Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Albert Nyathi

DURBAN

DURBAN

Little sunshine announced my arrival
KwaZulu
No one cares about water
Splashing your face by the seaside
Landlocked southerner
This is Durban my friend
Where hips distinguish the Zulu woman
From their European counterparts

The sea is angry and roaring
The sea is hungry wailing
Like a wounded jackal
Excuse me
What are the waves saying?
I have never spoken
The language of water
The sea is waving at me
Looking sad and furious
No one of us has ever
Understood the language of the waves
Wailing, roaring, roving
Pushing the waves away
From the breast of the sea

This is Durban
The sea has been roaring
Even shying away
She looks angry
I don’t know why
She is raging, raving
I don’t know why
Close

DURBAN

Little sunshine announced my arrival
KwaZulu
No one cares about water
Splashing your face by the seaside
Landlocked southerner
This is Durban my friend
Where hips distinguish the Zulu woman
From their European counterparts

The sea is angry and roaring
The sea is hungry wailing
Like a wounded jackal
Excuse me
What are the waves saying?
I have never spoken
The language of water
The sea is waving at me
Looking sad and furious
No one of us has ever
Understood the language of the waves
Wailing, roaring, roving
Pushing the waves away
From the breast of the sea

This is Durban
The sea has been roaring
Even shying away
She looks angry
I don’t know why
She is raging, raving
I don’t know why

DURBAN

Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère