Poem

Stephen Gray

Side by side

MARCO POLO DESCRIBES THE GIRAFFE

What piebald beauty, sloped like a hill!
So tall in front, three paces from the ground;
yet behind only one! Small head swivels.
Pretty sight! Never done harm to anyone.

Stephen Gray

(South Africa, 1941)

Stephen Gray is a giant of the South African literary landscape. One of the country’s most prolific authors, he has established a reputation as a leading academic and critic, with a substantial publication record in a wide range of genres including novels, poetry, biography, essays and a play. In his editorial capacity he has overseen a prodigious output of South African anthologies.

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Poems of Stephen Gray

MARCO POLO DESCRIBES THE GIRAFFE

What piebald beauty, sloped like a hill!
So tall in front, three paces from the ground;
yet behind only one! Small head swivels.
Pretty sight! Never done harm to anyone.

From: Unpublished