Geniet/Enjoy Laurika Rauch met ‘n gedeelte van Lisa se klavier/Lisa’s piano. Draaikewers is a poem from “Joernaal vir Jorik”…”The Journal of Jorik” which is really one of my many favourite-Opperman poems. “Man met flits” (“man with a torch”) is one which we discussed/studied at School.
We have wonderful friends in South Africa and they visited us a couple of months ago…about Feb/March. They don’t go on holiday very often due to business, but when they do go, they go to all the awesome places in South Africa and sometimes Botswana. This is one of their pictures. They were on holiday in SA and straight from there they went to Finland and then London, so all their wonderful pictures were still on their cameras when they visited us and they downloaded a few on my pc…and I’ve thought to share this beautiful pic with you. It’s actually much larger, this is only about half of the image. I also have it now on my desktop as a wallpaper image. I think you have to agree with me that this is really a fantastic shot! And I’ve said many times and I want to say it again, South Africa is the best place for your sunset pics! You want to disagree? I’ve got a fantastic poem here too..if you can’t read it, it’s Afrikaans…enjoy the picture! The poem’s title in English is “Whirligig beetles” – see the image at the bottom and you can read here more about this beetle. The link will open in a new window. The poem is not about the beetle itself, but about time that is running out in this relationship… like the beetle’s movement…in circles. If you’re Afrikaans, you may want to read my “reply” to “Draaikewers” on my “Gedigte-My Poems” page..I’ve done it for the fun and I quite like it…I used the other half of this lovely sunset Pic…so if you want to enjoy the pic only, feel welcome…
D J Opperman…painted by Philip Terblanche.
See more paintings and sculptures of South African writers here. The link will open in a new window.
Diederik Johannes Opperman, (1914 – 1985) was one of the best-known Afrikaans poets.
He was born on 29 September 1914 in Dundee in Natal, where he grew up. He went to school in the towns of Estcourt and Vryheid, and afterwards received an M.A. degree from the University of Natal. He taught at schools in Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg, and later on became editor of “Die Huisgenoot”. In 1949 he became a lecturer at the University of Cape Town. During this period he completed one of his most important publications – “Digters van Dertig” (Poets of the thirties) – in 1953.
From 1960 to 1975 he was a professor of Afrikaans at Stellenbosch University, where he also served on the editorial board of the publication “Standpunte” (“points of view”). He died in 1985 in Stellenbosch.
He won the coveted Hertzog prize for poetry in 1947 for his collection “Heilige beeste” (“Holy cattle”). He also wrote “Negester oor Ninevé” (“Nine star over Niniveh”), “Joernaal van Jorik” (“The Journal of Jorik”), “Engel uit die klip” (“Angel from the stone”), “Blom en baaierd” (“Flower and Chaos” or perhaps “Flower and rubble”), “Dolosse” (“Knucklebones”), “Kuns-mis” (“Artificial manure”), “Edms. Bpk” (“Pty. Ltd”) en “Komas uit ‘n bamboesstok” (“Comas from a bamboo pole”).
His three verse plays, “Periandros van Korinthe” (“Periandros of Corinth”), “Vergelegen” (a place name, lit. “faraway”) and “Voëlvry” (“Outlaw”; lit. “bird-free”) appeared in 1954, 1956 and 1968.
His collected essays on literature were published as “Wiggelstok” (“Wiggle-stick”), “Naaldekoker” (“Dragonfly”) and “Verspreide opstelle” (“Spread-out essays” – the direct opposite of “Collected essays” in Afrikaans).
He won four Hertzog prizes (in 1947, 1956, 1969 and 1980), four Hofmeyer prizes (in 1954, 1956, 1966 and 1980), two CNA Prizes (in 1964 and 1980), a prize from the “Drie-Eeue Stigting” (“Three Centuries Foundation”) in 1956, the Louis Luyt-prize in 1980 and the Gustav Preller prize for literary criticism in 1985.
The South African composer Cromwell Everson wrote music for some of Operman’s poems e.g. “Kontraste” and “Nagstorm oor die see”.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._J._Opperman
Image: xymara.com
Man met flits
In die klein wit kol
van my wete stol
bruin en skerp ’n klip
soos ’n bok wat skrik,
staan, vinnig weghol
uit die klein wit kol.
Aan ’n takkie hang
twee ogies wat bang
uit die klein wit skyn
van my flits verdwyn.
Oor waters wat glip
soek ek klip na klip
maar ’n duister land
bedreig my alkant.
D. J. Opperman
Image: fireflyforest.net
Image: mieliestronk.co.za
Image: – whirligig beetle…bugguide.net
Ek was so maand terug by ‘n show van Laurika. Daai vrou is begaafd.
hi Roer, ek wens ek kan haar sien, ek dink dit was seker vir jou ‘n “belewenis”…ek stem saam met wat jy se. Ek het die liedjie deur ander hoor sing en ek hou nie daarvan nie, Laurika se weergawe is vir my die beste. Ek het ‘n ruk terug iewers gelees dat sy gewig verloor het?
That is an amazing photograph – it will make a lovely poster.
You do post some lovely photos.
Would you know what birds those are?
Wow Nikita dis ‘n pragtige foto van Opperman!
Lisa se klavier is een van my gunstelinge!!! Dis regtig baie mooi!!!
Die link met SA skrywer foto’s is baie nice!!!
Hi Tilla… dis ‘n goeie een! lol!, maar ek stem saam en Van Wyk-Louw ook… 🙂
Hi Wipneus..ja, ek was gek toe ek daardie skildery van hom gesien het, ek wens meer kunstenaars wil dit doen met ons digters en ander kunstenaars! bly jy’t daarvan gehou!
Hi little indian…I tried to find you a couple of links…this bird on the pic is an Ibis..see the 4th link here…and enjoy all the others, i think i should blog a few birds of South Africa, they’re beautiful!
http://chandra.as.utexas.edu/~kormendy/southafricabirds.html
http://www.birdlife.org.za/index.php?p%5BIGcms_gallery_category%5D%5BIGcms_gallery_categoryID%5D=15&p%5BIGcms_nodes%5D%5BIGcms_nodesUID%5D=baf7d2e1d405262f3bc8d1e0fda43175
http://www.sa-venues.com/wildlife/south_africa_birdlife.htm
http://www.sa-venues.com/game-reserves/ga_roodeplaat.htm
Nikita, ja, sy het en sy lyk pragtig. Dit was ‘n ongelooflike belewenis. Iets wat ek dink ‘n mens net kan verstaan as jy daar was. Ek het groot mans sien huil…
Thanks for the links Nikita,
you do have some lovely birds in SA.
I liked the names – go away bird and boubou
Are you a birdwatcher/ornithologist by any chance?
I started birdwatching in India (infact it was the naturalist friend of mine who almost dragged me into it) and carried on in UK. Birds are so colourful in India, here they tend to be mostly browns.
Hi Roer! Sjoe, dan moes haar musiek baie goed gewees het as die manne gehuil het!! Ek wens ek kon foto’s sien van haar hoe sy nou lyk.
Hi Little Indian, No, I’m no birdwatcher, but when I’m out there in nature, I will surely watch them whenever they’re around! I do love birds and my best favourite is the guinea-fowl. I’ve got a big painting about them in SA, have a pic of it here, I think I should blog it sometime. Whereabout are you if you say “here”?
I guess you are a bird enthusiast.
If you spot a bird you do not recognise, will you look it up to identify? Do you recognise bird songs?
Here, at present, for me is UK. Home forever will be India.
hi Littleindian… yes, I will look it up sometimes, if my bird-book is at hand! 🙂
otherwise you forget about it if you’re on the road or somewhere… I can remember a bird song, it was on a long play when I was a child I used to listen to it,…a box of mood music…think it was called “birds of the islands”…something along that line…but I don’t know any other, do you know any?
I use this one,
Collins Field Guide: Bird Songs and Calls of Britain and Northern Europe
There are many DVDs now, but I have stayed with the CDs. Its nice to shut my eyes and listen to the songs and try to identify them.
The field study council UK also does weekend courses on recognising bird songs, I went to one – loved it – specially getting up early field trip to catch the dawn chorus from the very first call.
http://www.amazon.com/Birds-Southern-Africa-Princeton-Guides/dp/0691096821/ref=pd_sim_b_1
Hi Littleindian
If you’re interested in South African birdlife…Ian Sinclair’s books are usually great..see the link
It’s good to go on courses like you do, but one has to have time to do it.
http://www.amazon.com/Newmans-Southern-Africa-Kenneth-Newman/dp/1868727351/ref=pd_sim_b_2
this one also looks great
Lekker inskrywing! Opperman en Laurika rock albei!
hi Kop, dankie!