Africa under apartheid]

[] Acknowledgements:

There Is A New Sadness was previously published in:

     A Celebration Of Flames, (donker, p63, 1987);
     A Celebration of Flames (Heller Fund, UC Berkeley, California, p53, 1988);
     Er Heerst Weer Droefenis: Dutch translation by Irene Scheltes (1989);
     A Celebration Of Flames (piquant publications, p82, 2007);
     www.faroukasvat-poems.blogspot.com (03.07.2012);
     A Celebration Of Flames (kindle, 2014);
     A Celebration Of Flames (amazon paperback, p80, 2014).

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL Sadness In The House Of Love by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $15 & kindle @ only $5
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[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL The Gathering Of The Storm by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $10 & kindle @ only $5
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the anthology I Dream In Long Sentences by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $10 & kindle @ only $5
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the anthology The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $10 & kindle @ only $5
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[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the anthology A Celebration Of Flames by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $10 & kindle @ only $5
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[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the anthology The Time Of Our Lives by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $10 & kindle @ only $5
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the anthology Bra Frooks … by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $7.50 & kindle @ only $5
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[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the collection of literary essays Weapons of Words by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $10 & kindle @ only $5
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© farouk asvat.  All rights reserved.

Farouk Asvat asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, or transmitted in any form or any means whatsoever, mechanical or electronic, including recording, printing, photocopying, or via any computerised means or media, including the internet.  This publication shall also not be stored in a retrieval system.  And the writing shall not be sold, lent, hired, resold or circulated in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published,
without the prior permission of the author in writing.
Permission to publish or reproduce the writings in any format can be obtained from the author.
Reproduction of this work without permission, except for scholarly & nonprofit purposes,
is liable to a payment of 10, 000 ren men bi or US$ 1,500.

farouk asvat can be contacted at: farouk.asvat@gmail.com

[] please check out my blogs @:





books by farouk asvat: www.faroukasvat-books.blogspot.com

[] also link up on:






amazon kindle author @ www.amazon.com/author/faroukasvat

_______________________________________________________ 
ER HEERST WEER DROEFENIS 

     Dutch translation by © Irene Scheltes

Er heerst weer droefenis
In onze stem:
Vermoeid en vervuld van pijn.

We hebben dit alles al eerder gezien:
Ambulances vol geweervuur,
Kinderen die sterven in het vuur van hun spel,
Rook en sintels in de heksenketel
van onze verlangens.

Maar wat bezitten wij;
Stenen in ons wapentuig,
Hoop in onze borst,
Het verlangen om levend te sterven,
Dansend in kermiscarrousels
Rond de vlammen van hoop
En verwoesting:
Het vreugdevuur van ons leven.

Wat bezitten we anders
Dan pijn
Bloeiend in ons hart:
Verraderlijk vertrouwen in vriendschap,
Liefde kwijnend voor het liefdesspel eindigt,
Vriendschap die bij geboorte sterft,
En de eeuwige pijn,
De pijn,
Die groeit zonder ogen:

Een verbrijzelde schedel
Druipende hersens,
Knoestige bomen van lust,
Surrealistische dromen van beschonken geesten,
En liefde voor ons land
Groeiend in maagdelijke
Afgeleefde lijven;

Dus kom met je zeis,
Verlaat je dorre streken
En je vruchtbare vrouwen
Kom, profeten van onze townships,
Stille drinkers en goddelozen,
Vaderlozen,
Uit vele vaders geboren,
Met slechts één zogende moeder,
Komt allen,
In wit doodskleed gehuld
Zwarte vuist naar de hernel geheven,
In verzet of bitterheid
Of voorbeschikt door 't lot,
AK 47 in de andere hand,
Loop door de mielievelden
Door olifantsgras en mijnenvelden
Van de bezette gebieden,
Haal de oogst weer binnen,
Eis kudu en protea
Antilope-hoorn en cheetah
Springbok en olifant

O Nkulunkulu! O Modimo!
Help ons
Zodat we weer kunnen lopen
In deze straten
Op deze platgetreden paden
Trots op wat van ons is;
De aarde en het universum,
Glinsterend strandzand
Over donk're hemelen gestrooid,
De fluisterende zee,
En de zon
Onze redder en gids,
En pula! pula!
Laat regen op ons stromen
Zodat we weer kunnen drinken
Vers water
Niet besmet door bloed
En de beerput van menselijk drek.

     Dutch translation by kind permission of © Irene Scheltes

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL Sadness In The House Of Love by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $15 & kindle @ only $5
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

#love #literature #fiction #novel #poetry #southafrica #apartheid #books #classics
#faroukasvat #weapons of words #comparative literature #literary criticism
# a celebration of flames # there is a new sadness

          www.amazon.com/author/faroukasvat 


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