OL' CHINA
AND THE ALMOST-INTELLECTUAL
© Farouk Asvat
Heit! Howzit there?
No,
is sweet my brother.
You're
very scarce hey.
Where
were you now the other night?
Ai,
you missed another thing again.
Ol'
China - you know him -
He
jus' put another situation in the fridge;
To
say, the situation climbs onto the stage
All
collared an' tied
An'
he adjusts his cufflinks so with a style
An'
he begins to yack! yack! in so a highbrow lingo
Something
about the modus operandi or something
About
Capitalism
An'
he yackety-yacks what-what about Existentialism
An'
Socialism
An'
he jus' goes on an' on
About
I don't know what wism's -ism
An'
the guys begin to get restless of all the shit talk
But
Ol' China he just sits there in his corner
With
his cap over his eyes and sleeps.
But
jus' as the situation finishes with his speeches
An'
before the Chairman can still stand up
Ol'
China is on his feet
An'
he adjusts his cap so on a slant
An'
he addresses the Chairman
An'
the Ladies an' Gentlemens
- You know Ol' China
No, that brother of mine has style -
An'
he begins to say
The
people must correct him if he's wrong
But
he understands to say
The
gentleman had spoken an hour too long
About
a thing we all know in the townships
To
say, the whites ration us with the life.
An' you know what?
Before
the guys can still give him an applause
Ol'
China suddenly sits down again
Pulls
his cap over his eyes
An'
sleeps
© farouk asvat
* original
composed: 1976
[Johannesburg, South Africa, under apartheid].
# english
translation by farouk asvat: 2006 [Johannesburg, South Africa, under apartheid].
[] acknowledgements:
Ol' China An' The Almost-Intellectual # /
Ou China En Die Amper-Intellectual * was previously published in:
The Time Of Our Lives (black thoughts publications, p40, 1982); *
Staffrider (ravan press,
johannesburg, # 2(3), p31, 1979);
Ten Years of Staffrider, ed aw oliphant & i
vladislavic (ravan, johannesburg, # 7(3&4), p217, 1988);
Poskaarte: beelde van die Afrikaanse poësie sedert
1960,
ed l viljoen & r foster (tafelberg, cape town, p278, 1997); *
The Time Of Our Lives (piquant publications, p12, 2007); #
Bra Frooks … (piquant publications,
p11, 2007); *
https://faroukasvat-poems.blogspot.com/2014/10/ol-china-the-almost-intellectual.html
(14.10.2014);
* #
Bra Frooks … (kindle, 2014); *
Bra Frooks … (paperback, p13, 2014); *
The Time Of Our Lives (kindle, 2014); #
The Time Of Our Lives (paperback, p12, 2014). #
___________________________________________________________________________
[§] Books by Farouk
Asvat:
● Sadness In The House Of Love (novel)
● The Gathering Of The Storm (novel)
● I Dream In Long Sentences (poetry)
● The Wind Still Sings Sad
Songs
(poetry)
● A Celebration Of Flames (poetry)
● The Time Of Our Lives (poetry)
● This Masquerade (short stories)
● Bra Frooks … (poetry)*
● The Paanies Are Coming (short stories)*
● In The House Of Love (novel)*
● Weapons Of Words (comparative
literature & literary criticism)
¨ all my books are now available
on amazon: in paperback & kindle
___________________________________________________________________________
[] please check out my blogs @:
weapons of words: https://faroukasvat-viewpoint.blogspot.com
piquante: https://faroukasvat-piquant.blogspot.com
streetwise: https://faroukasvat-lingo.blogspot.com
quran lectures: https://faroukasvat-quran.blogspot.com
biography: https://faroukasvat-bio.blogspot.com
books by farouk asvat: https://faroukasvat-books.blogspot.com
[] please join me on:
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/faroukasvat
twitter: https://twitter.com/faroukasvat
___________________________________________________________________________
© 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.
___________________________________________________________________________
[] WIETIE WHAT-WHAT:
OU CHINA EN DIE
AMPER-INTELLECTUAL
© Farouk Asvat
Heit!
Hoezit daar?
Nee, is
sweet my bra.
Djy's mos
skaars né.
Waa' was
djy nou-die aan'?
Aai, djy't
wee' 'n anne' dêng gemiss.
Ou China -
djy ken hom mos -
Hy't 'n
anne' situation somme' innie fridge gebêre
Omtesê die
situation klim oppie stage
Nogal
gecollar en getie
En hy
adjust sy cufflinks so met 'n style
En hy
bêgênne woerawara in so 'n highbrow lingo
Iets van
die modus operandie of iets van Capitalism
En hy
wietie what-what van Existensialism
En
Socialism
En hy gaan
aan en aan
Oor ek-wiet-nie-wat
se moerism
En die majietas
begênne woelerig raak van al die kakpraat
Maa' Ou China hy
sit net daar in sy hoek
Met sy Ayas oor
sy ooge en slaap.
Kanti, net as die
situation klaar is met hom spieche,
En voo' die
Chairman nog ken opstaan,
Is Ou China
op sy bene
En hy
adjust sy Ayas so op 'n slant
En hy
address die Chairman en die Ladies en Gentlemans
- Djy ken
mos Ou China
Nee, daai bra van my het style -
En hy
bêgênne omtesê
Die mense
moet hom correct as hy verkeerd is
Maa' hy
voestaan omtesê
Die
gentleman het 'n uur too veel gecable
Oor 'n dêng wat
ons in die 'kasies mos ken
Omtesê, die
lahnies ration ons met die lewe.
En djy wiet wat?
Voo' die
outies hom nog 'n applause kan tchee
Sit Ou
China somme' wee' nee'
Trek sy
Ayas oor sy ooge
En slaap.
©
farouk asvat
* original
composed: 1976 [Johannesburg, South Africa, under apartheid].
Bra Frooks is ...
[] nes 'n skollie
[] 'n egte skollie
[] 'n tsotsi
[] a real scamp
[] streetwise
[]
the jokerman
Bra Frooks ...
[] praat soos 'n skollie
[] wietie soos 'n joster
[] wietie what-what
[]
tunes like a durbanite
[] speaks like an englishman
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL Sadness In The House Of
Love by Farouk
Asvat
is now available on amazon: in paperback @ $15 & kindle @ only $5
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