Poetry Analysis

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Again the veld revives,

Original Poetry

Translation

Again the veld revives,

Once more, the open grassland comes back to life,

Imbued2 with lyric3 rains,

Filled with poetic rains,

And sap re-sweetening dry stalks

And the sap makes dry stalks sweet again,

Perfumes the quickening4 plains;

Filling the lively plains with fragrance;

Small roots explode in strings of stars, 5

Tiny roots burst like stars,

Each bulb gives up its dream,

Each bulb releases its dream,

Honey drips from orchid throats,

Honey flows from the throats of orchids,

Jewels each raceme5;

Adorning each flower cluster with jewels;

The desert sighs at dawn—

The desert breathes a sigh at dawn—

As in another hemisphere 10

Just like in another part of the world,

The temple lotus6 breaks her buds

The temple lotus opens its buds

On the attentive air—

In the attentive air—

A frou-frou7 of new flowers,

A rustling sound of new flowers,

Puff of unruffling petals,

A puff of petals smoothing out,

While rods of sunlight strike pure streams 15

As beams of sunlight hit clear streams

From rocks beveined with metals;

From rocks lined with metals;

Far in the gaunt karroo

Far in the barren semi-desert region

That winter earth denudes,

That winter strips bare,

Ironstone caves give back the burr8

Ironstone caves echo the sound

Of lambs in multitudes; 20

Of many lambs;

Grass waves again where drought

Grass sways again where drought

Bleached every upland kraal,

Had bleached every upland kraal,

A peach-tree shoots along the wind

A peach-tree sends pink bursts along the wind

Pink volleys through a broken wall,

Through a broken wall,

And willows growing round the dam 25

And willows around the dam

May now be seen

Can now be seen

With all their traceries9 of twigs

With their intricate patterns of twigs

Just hesitating to be green,

Just starting to turn green,

Soon to be hung with colonies

Soon to be covered with colonies

All swaying with the leaves 30

All moving with the leaves

Of pendent wicker love-nests

Of hanging wicker love-nests

The pretty loxia weaves.

That the pretty bird weaves.

Explanation

The poem 'Namaqualand After Rain' by William Plomer vividly describes the transformation of the South African veld after the rains. The poem opens with the revival of the veld, which is rejuvenated by the rains, bringing life back to the dry stalks and filling the plains with fragrance. The imagery of small roots exploding like stars and honey dripping from orchids evokes a sense of renewal and beauty. The poem contrasts the barren desert with the vibrant life that emerges after the rain, symbolizing hope and regeneration. The poem also draws parallels with other parts of the world, such as the temple lotus breaking its buds, suggesting a universal theme of rebirth. The use of vivid imagery and personification throughout the poem highlights the interconnectedness of nature and the cyclical nature of life. The poem concludes with the image of willows and love-nests, symbolizing the nurturing aspect of nature and the continuity of life.

Word Dictionary11

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
veld	open grassland	a type of open, uncultivated country or grassland in southern Africa	felt
imbued	filled	saturated or filled with a quality or feeling	im-byood
lyric	poetic	expressing the writer's emotions in an imaginative and beautiful way	lir-ik
quickening	coming to life	the process of becoming alive or active	kwik-uh-ning
raceme	flower cluster	a simple type of flower cluster with stalked flowers along a central stem	ray-seem
frou-frou	rustling sound	a rustling or swishing sound, often associated with fabric or leaves	froo-froo
karroo	semi-desert region	a semi-desert natural region of South Africa	kuh-roo
denudes	strips bare	to strip something of its covering, making it bare	di-noodz
burr	rough sound	a rough or whirring sound	bur
traceries	delicate patterns	delicate, interlacing patterns or lines	tray-suh-reez
loxia	type of bird	a genus of birds known for weaving intricate nests	lok-see-uh

Poet & Context

PoetWilliam Plomer

EraModernist

William Charles Franklyn Plomer was a South African and British novelist, poet, and literary editor. He was born in 1903 and moved to England in 1929. Known for his modernist style, Plomer's work was esteemed by writers like Virginia Woolf.

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When20th century

WhyThe poem 'Namaqualand After Rain' by William Plomer celebrates the rejuvenation of the South African landscape after rain. It captures the transformation of the arid veld into a vibrant and lively scene, reflecting themes of renewal and the beauty of nature.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

RenewalNature's beautyRebirth

Literary devices

Imagery: Vivid descriptions of nature's revival.Personification: Rain and desert are given human-like qualities.Metaphor: Roots exploding like stars.Symbolism: Lotus and love-nests symbolize rebirth and continuity.