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READ THIS
This is a simple poem where a poet depicts his love for South Africa, calling forth praise from the valleys,
the plains, the mountains and the sea, as well as from all the people living therein.
It is, however, poetry with a purpose: to unite the people in fervour for their country. This is not the poet
speaking of his own inner self but rather the poet striking a nationalistic tone.
ABOUT THE POET
Sandile Dikeni was born in Victoria West in the old Cape Province -- today the Northern Cape -- but
would finish high school in the Eastern Cape in what was then the Ciskei.
He made attempts at studying law at both Wits University and the University of the Western Cape but
would eventually receive a National Diploma in Journalism through the Peninsula Technikon.
Dikeni became drawn into student politics and unrest during the dark days of the 1980s, and would spend
some months in prison. It was then he discovered that poetry had a power to move people and could be
used for political purposes.
He began to conduct readings of poetry while in prison. After his release, he would continue these
readings at political and cultural events. He has, however, also appeared on international stages around
the world.
He worked as a journalist and became editor of Die Suid Afrikaan, a bilingual political journal.
Thereafter he was involved in radio with the SABC and later became the arts editor at The
Cape Times.
His poetry, however, had already found its way into newspapers and, in 1992, his first anthology called
Guava Juice was published. This was soon followed by Telegraph to the Sky.
Initially he was known as a political poet but, after the democratic elections in 1994, he moved steadily into
themes of broader appeal.
His public recitations are always from the heart, never bound to his text and therefore always differing from
the printed versions.
Today he lives and works in Cape Town where he is still committed to poetry, with regular workshops at
the Phillipi informal settlement.
Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer
the following questions:
The poet makes much use of personification in "Love poem for my country".
- What is meant by personification? (2)
[Need help?]
Personification is the giving of human characteristics to either inanimate objects or to animals, e.g. The
sun smiled down on us today; The little dog laughed to see such fun, and the dish ran away with the
spoon.
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- Explain the use of personification in the first three stanzas. (6)
[Need help?]
In Stanza 1, the valleys speak and the birds have a sense of pride. In Stanza 2, the veld speaks and the
reptiles caress its surface in pride. In Stanza 3, the baboons speak while the cliffs and mountains have
a sense of delight.
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"where ancient rivers flow
the full circle of life
under the proud eye of birds
adorning the sky."
- What is the significance of the poet's choice of the word "ancient"? (4)
[Need help?]
The poet wishes to anchor his thoughts to the most ancient of days, even before humans walked this
earth. "Ancient" means "older than the very old".
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- In what way could the ancient rivers flow "the full circle of life"? (4)
[Need help?]
The "full circle of life" means not only the full life of an individual but the cycle of life of the whole
land, from its very beginning till the present.
The ancient rivers would have been part of this cycle because life comes from both sunshine and water,
and it is the river that supplies the water.
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- Comment on the poet's choice of the words "proud" and "adorning" within the context
of this poem. (4)
[Need help?]
The poet speaks throughout of the pride for his country. All the creatures are said to part of this pride.
In this case, even the birds are said to be proud of their land (personification). At the same time, the birds
are part of this beauty -- adorning the land and sky with their beauty.
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- Is there any link between the "eye of birds" and "the full circle of life"? In other words,
why would the poet have juxtaposed these statements in such close proximity? (4)
[Need help?]
One is reminded of Ted Hughes' "Hawk Roosting" where the poet presents the hawk almost as a
god, high in the sky, revolving the world below him.
In "Love poem for my country", the birds too are high in the sky, adorning it. But they are looking
down on the world below them, appearing to revolve this world as they themselves circle above.
The birds themselves perform their "circles of life" in the sky while, below them, the circles of life
happen on the land. As above, so below: circles of life above, circles of life below.
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"where reptiles caress
its surface
with elegant motions
glittering in their pride"
- Why would the poet choose the verb "caress" for his description of the
reptiles? (4)
[Need help?]
The word "caress" is associated with sexual love: the lover caresses his partner.
The poet therefore seizes this image to depict the love for his country: sexual love associated with
spiritual love.
Even the reptiles caress the surface of the land (personification) as though it was sexually linked with the
land and its circle of life.
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- Is the poet correct in his choice of the words "elegant motions" and
"glittering in their pride"? (4)
[Need help?]
Well, what do you think? One could argue that the poet has shown a weakness but there is a danger
here: since the poem has been prescribed, the examiners believe that it is a poem of quality.
You would therefore have to produce a VERY good argument to convince them otherwise and it is
dangerous to try it. It is easier therefore to argue that the choice of words is indeed correct.
The word "elegant" is usually associated with finery: a person is dressed elegantly. Or it is
associated with perfect movements: a model walks elegantly. Does a crocodile move elegantly?
"Glittering" is associated with sparkling: the stars were glittering in the sky; the Christmas tree was
glittering with candles.
Perhaps the reptiles were reflecting sparkles of sunlight from their scales or from their skin? But is
"glittering" a really well chosen word? Do reptiles "glitter"?
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