Lament for a dead cow: Francis Carey Slater

(Chant by Xhosa family on the death of Wetu, their only cow)

Siyalila, siyalila, inkomo yetu ifile!

Beautiful was Wetu as a blue shadow
That nests on the grey rocks
About a sunbaked hilltop:
Her coat was black and shiny 5
Like an isipingo-berry;
Her horns were as sharp as the horns of the new moon
That tosses aloft the evening star;
Her round eyes were as clear and soft
As a mountain pool, 10
Where shadows dive from the high rocks.
No more will Wetu banish teasing flies
With her whistling tail;
No more will she face yapping curs
With lowered horns and bewildered eyes; 15
No more will her slow shadow
Comfort the sunburnt veld, and her sweet lowing
Delight the hills in the evening.
The fountain that filled our calabashes
Has been drained by a thirsty sun; 20
The black cloud that brought us white rain
Has vanished – the sky is empty;
Our kraal is desolate;
Our calabashes are dry:
And we weep. 25

The poem opens with a description of Wetu the cow. The poet describes specific
physical features of the cow by comparing them to features from her natural
environment. The next stage of the poem lists the things that Wetu used to do,
but will never do again. In the final stage, the cause of Wetu’s death, the terrible
drought, is revealed.

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 Lament for a dead cow: Francis Carey Slater

Pre-reading activity (Vocabulary)

Across

4. shells of fruit, dried and

used for
carrying water

6. mooing

7. empty, barren

10. throws with ease or

carelessly

11. sharp, high pitched

barking

12. enclosure for sheep

and cattle

Down

1. aggressive mongrel
dogs

2. a song of mourning/
poem
expressing grief

3. drive away, force the

flies to leave

5. confused

8. up into the air

9. a Zulu word for a

berry which is
used as
a dye

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Questions

1. Apart from line 1 and the final three lines, there is no mention of the
speakers of the poem. Why is that?
Where is the focus of the poem? (1)

2. Suggest a reason for:

2.1 lines 1 – 11 being written in the past tense. (2)
2.2 lines 12 – 18 being written in the future tense. (2)
2.3 lines 19 – 25 being written in the present tense. (2)

3. What is achieved by inverting the usual word order in “Beautiful was …”

(line 2) and “No more will Wetu …” (line 12)? (1)

4.1 Name a figure of speech that occurs in line 2 and again in line 6. (1)

4.2 Comment on the effect of these figures of speech. (4)

4.3 In which line does yet another example of the same figure of speech
occur? (Write down just the number of the line.) (1)

5. A number of examples of another figure of speech can be found in

lines 1 – 11.
5.1 Name it. (1)
5.2 Quote ONE example. (1)

6.1 How did the cow die? (1)

6.2 Quote just ONE phrase from the poem as evidence. (1)

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Analysis of the poem

Title – Lament – is a sad song at the death of a loved one

Why would the owners of the cow sing a song like this at the death of a cow?

In African culture wealth is often determined by the livestock one owns. Wetu ws
the only cow of this family, sothis was an even bigger loss for them.

Line 1 – We weep, we weep, our cow is dead! (Translation)

Line 2 – simile – Wetu is compared to a shadow on the rocks – This refers to the
colour of the cow.

Line 3 – “that nests” – personification – fruitfulness, ferlility

Line 4 – “sunbaked hilltop” – personification

Line 5 – describes a health-looking cow (shiny coat)

Line 6 – Simile – comparison between the cow’s hide which is black and shiny,
and an isipingo berry

Line 7 – a simile – the shape of the horns are compared to the shape of the new
moon.

Line 8 – personification – tosses aloft

Line 9 – 10 – simile – comparison between the eyes of the cow and a polof water

on the mountain

Line 11 – personification – the shadows reflect in the pool and the movement of
the water is almost like the action of diving.

Line 12 – the word “teasing” indicates that the flies were extremely annoying

Line 13 – personification and alliteration – the action of and sound made by

swatting the flies

Line 14 – dogs barking at her

Line 15 – indicates confrontation between the cow and the dogs – felt anguish/
fear as a result of their presence

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Line 16 – assonance and alliteration
the repetition of “no more” (lines 12, 14, 16) indicates the disbelief in the finality
of the death of the cow (They cannot come to terms with the loss.)
Line 17 – the shadow of the cow brought some coolness/ welcome relief to the
patch of land/veld she was grazing

Line 17 – 18 – the use of the words “sweet” and “delight” indicates positive
feelings toward the lowing of the cow. Often people are annoyed by the barking
of a dog, but Wetu almost serenaded her lowing to the hills (which echoed the
sound). This was heard by the humans in the valley and they were almost
comforted by her lowing sounds.

Line 19 – Metaphor – The cow is being compared to a fountain. Fountains

usually supply water which is vital for human survival. This powerful metaphor
once again emphasises the importane of Wetu to her owners. She supplied
them with milk (“white rain”) which was of great importance to them.

Alliteration – “fountain – filled” – emphasising that she always gave an ample

supply of milk to feed everyone.

Line 20 – “drained” – Wetu became sick due to the lack of water and food
(grazing fields)

“Thirsty sun” – the area was experiencing severe drought

Line 21 – Metaphor – Wetu compared to a cloud – black clouds would usually

indicate the possiblity of rain) – they hoped for rain, but to no avail

Line 22 – She died as a result of the drought

Lines 22 – 25 – the despair after the death of the cow becomes intense -
(desolate kraal, dry calabashes, tears)

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Possible answers

Crossword Puzzle

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1. The poet focuses on Wetu and not on the family.

2.1 It’s a description of the cow which had died.

2.2 These lines focus on the things that Wetu used to do, but will never
do again.

2.3 These lines describe the loss which the family is experiencing now.

3. Line 2 emphasises the beauty of the cow

Line 12 emphasises the her suffering has ended.

4.1 Simile

4.2 Wetu is compared to a shadow on the rocks – This refers to the

colour of the cow – black and white

A comparison between the cow’s hide which is black and shiny,

and an isipingo berry – emphasises the dark, healthy colour of the
cow

4.3 Line 7, Lines 9 – 10

5.1 Personification

5.2 “nests on the grey rocks” (line 3)

“tosses aloft” (line 8)
“shadows dive” (line 11)

6.1 As a result of the drought

6.2 “drained by a thirsty sun”