Africa

Africa
I hear your song,
I feel your beat,
Ngiyakuthanda Africa
And you take me home…

Your wide open spaces,
Tseno metala legodimo,
Your rivers run strong
Your mountains stand proud.

Africa
I hear your song
I feel your beat
Ngiyakuthanda Africa
And you take me home…

The sun shines brightly on your copper field,
Your endless horizons set me free…
Your winds guide me to where the rain falls down
On the earth where you grow wild and unruly

Africa
I hear your song
I feel your beat
Ngiyakuthanda Africa
And you take me home…

In jou het ek n tuiste... Africa

Reviews

[An owl on the moon]

Stunning... What a beautiful music that rises from your words... Africa... how she has called to people for centuries... her wonders and glory... we see these enchantments through your eyes, and know why they have journeyed to taste her wildness... Your mingling of English, Zulu, and Afrikaans breathes out a depth of her history... Ngiyabonga...

[ChervenkovaM]

Wonderful! I love it, the words creates such a beautiful image :)
I really like how you mix the two languages, it shows a great affection.

[Diwakar - "The Warrior ..]

nice rhythm and nice write :-)

[Sourav]

Simple yet very beautiful!

[Just Jayren]

Even before I translated the African dialect I could clearly tell your passion and pride for the place you call home

[just is]

This is simply wonderful, the only thing is I couldn't pronounce was
"Ngiyakuthanda" Or say the last line, But I enjoyed what I could read.
This is wonderful.

[Zeek4]

Beautiful. It is easy to see you love your part of the world.

[MOON]

Love this , the way you use three languagues to convey your love of the land and home.

[Aarontastic]

I like this. The verses (the English ones, anyway) are simple and declarative, but really effective in a poem like this, as is the refrain of 'Africa' over and over. There's no ornate language in this or complicated allusions or metaphor, so at a glance it seems almost too straightforward. But after reading it over again, I felt like the verses actually painted a bold and earthy picture of Africa. Using more flowery language would have lessened this poem's impact; as it stands right now, it's very natural and primal.

Great idea interspersing the English with Afrikaans (if that's what it is s.s), it gives it an authenticity that only a native can give to a poem like this, and it makes it feel more exotic. My favorite stanza was the fourth, where you gave us the most description of your country...the imagery of 'endless horizons', 'copper fields', and 'wild and unruly' growth really resonate. I wish you had included more stanzas in the poem like this one.

The only slight negative criticism that I have is that this was slightly repetitive and too short; I felt that way because you only have two different stanzas besides the refrain stanzas, which are all the same. I like how you made this into a song, but since you went that route, I'd just suggest making it a little longer and adding more descriptive stanzas like the second and fourth!

Anyways you did a good job :)

[luna11]

Great poem :D
I like the repeating stanza.
I have no idea how to pronounce Ngiyakuthanda.
(I'm guessing the 'N' is silent..)
What does In jou het ek n tuiste mean in English?
xx