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The poet thinks about his daughter -- not yet even conceived -- and how she will exist in an
apartheid ravaged South Africa. He contemplates her joy when he reads poetry to her as she
lies in his arms. He sees the delight in her eyes.
And yet, he also sees her future life, where she will be a victim of the heinous system, where
she will be discriminated against simply because of the colour of her skin and where her fragile
spirit could be broken -- if not completely destroyed.
A WORD ABOUT THE POET
Shabbir Banoobhai is a contemporary South African poet. He was born in Durban in 1949
during the heigh days of the apartheid era.
After leaving school, he attended Springfield College to gain a teaching diploma. He
simultaneously studied through Unisa to obtain the B.Com degree and subsequently followed
accountancy as his chosen profession.
While at Springfield College, he worked as Assistant Editor of the college newspaper, and also
served for a year as President of the Students Representative Council.
His poetry reflects the fate of the greater South African community who were victims of the
Apartheid system. His later travelling to other oppressed countries, however, has seen him
broaden his horizon to include them — most notably those of Sarajevo.
While at college, he met with the prominent South African poet, Douglas Livingstone, who was
to have an influence on Banoobhai's poetic blossoming.
Livingstone would later describe Banoobhai as "An obsessive and talented poet, a
precocious master of the word and a fine lyricist to boot. Almost every line of his work was
subliminally ignited by the ancient great Islamic poets.
"He shares their prime qualities: sensuality, passion, brilliance of imagery, a holistic
approach to nature, and of course, love of God."
Banoobhai's poetry is a mixture of political, personal and spiritual ideas. He says of his own
work that his aim is "to promote a vision of a more humane society — a society that
not only respects all its members as human beings but which considers them as spiritual beings
and essentially divine."
The poet's dedication to the Muslim religion must undoubtedly be reflected in his poetry,
although his mystical writing is also directed against narrow-minded and exclusive religious
thinking.
His personal poetry is chiefly for his two daughters and his wife — and for his friends.
Shabbir Banoobhai has a personal website called Veils
of Light in which he publishes his thoughts and reflections. It is well worth a visit.
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:
"you cannot know the fears i have
as i think about you."
- About whom is the poet thinking? How do you know? (4)
[Need help?]
The poet is speaking about his daughter, isn't he? She's probably a toddler or a baby, and he
is with her night and day. He reads to her, plays her music, writes poetry about her.
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- What are these fears? (4)
[Need help?]
The poet fears two things, really. The first is that he is being totally indulgent, living and
breathing only for his daughter. But he also fears what will happen to her in the apartheid South
Africa. Will she be able to grow up naturally or will the barbarity of the system destroy her,
especially when she finds herself discriminated against and is helpless against it.
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"i fear that i shall live only at your laughter"
- What does the father mean when he says this? (4)
[Need help?]
The poet knows only too well that his daughter will not always be laughing. The apartheid
system which was then dominating the South African scene would cause damage as she
became discriminated against. How will the father react in the future, therefore, as he
witnesses his daughter's anguish in the face of an evil and barbaric system?
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"overwhelm your waking world with wonder
with the music of other worlds, your earlier home
read to you poems written the night before
while you smiled bewildered"
- What is meant by "your earlier home"? (4)
[Need help?]
"your earlier home" is probably a reference to the child's earlier existence before she was
born. The father is a Muslim who very definitely believes in life before and after death. Or is
he referring to something else here?
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- Why should the child "smile bewildered"? (4)
[Need help?]
The child "smiles bewildered" because the father is reading her poetry, is he not? She
is far too small to understand a word of what he is reading, but she smiles nevertheless
because she simply loves the sound of his voice.
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"some insensitive thing
crushes your butterfly spirit"
- What is this "insensitive thing"? (4)
[Need help?]
The "insensitive thing" could refer to many happenings in life. We are all confronted with
gross insensitivity in our lives. But the poet is probably also referring to the gross insensitivity
of the apartheid system, where his daughter will be discriminated against for no fault of her own
but simply because of her skin colour.
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- Why is "butterfly spirit" a really good metaphor to describe the
child? (4)
[Need help?]
When you think of a butterfly, what picture is conjured up in your mind? Beauty?
Delicateness? Fragility? All of these would apply to the young child. The father thinks of her
spirit as beautiful, yet it is very young and fragile. Her spirit is delicate and can therefore be
damaged so easily.
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"shadows of a sun-darkened land
flow over you
and the eclipse
closes your eyes"
- What are the "shadows" that the poet is referring to? (4)
[Need help?]
The poet is probably referring to the shadows of the apartheid system, isn't he? He grew up
in the midst of this system, and his children were born into it. The metaphor of the
"sun-darkened land" continues this theme.
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- Why should the "eclipse" close the child's eyes? (4)
[Need help?]
It is as if South Africa had gone into an eclipse so that the sun of enlightenment was no longer
shining on the country or its people. The eclipse also closed the eyes of the people, leading
to anger and hatred. People could no longer see so as to live their lives properly in a state of
freedom.
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