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| @skyloverpoetry |
Let me tell you the names of Nguni cattle
in your own language that you may learn
the love of Africans for their beasts of home lands
here is the cow, white bird that does not rest
here is the bull, Mfezi, mark of the spitting cobra
here is the calf, caterpillar of the Marula tree
speckled black and the beast which is like clouds
bringing rain grazing in the veld beside
the old ox who is stones and sky
In Africa cattle know the man’s whistle
know to follow with the patient stride
of one who cuts right through the herd
of one who is like a small boy playing in mud
In Africa cattle carry the sun across the sky
on their sweeping horns that stab the storm
This is my take on Kim's Weekend Challenge: Nomenclature
and after reading W.S. Merwin's poem, After the Alphabets.
The indigenous Nguni cattle of Southern Africa all have distinctive, symmetrical markings on their hide which are given poetic names by the people: The metaphorical interaction between the tribe’s natural surroundings and the beauty of Nguni hides led to the formation of over 300 illustrative words. Names are associated with animals, birds, plants and other natural wonders.
Read more HERE
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| Nguni Cattle Stock photo (Royalty Free) |
Here follows a list of the traditional isiZulu names of those I have included in this poem:
Matshezulu
Meaning: “stones and sky”
Umlindankomo
Meaning : “the bird that does not rest”
Dabulumhlambi
Meaning: “what cuts right through the herd ”
Madixadixa
Meaning : “small boy playing in mud “
Inkomo engamafu
Meaning : “beast which is like clouds"
Macimbomganu
Meaning : “the caterpillars of the Marula tree"
Mfezi
Meaning : “Spitting Cobra ”
Even the cattle’s horns are named – “what stabs the rain”
This poem is more than I could have hoped for, Kerry, Not only have I learnt much about South African cattle but also the language. I love the photos of the Nguni cattle and their symmetrical markings, as well as the fact that they are given poetic names, which ties in with what I read at the museum. Thank you for the list of traditional names; my favourites are Umlindankomo – ‘the bird that does not rest’ and Madixadixa – ‘small boy playing in mud’.
ReplyDeleteThe direct address in your poem is so engaging and I like the repetition of ‘here is…’ that gives it the tone of a nursery rhyme. I adore the final lines!
Thank you, Kim. How this poem came about reminds me of how fortunate we are to have free access to the creative ideas of our fellow toads! So many things came together in writing this piece - my reading of Merwin's poems this week, and also one of my old pieces about the bond between the people and their cattle. I wanted to paint an Nguni cow, which is what led me to the blogsite where I read all the names. Then I saw your prompt, and everything coalesced into this one poem. I am pleased that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I appreciate your feedback, especially regarding the direct address. That helps me a lot.
Delete"of one who is like a small boy playing in mud
ReplyDeleteIn Africa cattle carry the sun across the sky
on their sweeping horns that stab the storm"
My goodness, this is gorgeous.
Thank you. It is a sight to behold - the cattle being taken out to pasture in the early morning.
DeleteI watch it every day.
DeleteThis is incredibly profound, Kerry!❤️ I especially love; "In Africa cattle carry the sun across the sky on their sweeping horns that stab the storm." Woww!❤️
ReplyDeleteI had to get the final two lines just right. i am so pleased to see that they worked!
DeleteI love the poem, and the story it tells... of how cattle and human are so close, and with the landscape as part of their name... the last two lines made it from name into mythology to me.
ReplyDeleteI believe the bond between men and cattle is one of the most profound cross-species relationships on the planet, second only to those bonds with our pets and horses.
DeleteI am pleased that the sense of myth is felt by the end of the poem. That is more than I had hoped for when I started out.
Wow Kerry. The names for the cattle. We always named the cows on the farm but more prosaic such as Crocus, Chocolate Pie, and Butter among the ones I remember. I love the stories behind the names and that "cattle carry the sun across the sky on their sweeping horns". The way you engaged us from the beginning was truly wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Toni. I am glad you enjoyed this poem. They are named according to the patterns on their hides - each is interpreted metaphorically or even ekphrastically into a phrase name.
Deletecarry the sun across the sky ... stab the storm ... that whole scene swept me away... Such grand animals. Thank you for such a poem!
ReplyDeleteThank you for being swept away, Margaret.
DeleteI feel cheated, living here in Vermont, where we just say "cow."
ReplyDeleteYep! I understand.
DeleteWhat beautiful naming! Your own love for your country, and its inhabitants, human and bovine, is evident too.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rosemary.
DeleteKim, you did well telling of the names of the "indigenous Nguni cattle of Southern Africa." I figure you also learned when you wrote here, I have wondered if perhaps you have learned the language of the Indigenous People there. My grandfather had three small farms, each of which he leased on 'share crop' to three of his sons, Dad was one of those. We have plans of sorts to visit South Africa near Cape Town, I will look for your cows when, and if, we come there.
ReplyDeleteWe had a small field, your veld, used for pasture that still had the Native Nebraska Prarie Grasson on it, a triangular piece of three for four acres (bordered by a public road, the neighbor's common fence, and a deep creek with tree lined banks that my sister and I played in) but I don't know whether the new owner left it or plowed it up. Supposedly it could not be plowed up without State approval because of the native grasses and as it also had been declared a 'Nature Preserve'.
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I do hope you get a chance to visit cape Town, Jim. Even for me, it is like a trip to another world. But I don't think you will fins any Nguni cows down that way.
DeleteStunning, Kerry! You got my heart beating again to the rhythms of Africa. The way you've woven the text, introduced the translations , while at the same time painting this picture is marvellous! And cows do, indeed carry the sun on their
ReplyDeletesweeping horns.
Thank you, Viv. To have a heart beating to African rhythms is to be truly blessed.
DeleteWhat a beautiful poem and all the notes you provided to explain the meaning of the words you used. It makes me want to travel there.
ReplyDeleteMy door is always open.. just let me know so I can tidy up a bit.
Delete;-)
cows are a different kind of sacred here in the US, with names like A65039 rather than Stone and Sky" ~
ReplyDeleteAh well... it's all about the head count.
DeleteI just read your poem in Meryl Streep's voice. The mood in your poem gives me chill-bumps. This is... reverent.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the background and photo. I had no knowledge of this before. Your closing lines are so picturesque, I felt like I Was under that sweeping sky. Gorgeous poem, Kerry.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much to learn about the relationship between man and the animals. I am glad you found this post enlightening.
DeleteI love the creation myth tone glowing out of this poem. I love how the last two lines conjure an image in my mind that speaks of strength and hope. I love that I hear drumming heartbeats as I read each line, which transform into a battle cry when I get to the end.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Magaly! I am glad the poem spoke to you on the level of stirring heartbeats. That is lovely to know.
Delete