every month seems to have its own distinct personality, even if you change hemispheres. for me, August often is a month of stagnation. by September, things start stirring, readying themselves to get unstuck. the arrival of October, whether it finds me in autumn or spring, infuses my world with a comforting return to everything that supports me.
in part, I have my grandmother to thank for my love of October. early in life, she taught me a poem by C. Louis Leipoldt and I found it so cool that she had a poem celebrating her birthday month.
a polymath of note, Leipoldt was at times a South African nature poet, a dramatist, a reporter during the Anglo-Boer War, and a medical doctor who once served as the personal physician to American news magnate Joseph Pulitzer. he wrote the poem in question, “Oktobermaand,” in 1897 when he was just 16. written in Afrikaans. translating as “October month”, it’s a joyful celebration of spring, local South African flora, and the vibrant landscape of the Karoo.
while October brings autumn for me this year, as it has for most of the nine years since I moved to the Northern Hemisphere nine years ago, it’ll forever hold in my heart also springtime. here’s my (awkward) English translation of Leipoldt’s poem, with footnotes for local (mostly ecological) context:
| Afrikaans original | English translation |
|---|---|
| Viooltjies in die voorhuis – Viooltjies blou en rooi! Viooltjies orals op die veld, En orals, ai, so mooi! | Violets in the front room— Violets blue and red! Violets everywhere across the veld1 veld is open, uncultivated South African countryside, covered in natural grasses, shrubs, or other vegetation , And everywhere, ah, so lovely! |
| Dit is die maand Oktober, die mooiste, mooiste maand! Dan is die dag so helder, so groen is elke aand, | It is the month of October2
South Africa being in the Southern Hemisphere, October falls in spring
, The loveliest, loveliest month! Then the day is so clear, And every evening so green, |
| So blou en sonder wolke die hemel heerlik bo, So blomtuin-vol van kleure die asvaal ou Karoo. | So blue and without a cloud The glorious sky above, So filled with a flower garden’s colours The ash-grey old Karoo3 the Karoo is a vast, largely semi-arid region of South Africa; after suitable rains, parts of its usually muted landscape can become covered in spring wildflowers . |
| Dit is die maand Oktober! Die varkblom is in bloei; Oor al die seekoegate is kafferskuil gegroei; Die koppies, kort gelede nog soos ‘n klip so kaal, Het nou vir welkomsgroetnis hul mooiste voorgehaal. | It is the month of October! The arum lily4 the white arum lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica), also known as the calla lily is in bloom; Across all the hippo pools The palmiet5 palmiet is a South African wetland plant that grows densely along rivers and streams has grown; The little hills, so recently As bare as a stone, Have now brought out their finest To offer their welcome. |
| Dit is die maand Oktober! Die akkerboom is groen; Die bloekoms langs die paaie is almal nuutgeboen; En orals in die tuin rond ruik jy sering en roos, Jasmyn en katjiepiering, lemoen en appelkoos. | It is the month of October! The oak tree is green; The gum trees6 eucalyptus trees along the roads Are all freshly polished; And everywhere around the garden You smell syringa7 syringa refers to the Cape lilac or chinaberry tree and rose, Jasmine and gardenia, Orange and apricot. |
| Al was die dag soos yster lank in die vuur gesteek, Die varings in die klofies deur hitte geel verbleek, Tog, as die son daar onder agter die berge gaan, Dan word oor heel die wêreld die mooiste geur geslaan. | Though the day was like iron Held long within the fire, The ferns in the little ravines Bleached yellow by the heat, Still, when the sun sinks down Behind the mountains, Across the whole wide world The loveliest fragrance spreads. |
| Dit is die maand Oktober! Die kokkewiet is uit; Boomsingertjies en kriekies dié hoor jy orals fluit; Fiskaal is op die oorlog – daaronder by die sluis, Daar is ‘n dor ou doringboom sy spens en sy kombuis. | It is the month of October! The bokmakierie8 a bokmakierie is a southern African bushshrike (Telophorus zeylonus) with a musical call; the original name, kokkewiet, imitates a bird call, adding sound to the poem’s spring landscape is out; Cicadas9 the Afrikaans boomsingertjies literally means “little tree singers”, referring to cicadas and crickets— You hear them singing everywhere; The fiscal shrike10 the southern fiscal (Lanius collaris) is a black-and-white southern African shrike is on the warpath— Down there beside the sluice, An old, dry thorn tree serves As his pantry and his kitchen11 the shrike stores captured food on thorns for later eating, so the tree serves as an actual food store . |
| Dit is die maand Oktober! Ek dink die mense vier Vir ewig in die hemel Oktobermaand soos hier! Wat wens jy meer as blomme, as helder dag en nag? Wat kan jy beter, mooier of heerliker verwag? | It is the month of October! I think that people celebrate Forever up in heaven October just as we do here! What more could you wish for than flowers, Than clear days and nights? What could you hope for that is better, More beautiful or more glorious? |
| Ek is nog in Oktober! My tuin is nog so groen, So wit met al wat mooi is, met bloeisels van lemoen, So pragtig in die môre, so heerlik in die aand! Ek is nog in Oktober, die mooiste, mooiste maand! | I am still in October! My garden is still so green, So white with all its beauty, With orange blossoms12 orange trees have white flowers; “orange” names the tree, not the colour , So lovely in the morning, So glorious in the evening! I am still in October, The loveliest, loveliest month! |
| Wat gee ek om die winter? Wat praat jy nou van Mei? Wat skeel dit as ons later weer donker dae kry? Ek is nou in Oktober, die mooiste, mooiste maand, Met elke dag so helder, so pragtig elke aand! | What do I care about winter? Why speak to me now of May13 May is autumn in South Africa, approaching winter ? What does it matter if later Dark days come again? I am in October now, The loveliest, loveliest month, With every day so clear, And every evening so lovely! |
| Viooltjies in die voorhuis – Viooltjies blou en rooi! Viooltjies orals op die veld, En orals, ai, so mooi! | Violets in the front room— Violets blue and red! Violets everywhere across the veld, And everywhere, ah, so lovely! |
#100DaysToOffload/9
Footnotes
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veld is open, uncultivated South African countryside, covered in natural grasses, shrubs, or other vegetation ↩
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South Africa being in the Southern Hemisphere, October falls in spring ↩
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the Karoo is a vast, largely semi-arid region of South Africa; after suitable rains, parts of its usually muted landscape can become covered in spring wildflowers ↩
-
the white arum lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica), also known as the calla lily ↩
-
palmiet is a South African wetland plant that grows densely along rivers and streams ↩
-
eucalyptus trees ↩
-
a bokmakierie is a southern African bushshrike (Telophorus zeylonus) with a musical call; the original name, kokkewiet, imitates a bird call, adding sound to the poem’s spring landscape ↩
-
the Afrikaans boomsingertjies literally means “little tree singers”, referring to cicadas ↩
-
the southern fiscal (Lanius collaris) is a black-and-white southern African shrike ↩
-
the shrike stores captured food on thorns for later eating, so the tree serves as an actual food store ↩
-
orange trees have white flowers; “orange” names the tree, not the colour ↩
-
May is autumn in South Africa, approaching winter ↩