3. At a funeral
ENGLISH HL Dennis Brutus
17 February 2024
GRADE 12 POETRY
AT A FUNERAL NOTES
– DENNIS ON: At a funeral
BRUTUS
1 Black, green and gold at sunset: pageantry
2 And stubbled graves: expectant, of eternity,
3 In bride’s-white, nun’s-white veils the nurses gush their bounty
4 Of red-wine cloaks, frothing the bugled dirging slopes
5 Salute! Then ponder all this hollow panoply
6 For one whose gifts the mud devours, with our hopes.
7 Oh all you frustrate ones, powers tombed in dirt,
8 Aborted, not by Death but carrion books of birth
9 Arise! The brassy shout of Freedom stirs our earth;
10 Not death but death’s-head tyranny scythes our ground
11 And plots our narrow cells of pain defeat and dearth:
12 Better that we should die, than that we should lie down
Poet – Dennis Brutus
Brutus (Coloured Descent) was born in Zimbabwe but grew up in South Africa. He was a
graduate of the University of Fort Hare. He taught English and Afrikaans at several high
schools in South Africa after 1948, but was eventually dismissed for his vocal criticism of
apartheid. He was banned for his political activities. While in Mozambique, he was arrested
and returned to South Africa where, while trying to escape, he was shot. Brutus was sent to
Robben Island for 16 months. He was in the cell next to Nelson Mandela's. After his release
Brutus left South Africa and went into exile in Britain. He was eventually "unbanned" by the
South African government in 1990 and returned to South Africa, based at the University of
KwaZulu-Natal. He later settled in Cape Town, where he died of prostate cancer on 26
December 2009.
Diction
Word Meaning
Pageantry Elaborate display or ceremony
Stubbled Small, sticking out, protruding, rough
Expectant Expecting, rising up
Eternity Timeless, infinite or unending in time
Gush Fast flowing
Bounty Generosity
Frothing anger Froth from the mouth because of illness or excitement
Bugled Played on a bugle - trumpet like musical instrument usually at
funerals
Dirging Playing a funeral song
1
, Ponder Think about something carefully
Hollow Empty or meaningless
Panoply An impressive display/collection
Devours Swallows/completely destroys
Carrion Rotting flesh of dead animal
Brassy Brass musical instrument like a trumpet
Death’s head Human skull, symbol of mortality and death
Tyranny Cruel/oppressive government/use of power.
Scythes Cuts down
Dearth Scarcity/lack of something
Summary:
It's about a young woman called Valencia Majombozi, an African woman who managed to
qualify as a doctor after enormous hardship and sacrifice by her parents. She got her
medical degree and then, by an incredible irony, just after Valencia had completed her
internship, she died during the Sharpeville Massacre. The speaker went to her funeral. The
poem is about the years of sacrifice that end in nothing, and you could read the poem
entirely on that level or just as an expression of frustrated and aborted hopes.
Oppressed people cannot live their lives fully! He urges active resistance – “Arise!”. He
ultimately states that death is a better fate than yielding to “defeat and dearth”.
Form/Structure:
There are two equal stanzas and a specific rhyme scheme (aaabab, cccdcd) in this poem.
The formality of the poem mirrors the formal rites and rituals of a funeral ceremony.
Analysis:
Title
At a funeral
The poem is a tribute to Valencia Majombozi. This makes it personal: the poet refers to a
specific person and has a greater impact on the reader. ‘shortly after qualifying’ –
Emphasises that all her dreams and hopes have been destroyed by death. This conveys a
sense of frustration and aborted hopes.
2
ENGLISH HL Dennis Brutus
17 February 2024
GRADE 12 POETRY
AT A FUNERAL NOTES
– DENNIS ON: At a funeral
BRUTUS
1 Black, green and gold at sunset: pageantry
2 And stubbled graves: expectant, of eternity,
3 In bride’s-white, nun’s-white veils the nurses gush their bounty
4 Of red-wine cloaks, frothing the bugled dirging slopes
5 Salute! Then ponder all this hollow panoply
6 For one whose gifts the mud devours, with our hopes.
7 Oh all you frustrate ones, powers tombed in dirt,
8 Aborted, not by Death but carrion books of birth
9 Arise! The brassy shout of Freedom stirs our earth;
10 Not death but death’s-head tyranny scythes our ground
11 And plots our narrow cells of pain defeat and dearth:
12 Better that we should die, than that we should lie down
Poet – Dennis Brutus
Brutus (Coloured Descent) was born in Zimbabwe but grew up in South Africa. He was a
graduate of the University of Fort Hare. He taught English and Afrikaans at several high
schools in South Africa after 1948, but was eventually dismissed for his vocal criticism of
apartheid. He was banned for his political activities. While in Mozambique, he was arrested
and returned to South Africa where, while trying to escape, he was shot. Brutus was sent to
Robben Island for 16 months. He was in the cell next to Nelson Mandela's. After his release
Brutus left South Africa and went into exile in Britain. He was eventually "unbanned" by the
South African government in 1990 and returned to South Africa, based at the University of
KwaZulu-Natal. He later settled in Cape Town, where he died of prostate cancer on 26
December 2009.
Diction
Word Meaning
Pageantry Elaborate display or ceremony
Stubbled Small, sticking out, protruding, rough
Expectant Expecting, rising up
Eternity Timeless, infinite or unending in time
Gush Fast flowing
Bounty Generosity
Frothing anger Froth from the mouth because of illness or excitement
Bugled Played on a bugle - trumpet like musical instrument usually at
funerals
Dirging Playing a funeral song
1
, Ponder Think about something carefully
Hollow Empty or meaningless
Panoply An impressive display/collection
Devours Swallows/completely destroys
Carrion Rotting flesh of dead animal
Brassy Brass musical instrument like a trumpet
Death’s head Human skull, symbol of mortality and death
Tyranny Cruel/oppressive government/use of power.
Scythes Cuts down
Dearth Scarcity/lack of something
Summary:
It's about a young woman called Valencia Majombozi, an African woman who managed to
qualify as a doctor after enormous hardship and sacrifice by her parents. She got her
medical degree and then, by an incredible irony, just after Valencia had completed her
internship, she died during the Sharpeville Massacre. The speaker went to her funeral. The
poem is about the years of sacrifice that end in nothing, and you could read the poem
entirely on that level or just as an expression of frustrated and aborted hopes.
Oppressed people cannot live their lives fully! He urges active resistance – “Arise!”. He
ultimately states that death is a better fate than yielding to “defeat and dearth”.
Form/Structure:
There are two equal stanzas and a specific rhyme scheme (aaabab, cccdcd) in this poem.
The formality of the poem mirrors the formal rites and rituals of a funeral ceremony.
Analysis:
Title
At a funeral
The poem is a tribute to Valencia Majombozi. This makes it personal: the poet refers to a
specific person and has a greater impact on the reader. ‘shortly after qualifying’ –
Emphasises that all her dreams and hopes have been destroyed by death. This conveys a
sense of frustration and aborted hopes.
2
