Krisis by Elisabeth Eybers
1. Dis hier wat ons twee skei – jy, Hart, 1. It is here were we part – you, Heart,
en ek, and I,
2. albei tot afskeid so onvoorbereid. 2. both so unprepared for the farewell.
3. Die weg was lieflik waarlangs jy 3. The road you led to was lovely
gelei’t
4. maar dis verby, al staar jy terug. Nou 4. but it’s over, even though you stare
strek back. Now the road stretches
5. die pad langs klowe, afgrond en 5. along cliffs, abysses and swamp.
moeras.
6. Voortvarend en ‘n lafaard soos altyd 6. Impetuous/impulsive and a coward
as always
7. en nooit in staat tot enige besluit 7. and never capable of making a
decision
8. en siek daarby, is jy nou net ‘n las. 8. and sick as well, you are now just a
burden.
9. Jy was die gas en gasheer by die 9. You were the guest and host at the
fees, feast,
10. die seremoniemeester en die nar: 10. the master of ceremonies and the
clown:
11. jou dwase raad kan net die Hoof 11. your foolish advice can only confuse
verwar the Mind/Head
12. waar elke tree die laaste tree mag 12. where every step might be the last
wees. step.
13. Kyk, dit word laat, die kermis is 13. Look, it’s getting late, the festival is
verby, over,
14. kan jy dit nie begryp? Hier moet ons 14. don’t you understand? Here we
skei. must part.
Analysis of the poem
1. Dis hier wat ons twee skei – jy, Hart, The use of the pronoun
en ek, A (voornaamwoord) “ons” indicates
(dui aan) that this is a first-person
narrator (eerstepersoonsverteller).
After (na) the hyphen
(aandagstreep) an explanation
(verduideliking) follows (volg) as to
which (watter) two people’s paths
(paaie) must part (skei).
The heart is the “jy (you)” and the
speaker is the “ek (I)”, giving this
PROPERTY OF M SOUNES NO COPYING, SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION ALLOWED 1
, poem a personal tone
(invalshoek/stemming).
She is addressing (spreek
aan/aanspreek) the heart as a
person, using a capital (hoofletter)
“H”. This technique is called
apostrophe (apostroof) which is
where the speaker directly
addresses an inanimate object as a
character or person.
This is also an example of
personification since the heart is
being made to seem as a human
being (mens).
2. albei tot afskeid so onvoorbereid. B The a-assonansie emphasizes
(beklemtoon) the fact that neither
(geen) of the two parties (partye)
were prepared (voorbereid) for the
separation (skeiding), further
emphasized by the use of the word
“onvoorbereid” and the ei-
assonansie
3. Die weg was lieflik waarlangs jy The use of the contraction (elisie)
gelei’t B with “gelei’t”, which is supposed to
(veronderstel om) read “gelei het” is
done in order to not only rhyme
(rym) with “onvoorbereid” in line 2
but to also help with the rhythm
(ritme).
The use of the past tense word
“was” shows (wys) what the path
used to be, yet now (nou) it has
come to an end.
w-alliterasie
4. maar dis verby, al staar jy terug. The conjunction (voegwoord)
Nou strek A “maar” indicates a contradiction
(teenstelling) and a turning point
(wending) to show that the journey
(reis) with the heart is over (verby).
The use of enjambment
(enjambement) from line 4 to 5
shows (wys) that the speaker is
moving on (beweeg) aan.
There is a contrast (kontras)
between “terug” and “strek” which
PROPERTY OF M SOUNES NO COPYING, SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION ALLOWED 2
1. Dis hier wat ons twee skei – jy, Hart, 1. It is here were we part – you, Heart,
en ek, and I,
2. albei tot afskeid so onvoorbereid. 2. both so unprepared for the farewell.
3. Die weg was lieflik waarlangs jy 3. The road you led to was lovely
gelei’t
4. maar dis verby, al staar jy terug. Nou 4. but it’s over, even though you stare
strek back. Now the road stretches
5. die pad langs klowe, afgrond en 5. along cliffs, abysses and swamp.
moeras.
6. Voortvarend en ‘n lafaard soos altyd 6. Impetuous/impulsive and a coward
as always
7. en nooit in staat tot enige besluit 7. and never capable of making a
decision
8. en siek daarby, is jy nou net ‘n las. 8. and sick as well, you are now just a
burden.
9. Jy was die gas en gasheer by die 9. You were the guest and host at the
fees, feast,
10. die seremoniemeester en die nar: 10. the master of ceremonies and the
clown:
11. jou dwase raad kan net die Hoof 11. your foolish advice can only confuse
verwar the Mind/Head
12. waar elke tree die laaste tree mag 12. where every step might be the last
wees. step.
13. Kyk, dit word laat, die kermis is 13. Look, it’s getting late, the festival is
verby, over,
14. kan jy dit nie begryp? Hier moet ons 14. don’t you understand? Here we
skei. must part.
Analysis of the poem
1. Dis hier wat ons twee skei – jy, Hart, The use of the pronoun
en ek, A (voornaamwoord) “ons” indicates
(dui aan) that this is a first-person
narrator (eerstepersoonsverteller).
After (na) the hyphen
(aandagstreep) an explanation
(verduideliking) follows (volg) as to
which (watter) two people’s paths
(paaie) must part (skei).
The heart is the “jy (you)” and the
speaker is the “ek (I)”, giving this
PROPERTY OF M SOUNES NO COPYING, SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION ALLOWED 1
, poem a personal tone
(invalshoek/stemming).
She is addressing (spreek
aan/aanspreek) the heart as a
person, using a capital (hoofletter)
“H”. This technique is called
apostrophe (apostroof) which is
where the speaker directly
addresses an inanimate object as a
character or person.
This is also an example of
personification since the heart is
being made to seem as a human
being (mens).
2. albei tot afskeid so onvoorbereid. B The a-assonansie emphasizes
(beklemtoon) the fact that neither
(geen) of the two parties (partye)
were prepared (voorbereid) for the
separation (skeiding), further
emphasized by the use of the word
“onvoorbereid” and the ei-
assonansie
3. Die weg was lieflik waarlangs jy The use of the contraction (elisie)
gelei’t B with “gelei’t”, which is supposed to
(veronderstel om) read “gelei het” is
done in order to not only rhyme
(rym) with “onvoorbereid” in line 2
but to also help with the rhythm
(ritme).
The use of the past tense word
“was” shows (wys) what the path
used to be, yet now (nou) it has
come to an end.
w-alliterasie
4. maar dis verby, al staar jy terug. The conjunction (voegwoord)
Nou strek A “maar” indicates a contradiction
(teenstelling) and a turning point
(wending) to show that the journey
(reis) with the heart is over (verby).
The use of enjambment
(enjambement) from line 4 to 5
shows (wys) that the speaker is
moving on (beweeg) aan.
There is a contrast (kontras)
between “terug” and “strek” which
PROPERTY OF M SOUNES NO COPYING, SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION ALLOWED 2
