streetwise: TOWNSHIP GUITAR

TOWNSHIP GUITAR
© Farouk Asvat

The township guitar keeps strumming

Strumming strumming
The migrant worker keeps thinking thinking
He keeps talk-talking
He keeps tell-telling me
About that honky-tonk woman
He keeps say-saying
He's just wait-waiting
For the rev-revolution

translated into english by farouk asvat: 2006 [Johannesburg, South Africa under new apartheid]

____________________________________________________________

[] WIETIE WHAT-WHAT

TOWNSHIP GUITAR

The township guitar keeps strumming

Strumming strumming
The migrant worker keeps thinking thinking
He keeps talk-talking
He keeps tell-telling me
About that mlungu mfaz
He keeps say-saying
He's just wait-waiting
For the rev-revolution

original composed: 1985 [Johannesburg, South Africa under new apartheid]

[] GITAAR IN DE TOWNSHIP

Dutch translation by © Irene Sheltes

De gitaar in de township blijft pingelen

Pingelen pingelen
De trekarbeider blijft denken denken
Blijft pra-praten
Blijft mij ver-vertellen
Over die mlungu mfaz
Blijft zeg-zeggen
Dat hij alleen maar wa-wacht
Op de rev-revolutie

[] Acknowledgements:

Township Guitar was previously published in:

University Students Bursary Committee (University of Witwatersrand, p13, 1982);

                A Celebration Of Flames (donker, p14, 1987);
                Gitaar In De Township: Dutch translation by © Irene Sheltes (1989);
                A Celebration Of Flames (piquant publications, p15, 2007).

Bra Frooks is ...

                                [] nes 'n skollie
                                [] 'n egte skollie
                                [] 'n waare joster
                                [] 'n tsotsi
                                [] a real scamp
                                [] streetwise
                                [] the jokerman

Bra Frooks ...

                                [] praat soos 'n skollie
                                [] wietie soos 'n joster
                                [] wietie what-what
                                [] tunes like a durbanite
                                [] speaks like an englishman

Farouk Asvat asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

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without the prior permission of the author in writing.
Permission to publish or reproduce the writings in any format can be obtained from the author.
Reproduction of this work without permission, except for scholarly purposes,
is liable to a payment of 10, 000 ren men bi or US$ 1,500.

farouk asvat can be contacted at: farouk.asvat@gmail.com

[] please check out my blogs @:

farouk asvat : poems

faroukasvat-poems.blogspot.com/

WEAPONS OF WORDS

faroukasvat-viewpoint.blogspot.com/

streetwise

faroukasvat-lingo.blogspot.com/

piquant publications: BOOKS by FAROUK ASVAT
piquantpublications.blogspot.com/

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