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READ THIS
A lone prospector is searching for wealth in precious stones. It is excruciatingly hot and dry. The
prospector is suffering from heatstroke. Mirages and hallucinations begin to cloud his vision.
Eventually he is overcome with thirst. He scrabbles for water in a dry riverbed and finds wealth beyond
his wildest dreams. Or is it a vision of wealth? Or is it death?
A NOTE ON THE POET
Douglas Livingstone was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1932. He came to South Africa with his
family at ten years of age when his father was captured by the Japanese. He would settle in Natal where
he went to Kearsney College.
He attended university in what was then Salisbury, Rhodesia -- now Harare, Zimbabwe -- where he
trained as a bacteriologist. He was later awarded a PhD in Science from the University of Natal.
Livingstone was employed as a marine biologist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in
Durban.
He produced several volumes of poetry and wrote radio plays -- winning several awards, the highest
being an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Natal.
He died in Durban in 1996.
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:
"A solitary prospector
staggered, locked in a vision
of slate hills that capered
on the molten horizon."
- Why is the horizon said to be "molten"? What do you call that appearance? (4)
[Need help?]
We are witnessing heat with its resultant mirages, where tricks are being played
on vision resulting in apparent movement in the atmosphere, shimmering, and even the appearance of
lakes of water.
On the other hand, is not the prospector already suffering from sunstroke and therefore having
hallucinations, seeing visions of water that will quench his thirst?
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- Why does the vision of slate hills "caper"? (2)
[Need help?]
The mirages would cause that to happen. Mirages appear as shimmering lakes of water, and the hills
beyond would also appear to move around, capering like a playful animal.
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- What word tells you that the prospector was tired to the point of collapse? Indeed, why is he
tired? (4)
[Need help?]
What about "staggered" ?
The poem doesn't tell us directly why the prospector is tired but one can surmise that there are at least
a couple of reasons. It is clear, for instance, that he has been prospecting for a long time in the heat of
the day. At the same time, he is desperately thirsty and is on the point of collapse from dehydration.
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- Is the prospector already beginning to imagine things? How do you know? (4)
[Need help?]
The poem states that the prospector was "locked in a vision of slate hills". Although this could be
nothing more than the result of the mirage, the word "vision" nevertheless could mean that he is
beginning to imagine things.
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"Waterless, he came to where
a river had run, now a band
flowing only in ripples
of white unquenchable sand."
- What indications are there that water had once flowed in the river? (4)
[Need help?]
This is fairly obvious, if you think about it. After all, the poem states, "He came to where a river had
run". Furthermore, although the river has been dry for a long, long time, there is nevertheless still the
imprint of the water which has left ripples in the sand.
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- Why is the sand said to be "unquenchable"? (2)
[Need help?]
It is so, so dry that it would seem that no amount of water would have any impact on the river bed. There
could never be enough water to quench its thirst.
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"Cursing, he dug sporadically
here, here, as deep as his arm,
and sat quite still, eyes thirstily
incredulous on his palm."
- Why is the prospector cursing? (4)
[Need help?]
There is a study guide on sale which says that the prospector is cursing because he has failed to find any
precious stones up till now, so why should his luck change? Do you think that this is a likely scenario?
Why is the prospector digging in the river at all? Is he not in search of water? Why is he therefore
cursing? Surely because he can't find the water he so desperately needs, even after digging "here,
[and] here". If he fails to find water, he dies. Wouldn't you be cursing under such circumstances?
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- Why are the prospector's eyes said to be "thirstily incredulous"? (4)
[Need help?]
You need to place yourself in the shoes of the prospector. It is so hot; you are dying of thirst. What
emotion would go through you as you start to dig in the river bed? Anger that the water is no longer there?
Fear that you are running out of time, that you are about to die?
And then you find the very thing that you have been seeking all the time: handfuls of precious stones.
The irony, of course, is that this is now the last thing that you want. You need water. Precious stones will
not take away your thirst. And so you are incredulous but also very, very thirsty.
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"And then he was swimming in fire
and drinking, splashing hot halos
of glittering drops at the choir
of assembled carrion crows."
- What is happening to the man in this stanza? (4)
[Need help?]
The poem began with the man "staggering", seeing "visions" of the hills, the world beginning
to swirl around him. Then comes the panic of not finding water in the river bed. What therefore is
happening to the man's mind?
In a sense, the answer is given in the title: Sunstrike. The prospector is suffering from sunstroke! He
is having illusions about finding a treasure, and yet he knows he is dying. He probably also knows that
the crows are awaiting his death so that they can eat him.
So what is he doing?
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- Why do you think the "carrion crows" are assembled? (2)
[Need help?]
They're waiting for the prospector to die, aren't they? And then they will eat him!
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