English summary of
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.
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.
PROPERTY OF M SOUNES NO UNAUTHORIZED COPYING, SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION ALLOWED 1
, 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 klein 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.
8. Emma, maybe still in her pyjamas, is standing on the porch and watching.
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.
PROPERTY OF M SOUNES NO UNAUTHORIZED COPYING, SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION ALLOWED 2
, 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 enter the house and Katrien
wants to exit because she doesn’t want him to see the bucket that she just used
to scrub the floors.
They talk about the weather. Frans comes in eventually. Emma appears in the
doorway. Katrien lifts up the cloth from the basket to reveal red apples. She tells
him that he brings too many things all the time. Emma leans with her back
against the wall. She watches them without any expression on her face.
Emma greets Frans and he says to Katrien that he will get her what she wants
from town and drop it off when he returns to his farm. She first hesitates but then
relents and says that her flour for baking bread is running low. She moves to a
shelf against the wall, takes a can and opens it to give the necessary money to
Frans. She asks for 2 packets of flour. He asks if that will be all. It is really a very
strained conversation. Frans looks at Emma and she looks right back at him. He
then puts the money in his shirt pocket (hempsak) and says goodbye.
Katrien stands in the door to watch him leave. Emma is still standing motionless,
looking at her mom. Katrien takes one of the apples and takes a bite. When she
turns around, she sees Emma looking at her. It is clear that Emma does not like
Frans.
Emma leaves. When Katrien asks her where she is going, she says that she is
“just going.” The door slams shut behind Emma and Katrien turns around to
watch Frans’s bakkie leave. She eats the fruit. This is a symbol of the forbidden
fruit from Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden. The reader gets the idea that
there is something hidden under the surface when it comes to Frans and Katrien.
PROPERTY OF M SOUNES NO UNAUTHORIZED COPYING, SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION ALLOWED 3
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.
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.
PROPERTY OF M SOUNES NO UNAUTHORIZED COPYING, SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION ALLOWED 1
, 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 klein 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.
8. Emma, maybe still in her pyjamas, is standing on the porch and watching.
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.
PROPERTY OF M SOUNES NO UNAUTHORIZED COPYING, SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION ALLOWED 2
, 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 enter the house and Katrien
wants to exit because she doesn’t want him to see the bucket that she just used
to scrub the floors.
They talk about the weather. Frans comes in eventually. Emma appears in the
doorway. Katrien lifts up the cloth from the basket to reveal red apples. She tells
him that he brings too many things all the time. Emma leans with her back
against the wall. She watches them without any expression on her face.
Emma greets Frans and he says to Katrien that he will get her what she wants
from town and drop it off when he returns to his farm. She first hesitates but then
relents and says that her flour for baking bread is running low. She moves to a
shelf against the wall, takes a can and opens it to give the necessary money to
Frans. She asks for 2 packets of flour. He asks if that will be all. It is really a very
strained conversation. Frans looks at Emma and she looks right back at him. He
then puts the money in his shirt pocket (hempsak) and says goodbye.
Katrien stands in the door to watch him leave. Emma is still standing motionless,
looking at her mom. Katrien takes one of the apples and takes a bite. When she
turns around, she sees Emma looking at her. It is clear that Emma does not like
Frans.
Emma leaves. When Katrien asks her where she is going, she says that she is
“just going.” The door slams shut behind Emma and Katrien turns around to
watch Frans’s bakkie leave. She eats the fruit. This is a symbol of the forbidden
fruit from Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden. The reader gets the idea that
there is something hidden under the surface when it comes to Frans and Katrien.
PROPERTY OF M SOUNES NO UNAUTHORIZED COPYING, SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION ALLOWED 3
