English summary of
Paljas
CHRIS BARNARD
Paljas
A description of the landscape is given: the setting is somewhere in the
Karoo. In the middle of this outstretched, lonely area, there is a dirt road
(grondpad) and a railway (spoorlyn). Next to the railway there is a railway
stop (spoorweghalte), if it can even be called that. The stop consists of a
platform (perron), a sink waiting room and office (kantoor), a few trees,
some dilapidated (vervalle) barns (skure), a loading dock for animals, a
windpomp and a railway house with a wide front porch (voorstoep). It's
the type of place where trains wouldn't stop.
The farms are big and the nearest farm house is about 5 kilometres away.
South of the railway stop is a small town with a few shops (winkels), a
koöperasie, a few houses and a massive church (kerk). The church is an
important part of the story!
1. It's just after daybreak. There is a steam train underway with its
black smoke plume clearly visible against the sky.
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2. Hendrik and Katrien's bedroom. Katrien gets out of her single bed
and covers klein Willem who is sleeping in the same bed as her. She
looks at the sleeping Hendrik on his single bed across from her. The
light falls slightly over his face.
3. In the kitchen, Katrien has already packed the coal stove and she
starts the fire. She opens the back door and looks out. You can hear
roosters in the background the whole time.
4. Katrien is already dressed and puts a tray (skinkbord) with four
coffee cups down next to Hendrik's bed. She wakes him up and he
sits upright. She puts down another cup next to l<lein Willem's bed.
She takes the two remaining (orige) cups and goes to the room across
the hallway (gang).
5. Katrien sits on the bed in Emma's room and puts Emma's coffee
down on her bedside table. Emma has her back to Katrien and it
looks as though she is sleeping. Katrien doesn't wake her. She drinks
her coffee while sitting and looking out the window. The rooster
crows again.
Emma says that she is going to get up one morning and go kill that
rooster with a stick. She takes her coffee and they both drink in
silence. Emma is young and pretty. Katrien mentions that they are
going to suffer from the heat again that day.
6. Hendrik and the two kids are at the kitchen table eating bread and
jam (konfyt). Hendrik is in his railway uniform. Katrien is standing
and washing dishcloths (vadoeke). Hendrik sits and looks at Willem
the whole time while he is busy eating: openly and anxiously, like
looking at something you are curious (nuuskierig) about, but don't
understand. The child is either unaware (onbewus) of this or used to
(gewoond aan) it. Katrien is standing with her back to them: she has
eyes in the back of her head and tells Hendrik to leave the child
alone. He either doesn't hear or doesn't want to listen because he
continues staring. Katrien reprimands him again. The whole
conversation (gesprek) takes place without Katrien turning around
once. But her facial expression is one of pain or maybe frustration.
7. Katrien is busy hanging up dish cloths in front of the back door on
the rock hard naked (kaal) yard (werfie). The passenger train passes
and she stands in between the dishcloths with her hands on the line
and watches how the compartments flash by.
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8. Emma, maybe still in her pyjamas, is standing on the porch and
watching.
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9. Klein Willem is sitting in his room on the windowsill
and watching the last compartments go by. We know
it's his room because there are planes (vliegtuigies)
hanging from the ceiling (dak) and the walls are
covered in pictures of cars and rugby players.
10. Katrien is still standing outside by the washing
line, watching the train. She turns around after
watching it get lost in the distance, but her thoughts
are still with the train.
Katrien calls to Willem that he is going to be late and that he
mustn't forget to say goodbye to his father.
The backdoor bursts open and Willem goes running to the station.
11. Hendrik is busy at the platform (perron) with
something. Willem stands about ten metres from
him and waves.
Hendrik tells him to not do it like that: he must SAY it. Willem sees
the school bus coming and shows it to his dad. Hendrik walks closer
to Willem, grabs him by the elbow and demands again that Willem
say: "Good bye, Dad," but Willem pulls loose and runs to the bus.
The whole time he is waving at his dad over his shoulder. Hendrik's
face is void of expression. The bus hasn't completely left yet when a
green bakkie appears from the same direction as where the bus
came from. It's Frans Lombard. Hendrik positions himself in such a
way that he can see what happens in the yard without being
noticed.
12. Katrien is busy scrubbing the kitchen floor.
Her hair is a bit messy and when she hears the
bakkie, she suddenly stops, tidies up the kitchen and
fixes her appearance. She walks to the backdoor just
in time to open it for Frans.
Frans has a milk can in his one hand and a basket (mandjie) with a
cloth over it in the other. He hesitates a bit because he wants to
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Paljas
CHRIS BARNARD
Paljas
A description of the landscape is given: the setting is somewhere in the
Karoo. In the middle of this outstretched, lonely area, there is a dirt road
(grondpad) and a railway (spoorlyn). Next to the railway there is a railway
stop (spoorweghalte), if it can even be called that. The stop consists of a
platform (perron), a sink waiting room and office (kantoor), a few trees,
some dilapidated (vervalle) barns (skure), a loading dock for animals, a
windpomp and a railway house with a wide front porch (voorstoep). It's
the type of place where trains wouldn't stop.
The farms are big and the nearest farm house is about 5 kilometres away.
South of the railway stop is a small town with a few shops (winkels), a
koöperasie, a few houses and a massive church (kerk). The church is an
important part of the story!
1. It's just after daybreak. There is a steam train underway with its
black smoke plume clearly visible against the sky.
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2. Hendrik and Katrien's bedroom. Katrien gets out of her single bed
and covers klein Willem who is sleeping in the same bed as her. She
looks at the sleeping Hendrik on his single bed across from her. The
light falls slightly over his face.
3. In the kitchen, Katrien has already packed the coal stove and she
starts the fire. She opens the back door and looks out. You can hear
roosters in the background the whole time.
4. Katrien is already dressed and puts a tray (skinkbord) with four
coffee cups down next to Hendrik's bed. She wakes him up and he
sits upright. She puts down another cup next to l<lein Willem's bed.
She takes the two remaining (orige) cups and goes to the room across
the hallway (gang).
5. Katrien sits on the bed in Emma's room and puts Emma's coffee
down on her bedside table. Emma has her back to Katrien and it
looks as though she is sleeping. Katrien doesn't wake her. She drinks
her coffee while sitting and looking out the window. The rooster
crows again.
Emma says that she is going to get up one morning and go kill that
rooster with a stick. She takes her coffee and they both drink in
silence. Emma is young and pretty. Katrien mentions that they are
going to suffer from the heat again that day.
6. Hendrik and the two kids are at the kitchen table eating bread and
jam (konfyt). Hendrik is in his railway uniform. Katrien is standing
and washing dishcloths (vadoeke). Hendrik sits and looks at Willem
the whole time while he is busy eating: openly and anxiously, like
looking at something you are curious (nuuskierig) about, but don't
understand. The child is either unaware (onbewus) of this or used to
(gewoond aan) it. Katrien is standing with her back to them: she has
eyes in the back of her head and tells Hendrik to leave the child
alone. He either doesn't hear or doesn't want to listen because he
continues staring. Katrien reprimands him again. The whole
conversation (gesprek) takes place without Katrien turning around
once. But her facial expression is one of pain or maybe frustration.
7. Katrien is busy hanging up dish cloths in front of the back door on
the rock hard naked (kaal) yard (werfie). The passenger train passes
and she stands in between the dishcloths with her hands on the line
and watches how the compartments flash by.
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8. Emma, maybe still in her pyjamas, is standing on the porch and
watching.
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9. Klein Willem is sitting in his room on the windowsill
and watching the last compartments go by. We know
it's his room because there are planes (vliegtuigies)
hanging from the ceiling (dak) and the walls are
covered in pictures of cars and rugby players.
10. Katrien is still standing outside by the washing
line, watching the train. She turns around after
watching it get lost in the distance, but her thoughts
are still with the train.
Katrien calls to Willem that he is going to be late and that he
mustn't forget to say goodbye to his father.
The backdoor bursts open and Willem goes running to the station.
11. Hendrik is busy at the platform (perron) with
something. Willem stands about ten metres from
him and waves.
Hendrik tells him to not do it like that: he must SAY it. Willem sees
the school bus coming and shows it to his dad. Hendrik walks closer
to Willem, grabs him by the elbow and demands again that Willem
say: "Good bye, Dad," but Willem pulls loose and runs to the bus.
The whole time he is waving at his dad over his shoulder. Hendrik's
face is void of expression. The bus hasn't completely left yet when a
green bakkie appears from the same direction as where the bus
came from. It's Frans Lombard. Hendrik positions himself in such a
way that he can see what happens in the yard without being
noticed.
12. Katrien is busy scrubbing the kitchen floor.
Her hair is a bit messy and when she hears the
bakkie, she suddenly stops, tidies up the kitchen and
fixes her appearance. She walks to the backdoor just
in time to open it for Frans.
Frans has a milk can in his one hand and a basket (mandjie) with a
cloth over it in the other. He hesitates a bit because he wants to
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