Song of the Wild Bushman
Song of the Wild Bushman
Original Text
Thomas Pringle, African Sketches (London: Edward Moxon, 1834): 14-15. 010097.e.63 British Library
2 And fields of foodful grain;
3My home is 'mid the mountain rocks,
4 The Desert my domain.
5I plant no herbs nor pleasant fruits,
6 I toil not for my cheer;
7The Desert yields me juicy roots,
8 And herds of bounding deer.
10 Spread o'er the unbounded plain;
11The buffalo bendeth to my yoke,
14 My rein the tough bow-string;
15My bridle curb is a slender barb --
16 Yet it quells the forest-king.
17The crested adder honoureth me,
18 And yields at my command
19His poison-bag, like the honey-bee,
20 When I seize him on the sand.
21Yea, even the wasting locusts' swarm,
22 Which mighty nations dread,
23To me nor terror brings nor harm --
25Thus I am lord of the Desert Land,
26 And I will not leave my bounds,
28 And kennel with his hounds:
29To be a hound, and watch the flocks,
30 For the cruel White Man's gain --
31No! the brown Serpent of the Rocks
32 His den doth yet retain;
33And none who there his sting provokes,
34 Shall find its poison vain!
Notes
1] bushman: Dutch term for natives living in the wilderness. Back to Line
9] springboks: "A species of antelope, Antilope euchore, abounding in South Africa, characterized by a habit of springing almost directly upwards when excited or disturbed" (OED). Back to Line
12] wild-horse: the zebra. Back to Line
13] assagai: light native javelin or lance. Back to Line
24] "`The Bushmen,' says Captain Stockenstrom, `consider the locusts a great luxury, consuming great quantities fresh, and drying abundance for future emergencies'" (Pringle's note, p. 504). Back to Line
27] Christian's hand: that of the Dutch colonists, the boers. Back to Line
Publication Start Year
1825
Publication Notes
South African Commercial Advertiser (Sept. 21, 1825).
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition
RPO 2000.