The Poetry of South Africa

The Poetry of South Africa

THIS collection of verse has been made from various sources in the Cape Colony, Natal, and the Transvaal, and it is a matter of regret that many pieces of interest have been omitted owing to the difficulty of obtaining copies. Also as most colonists in South Africa understand the Dutch language as spoken there, it could be wished that certain well-known productions in the Boerentaal could have been preserved in these pages. Some of the inimitable versions of Reitz,for instance, his rendering of Tam o Shanter and The Maid of Athens, and some others which have appeared from time to time, we believe, in one of the Cape journals, ought not to be forgotten. We have received from Natal, since this volume was in the press, some lines by the late T. Fannin, who used in the olden days to sing his own rhymes in right{vi} good style. We do not apologise to our readers for giving these in their entirety. All is changed since these lines were written, and since Pringle (the father of South African verse) sang amid the wild surroundings of his home. The whistle of the locomotive has taken the place of the shrill cry of the Kaffir. The lion has retired from business. The big game which used to cover the plains beyond the Drachensberg has gone, never to return; and the wandering trader has to pay taxes, and is no longer in need of a gun. The railway from Delagoa Bay to the Portuguese border is almost completed. Soon excursions to Ophir will be advertised, and the romance of the Dark Continent will be dead! There is little time for thought or rest in a country which can show a town risen up, as by Aladdins power, in a few short months, holding five thousand people, all gathered together for one objectgold.[1] Still, and in spite of all this, we hope our modest volume may not be wholly neglected, but will find a welcome in many a home. There must be intervals for refreshment, however transient, both for body and mind, even in a world where the go as you please{viii} race for wealth engages everybody, and we trust that many colonists will find something in these pages to satisfy their tastes even if it be only a reminder of the days when their fathers were young, and ventured over the sea to make for themselves homes in untrodden wilds. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 52928
Author: Wilmot, Alexander
Release Date: Aug 29, 2016
Format: eBook
Language: English

Contributors

Editor: Wilmot, Alexander, 1836-1924