I walked around in my garden this morning and I enjoyed the roses. I wanted to take perfect pictures of them all, but then I realise roses do not last all that long, really. It brought to mind a poem by another favourite Afrikaans poet, A.G. Visser. He said it in wonderful, poetic words:
| Die Roos | The Rose |
|---|---|
| Te kort jou skoonheidsduur, | Too short your time of beauty, |
| Roos van my hof. | Rose of my court. |
| Vir jou volmaakte uur, | For your perfect hour, |
| die Gewer lof! | the Giver be praised! |
| Te kort ons liefdestyd: | Too short our time of love: |
| Te lank die rou, | Too long we mourn, |
| Tog – tot in Ewigheid, | Yet – for Eternity, |
| Goddank vir jou. | Thank God for you. |
(A.G. Visser)
(Freely translated by myself. If the words seem heavy to you, I wish I could convey the lightness of Visser's economy with words. Maybe the levity will be conveyed with my pictures.)
