The Ballade Of Snow-White Of The Veldt Poem by Gert Strydom

(after A. G. Visser)

Rachel de Beer was twelve years old,
her brother only seven and that afternoon was cold
when from the cow pen they searched for a lost calf,
they were anxious that the little animal would freeze to death.

Chorus:
"Come little brother, you must stay close to me,
together nothing will lead us astray, " she said
and took him by the hand while they were searching,
did avoid the cliffs and hills.

They searched along the trench to find the little calf
and far off at the big old swamp
but when they came nearer they did not find it
while a icy wind did cut right through their clothes,

in the distance a thunderbolt roared ominous
but when the wind died down the snow started to fall,
everything around them became colder and so terribly white
and they searched to down there in the vale,

out of the trees in the distance an owl called
and little Hendrik started crying
when they could not find their way back home
and there was nowhere to find shelter against that snowstorm.

"Aye, Lord help us back to our home, "
Rachel prayed while the cold wind did buzz around them,
totally lost they did walk to and thro
crossing the veldt at the Drakensberg Mountains

and later it was much colder in that dark night
where their mother was waiting in vain on them
but Rachel carried her brother on her back
did later become thirsty, hungry and tired.

When their father came home
he was tired, cold and totally astonished:
"Where are the children? "
The question turned around and around with both of the parents.

In vain fires burnt through that night
while they did search until daybreak
when Jonah followed the tract of the children
and everyone did expect the worst.

The spoor showed that they did loose their way
but the tracks became that of one person
where Rachel carried her brother on her back
and everywhere around them the world were so chilly and white

until they found a hollowed out ant-hill
and the father cried amazed, perplexed and speechless
where they did find Rachel frozen to death, naked and white
and little Hendrik came living out of that hole

where his sister's clothes for heat were covering him
and it was almost a holy place right there in the veldt
as she had given her life to safe her little brother,
did remove all of her clothes to cover him in that icy snow.

[Reference:"Sneewitjie" (Snow-white)by A. G. Visser.]

© Gert Strydom