Hark! — heard ye the signals of triumph afar?
‘Tis our Caffer Commando returning from war:
The voice of their laughter comes loud on the wind,
Nor heed they the curses that follow behind.
For who cares for him, the poor Kosa, that wails
Where the smoke rises dim from yon desolate vales —
That wails for his little ones killed in the fray,
And his herds by the Colonist carried away?
Or who cares for him that once pastured this spot,
Where his tribe is extinct and their story forgot?
As many another, ere twenty years pass,
Will only be known by their bones in the grass!
And the sons of the Keisi, the Kei, the Gareep,
With the Gunja and Ghona in silence shall sleep:
For England hath spoken in her tyrannous mood,
And the edict is writing in African blood!
Dark Katta is howling: the eager jackall,
As the lengthening shadows more drearily fall,
Shrieks forth his hymn to the horn
(Thomas Pringle)
More Poetry from Thomas Pringle:
Thomas Pringle Poems based on Topics: Sons, War & Peace, Silence, Sleep- The Bechuana Boy (Thomas Pringle Poems)
- Afar in the Desert (Thomas Pringle Poems)
- The Lion Hunt (Thomas Pringle Poems)
- The Kosa (Thomas Pringle Poems)
- The Slave Dealer (Thomas Pringle Poems)
- Makanna's Gathering (Thomas Pringle Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: War & Peace Poems, Sleep Poems, Sons Poems, Silence PoemsBased on Keywords: edict, pastured, colonist, jackall, gunja, commando, gareep, katta, keisi, kosa