To Relinquish your love!
Without her, ‘The night is muted and senseless
And the stars lost their shine in the sky.’
The night wind angrily scuffles around corners where I stay,
Whispering my lost lover’s name.
I gave my heart to her.
I loved her, and occasionally she loved me.
Nights like this one, she kissed me in her arms.
I kissed her too and loved her endlessly until the early hours.
She loved me, and I loved her.
Did I love her great, incredible eyes?
To love somebody and not to have her.
I had lost her.
To slug through the night is too immense without her.
And the poem falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.
What does it matter that my devotion could not keep her?
The night shattered, and she was not with me.
What can I say? In the distance, someone is singing.
The love song makes my soul uncomfortable.
My eyes search for her as I want to go to her.
My soul looks for her, and she is not with me.
The same night, the same trees were always here.
We, young at that time, are no longer the same.
I love her, that’s certain, but how deeply I loved her.
My voice whispered to the wind to touch her soul.
She will be in another’s arms, kissing as we did before.
Her voice, her glowing body, and her infinite eyes!
I love her, that’s certain, but maybe she didn’t know how deeply I loved her.
Love is short, and forgetting love forever.
My soul is lost.
I LOVE HER
Yes, I love South Africa!
Om Jou Liefde te verloor
Sonder haar, ‘Die nag is gedemp en sinneloos
En die sterre het hul glans aan die hemel verloor.’
Die nagwind skarrel woedend om hoeke waar ek bly,
Fluister my geliefde se naam.
Ek het my hart vir haar gegee.
Ek was lief vir haar, en af en toe was sy lief vir my.
Aande soos hierdie het sy my in haar arms gesoen.
Ek het haar ook gesoen en tot in die vroeë oggendure
Ek was oneindig lief vir haar.
Sy was lief vir my, en ek was lief vir haar.
Was ek lief vir haar wonderlike, ongelooflike oë?
Om iemand lief te hê en haar nie te hê nie.
Ek het haar verloor.
Om deur die nag te waak is te groot sonder haar.
En die gedig val op die siel soos dou op die weiveld.
Wat maak dit saak dat my toewyding haar nie kon hou nie.
Die nag is verpletter, en sy was nie by my nie.
Wat Kan ek sê? In die verte sing iemand.
Die liefdeslied maak my siel ongemaklik.
My oë soek na haar omdat ek na haar toe wil gaan.
My siel soek haar, en sy is nie by my nie.
Dieselfde nag en dieselfde bome was altyd hier.
Ons was jonk in daardie tyd en tye is nie meer dieselfde nie.
Ek is lief vir haar, dis seker, maar hoe diep was dit.
Ek was lief vir haar.
My stem het na die wind gefluister om haar siel aan te raak.
Sy sal in ‘n ander se arms wees en soen soos ons voorheen gedoen het.
Haar stem. Haar gloeiende lyf. Haar oneindige oë.
Ek is lief vir haar, dis seker, maar miskien het sy nie geweet
Hoe diep ek haar liefhet nie.
Liefde is kort, en my liefde het sy nie onthou nie.
My siel is verlore.
EK IS LIEF VIR HAAR!
