Poetry Readers Challenge discussion

Jonker had started writing a new collection of poems just before her death.

She then witnessed a shattering event: a Black baby was shot in his mother’ arms. She underlined from Dylan Thomas: "after the first death, there is no other". And she wrote: "Die kind (wat doodgeskiet is deur soldate by Nyanga)", "The child (who was shot dead by soldiers at Nyanga"). ormer president Nelson Mandela read her poem “Die Kind” (“The Child”) at the historical opening of parliament in May 1994. This collection of poetry was published posthumously as Kantelson ("Toppling Sun").

During the night of 19 July 1965, her ongoing battle with depression and anxiety caught up with her and she went to the beach at Three Anchor Bay in Cape Town where she walked into the sea and committed suicide by drowning.

'Die Kind/ The Child' is an upsetting poem, but it is important that it was written. So much of the atrocities in South Africa at the time were kept hidden from the everyday person. People like Jonker helped to discourage ignorance and in this way promote change.


Die kind wat dood geskiet is deur soldate by Nyanga

Die kind is nie dood nie
die kind lig sy vuiste teen sy moeder
wat Afrika skreeu skreeu die geur
van vryheid en heide
in die lokasies van die omsingelde hart

Die kind lig sy vuiste teen sy vader
in die optog van die generasies
wat Afrika skreeu skreeu die geur
van geregtigheid en bloed
in die strate van sy gewapende trots

Die kind is nie dood nie
nòg by Langa nòg by Nyanga
nòg by Orlando nòg by Sharpville
nòg by die polisiestasie in Philippi
waar hy lê met 'n koeël deur sy kop

Die kind is die skaduwee van die soldate
op wag met gewere sarasene en knuppels
die kind is teenwoordig by alle vergaderings en wetgewings
die kind loer deur die vensters van huise en in die harte van moeders
die kind wat net wou speel in die son by Nyanga is orals
die kind wat 'n man geword het trek deur die ganse Afrika
die kind wat 'n reus geword het reis deur die hele wêreld


The child that died at Nyanga

The child is not dead
The child lifts his fist against his mother
Who shouts Africa! Shouts the breath
Of freedom and the veld
In the shanty-towns for the cordoned heart

The child lifts his fist against his father
In the march of the generations
Who are shouting Afrika! Shout the breath
Of righteousness and blood
In the streets of his embattled pride

The child is not dead
Not at Langa nor at Nyanga
Nor at Orlando nor at Sharpeville
Nor at the police station in Philippi
Where he lies with a bullet through his head

The child is the shadow of the soldiers
On guard with their rifles saracens and batons
The child is present at all assemblies and legislation
The child peers through the windows of houses and into the hears of mothers
This child who just longed to play in the sun at Nyanga is everywhere
The child grown into a man treks on through all Africa
The child grown into a giant journeys over the whole world
Carrying no pass

You've piqued my interest in Jonker, but a quick internet search reveals that it's very difficult to obtain a copy of an English translation of her work in the U.S.!

Try kalahari.com. They have Black Butterflies which is the translated collection.
Glad I piqued your interest.

I especially liked the last stanza of this. This poem is so different from the other poems you've quoted for us. But political poetry is a different animal and that's what I'd call this. I can see how it would rouse people and consolidate a movement. Thanks again for taking the time to write these reviews and the background along with them.

More of this third book was political. I chose this poem because of its political significance in SA. I tried to pick out different poems.
Glad you enjoyed them.

@Lisa, I find kalahari.com very intimidating: having used the U.S. monetary system my whole life, I don't have any understanding of South African prices! According to kalahari.com, Black Butterflies is selling for "R210.00": is that a large amount of money? A small amount of money? I wish I knew!

I'm annoyed that, given Jonker's cultural importance, not a single U.S.-based vendor carries her books...

R210is about average for a book here. Looking at what I buy, I pay between R150- R300 for books, bargains are less.
It's on average R10 to the USD.
Hope that helps.
I'd pay that for a complete collection of poetry.

I find sourcing our books very frustrating too.
They are not available on e-reader, even via the Kalahari reader.
There's usually small sections in most bookshops, but only of new works. The translators are also very well known SA authors, the other issue is original language
The SA books available in the US have often been published there.

Other sites are www.takealot.com or www.redpepperbooks.com
Often cheaper

Lisa, I am sadly going to give up, for now, on obtaining a copy of this book, as direly as I wish to obtain it. It's true that some overseas-based online vendors carry it, but the ones I've looked into won't ship to the U.S., at least not for any reasonable amount of money. Even the publisher's website doesn't reveal any easy way to get a copy shipped to the U.S. And not only do the U.S. online retailers I've investigated not carry it, but even the New York Public Library system doesn't have a copy available for check-out!

If you ever visit the U.S., I'm borrowing your copy.

Jenna wrote: "Lisa, I am sadly going to give up, for now, on obtaining a copy of this book, as direly as I wish to obtain it. It's true that some overseas-based online vendors carry it, but the ones I've looked ..."

That's disappointing!
You are more than welcome to borrow my copy- it's in Afrikaans.

Jenna wrote: "Lisa, I am sadly going to give up, for now, on obtaining a copy of this book, as direly as I wish to obtain it. It's true that some overseas-based online vendors carry it, but the ones I've looked ..."

If I ever see an English copy in the book shop, I will send it.