Podcast: Antjie Krog's Reads Body Bereft / Verweefskrif

by Amanda on Feb 1st, 2011

There are more than 6 000 poems by more than 700 poets on the international website Lyrikline.org. Most of the poems are also translated and available to read in more than one language, making the reach of this site truly global. And lately, Lyrikline.org has started to include sound clips of poets reading from their work.

Poems by Antjie Krog are also featured on the site – mostly in Afrikaans, but with translations available in English, German, Dutch and French. On the site you can also listen to Krog reading from her poetry. Here’s a sampling:

sedert

ons die pad begin loop
het, het die irisse
uitgeblom die verla-
te oogballe van die
ligbloues die gevou-
de stil vlermuise van
die perses sedert ons

die pad begin loop het
het die gras in die saad
gekom het die botter-
blomme hulle blare soos
naelknipsels laat val
die japonikas wat
soos kamerjasse tus-
sen die seders hang is

Read the complete poem and listen to Antjie Krog reading it on Lyrikline.org

Body Bereft

wednesday 18 june
over my terrified
body my hand moves again up to
my breast again hoping
that the lump of clay will not be there
that the hand misconstrued
that it has indeed vanished in the

meantime. the mountain stands
stripped clean and burnt through. I live by the
breath of the mountain alone.
I have no other competence. on
the windward side fringes of light sing, on
the lee side there is nought

Read the complete poem and listen to Antjie Krog reading it on Lyrikline.org