'n Lied vir BEGINNER-STUDENTE van Afrikaans
Izak Bouwer
BOBBEJAAN KLIM DIE BERG
Bobbejaan klim die berg,
so haastig en so lastig;
bobbejaan klim die berg
so haastig en so lastig;
bobbejaan klim die berg
om die boere te vererg.
Hoera vir die jollie bobbejaan!
O moenie huil nie,
o moenie treur nie,
die Stellenbosse boys kom weer.
O moenie huil nie,
o moenie treur nie,
die Stellenbosse boys kom weer.
Tradisionele volkswysie. Verwerk deur
Philip McLachlan.
Bobbejaan : baboon
berg : mountain
haastig : in a hurry, hastily
lastig : bothersome, irritating
boere : farmers, also Afrikaners
om te vererg : to irritate, bother, annoy
jollie (English jolly)
moenie/moet nie : do not
huil : cry, shed tears
treur : be sad, to sorrow
Stellenbosse boys : the boys from Stellenbosch
weer : again
I have never heard any explanation of why this song
starts off singing about baboons bothering farmers,
and ends up talking about the boys from Stellenbosch
returning again. This is my private theory : this song
is a student song, sung by students from Stellenbosch
taunting their main rivals, the students from the
University of Cape Town. The students from U.C.T.
were called Ikeys, the students from Stellenbosch were
called Maties. The word “Ikeys” was used as a derogatory
term for U.C.T. initially, but lateron lost its pejorative
meaning. The term “Maties” came from the word “tamaties”
(tomatoes), referring to the colours of the sweaters of the
Stellenbosch sports teams, and their university blazers,
(with an actually quite ugly combination of wine coloured
and white stripes, but sure to set an ex-Matie’s heart on
fire, wherever he saw it.) So, I imagine, this song was sung
by the Maties, calling their rival Ikeys “baboons” (perhaps
because they lived at the foot of Table Mountain?) and
telling them that the Stellenbosch boys would return again.
I find this a very fascinating folk song.
Gloudina Bouwer
Andy Myron
mailto:amy...@total.net
Ek is nou baie bly dat ek Afrikaans hier sien.
Ek is n Suid Afrikaaner (engelsman) en ek woon in Canada nou. Vir my dis
lekker om afrikaans te sien. Nou ek praat glat nie suiwer afrikaans nie
maar ek dink aan afrikaans baie.
Ek dink dat dit is belangrik ( that we protect the afrikaans language)
In Canada ( ek woon in Quebec ) Die (francais) is baie trots en ek dink
dat dis goet
Andy
mailto:amy...@total.net
Izak Bouwer
JAN PIEREWIET
Jan Pierewiet, Jan Pierewiet
Jan Pierewiet, staan stil.
Jan Pierewiet, Jan Pierewiet,
Jan Pierewiet, staan stil.
Goeie m^ore my vrou,
hier’s ‘n soentjie vir jou,
Goeie more my man,
daar is koffie in die kan.
Staan stil : stand still, do not move
Goeie m^ore: Good morning
my vrou : my wife
soentjie : little kiss soen/soene/soentjie
kan : can, coffee pot
“Pierewiet” comes from the French “pirouette.”
This song may have come to the Cape via the
speakers of Dutch, heavily influenced by their
French neighbours. Or it might have been
brought to the new continent by the French
Huguenots, arriving in 1688. The French were
never more than 17 percent of the population of
the Cape. Almost at once the Dutch rulers tried
to discourage them from talking French only.By
1726 practically all Huguenots could speak Dutch.
Yet at the end of the nineteenth century, when
people started wondering about the origin of
Afrikaans, there were numerous people that claimed
that French had quite an influence on the develop-
ment of Afrikaans. (For instance S. J. Du Toit)
Even as late as the forties of this century there were
academics indicating considerable influence. It is
now generally accepted that French influence on
the development of Afrikaans grammar was really
very small.
There is a monument to commemorate the French
Huguenots in the town of Franshoek (hoek : corner.)
Gloudina Bouwer
Etienne Marais
: Ek is nou baie bly dat ek Afrikaans hier sien.
Ek is bly dat jy bly is :)
: Ek is n Suid Afrikaaner (engelsman) en ek woon in Canada nou. Vir my dis
: lekker om afrikaans te sien. Nou ek praat glat nie suiwer afrikaans nie
: maar ek dink aan afrikaans baie.
Dit beteken baie dat mense soos jy aan Afrikaans dink, dankie.
: Ek dink dat dit is belangrik ( that we protect the afrikaans language)
Ek dink ook so, ek dink dit is belangrik om alle tale te beskerm.
: In Canada ( ek woon in Quebec ) Die (francais) is baie trots en ek dink
: dat dis goet
Et parle vous francais ?
Je suis un etudiant la francais, mais je n'parle pas tres bien francais.
Good-bye
Au revoir
Totsiens
: Andy
Etienne
Izak Bouwer
OP MY OU RAMKIETJIE
C. Louis Leipoldt
Op my ou ramkietjie
Met nog net een snaar
Speel ek in die maanskyn,
Deurmekaar.
Ek sing van Adam
en Eva se val,
Van die ou Paradys,
“Halfpad mal!”
So s^e die mense
wat my hoor speel
As die skemer my wang soen
Soos ferweel.
As die maan my aanhoor,
En die sterre knik,
Dan speel ek kordaat voort,
In my skik.
Wat gee ek om mense
Wat s^e ek’s mal,
As die varings my aanhoor
By die wal?
Wat om my vriende -
Wat nooit nie verstaan -
As die sterre my toeknik,
En die maan?
Op my ou ramkietjie
Met nog net een snaar,
Speel ek in die maanskyn,
Deurmekaar.
(Musiek deur Jan Bouws)
ramkietjie: a primitive stringed instrument,
usually home-made, with four
strings and sound box made
out of an oil can.
Etimology : From Nama “ramgi-b”
snaar : string (on a stringed instrument)
speel : play
maanskyn : light of the moon
deurmekaar : mixed up
halfpad mal : half seas over, on the way to being mad.
skemer: twilight
my wang soen : kiss my cheek
ferweel : velvet
die sterre knik : the stars nod
kordaat : bold, firm, resolute
in my skik : pleased with myself
mal : mad
varings : ferns
as die sterre my toeknik: when the stars nod at me
This song is, strictly speaking, not a folk song. It
is however much loved and frequently sung by
people, even if they only know the first one or two
verses. The poem was written by C. Louis Leipoldt
(1880-1947), who has become somewhat of a cult
figure in South Africa. Leipoldt was born in the town
of Worcester, but most of his poems talk about the
“Hantam” (an area around the Hantamsberge, on the
edge of Namaqualand, around the town of Calvinia.)
Leipoldt acted as war correspondent during the Boer
War for the “Manchester Guardian.” He became a
medical doctor, but also practised journalism. He wrote
short poems about the beauty of nature, but also longer
very dark poems, describing the aftermath of the Anglo-
Boer War. In the First World War he was physician to
General Botha. Shortly before the Second World War he
wrote a cycle of scathing anti-Nazi poems that has never
appeared in book form. His most popular book in English
is “The Bushveld Doctor” (1937).
Gloudina Bouwer