Studies in Khoisan verbs and other poems

Basil du Toit

Description

Du Toit draws on his childhood years in Botswana (the Bechuanaland Protectorate, as it was in those days) to examine questions of language identity and entitlement. He recalls confiding the secret of a magic trick to an itinerant Tswana man who in exchange taught him how to say a few words of the / Xam language; this proximity of language to the magical fashioning of reality still haunts him and has led to poems questioning our sense of belonging to social structures, sexual groupings and even to humanity itself.

Paradoxically, a diverse ethnic background (with Dutch, French, German and Scottish forebears) works against Du Toit’s sense of being welcomed into any single national group. Two directions of trans-national entitlement remain open – movement into an inner landscape of spiritual and artistic values, and an allegiance to the planet as an ecologically neutral, valued and threatened space of dwelling. Both of these manifestations of “home” feature prominently in Du Toit’s work. A visionary linguistics binds these worlds together – foregrounding of the inner life as a source of values and home encourages a Kantian vision of a natural world created by the necessary structures of human consciousness, language being the force and locus of this creation. Du Toit’s longed-for release from paid employment in 2011 allowed him to spend his mornings in Edinburgh University’s Main Library; there, over the next ten years, basing himself on the Third Floor of the library (where the University’s literature collections are housed), he composed a large body of poems, mainly free-verse sonnets, from which the poems of “Studies in Khoisan Verbs” are drawn.

Sujets

• General
• Poetry
• General officer

Informations

• Publié par: Botsotso Publishing
• Date de parution: 08 mars 2024
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781990922664
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Studies in Khoisan Verbs

and Oer Poems

Basî du Toî

First published in 2024 by Botsotso 59 Natal St Bellevue East Johannesburg 2198 [e-mail] www.botsotso.org.za

e-ISBN:978-1-990922-66-4

In the text © Basil du Toit 2024 [e-mail]

Acknowledgements:

Versions of some of these poems have appeared in the following publications: Anima, Antiphon, Carapace, Dawntreader, Envoi, Interpreter’s House, Lighthouse, Orbis, Poetry Salzburg Review, Raum, Southlight, Stanzas

Cover image: The Digital Bleek and Lloyd archive managed by the University of Cape Town

Cover, layout and design: Advance Graphics

for Eve

der Herr brac das Brot, das Brot brac den Herrn.

e ord broke e Bread, e Bread broke e ord.

 Paul Celan, Fadensonnen

CONTENTS

Braîn Habîa ïn Praîse o Paper Cuures Maorî Se Musîc Venrîoquy hroug Word-Tîned Specaces Wîkînson Sword he Evouîon o Speec Tarmac and Tapesry Naîve anguage andscape Srînged Woodnoes essons în Baroque Decorum Coony Engîs în Arîca Sudîes în Koîsan Verbs Dromedarîs, Reîjger, Goede Hoop Croc Engîneerîng în e Okavango Cacîng Barbe în obase Dam Dead Musîca Trees Gardens o Hermeîc Deîg Campus Muse he Peasures o Readîng My Penîenîa Greens Abumînous Squîd Seepîng Swans ove Among e Over-Sîxîes ïmpuse and Dîrecîon Background Energy Kan Reaces or an Orange A Bakean Body Sop Perormaîve Uerance

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Woman Recînîng on a eopard Skîn Smoke and Honey Concree Dîppîng Basîn Soppîng a e Rubîcon Acs o e Aposes Ater e Downpour An Era o Recovery An ïnsec o e Order Odonaa ha Someîme dîd Me Seek Payîng Wî My Crîsîanîy Gaobîrd Resrîced Access Traves Voyages o Dîscovery Gaerîng Poons în May Naugy Greens A Soo Weddîng în Kyoo ïn Hîs Own ïmage Faîr Weed Tîme Paean o Human Fes Saerproo An Ecumenîca Maer Encroacmens o Funera God Records o Senîen Dîsress Cose o Perecîon Adrenaîn he Poîîcs o a Duîu Dauger Workîng-Cass Jesus Copîng Sraegîes Tîme’s Numberîng Cock

37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66