MEMORANDUM: Lament for a Dead Cow by Francis Carey Slater

MEMORANDUM: “Lament for a Dead Cow” by Francis Carey Slater

Aim: To build and extend learners’ understanding of similes (See book: p. 111)

Type: individual written work Grade level: 10, 11, 12 Time: 30–40 minutes File section: Poetry

Instruction: Once your teacher has been through the poem with you, use what you have learnt about the IDE method to answer the questions on the following poem.

Lament for a dead cow by Francis Carey Slater (Chant by Xhosa family on the death of Wetu, their only cow)

1 Siyalila, siyalila, inkomo yetu ifile! Beautiful was Wetu as a blue shadow That nests on the grey rocks About a sunbaked hilltop: 5 Her coat was black and shiny 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 10 As a mountain pool, 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 15 With lowered horns and bewildered eyes; 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 20 Has been drained by a thirsty sun; The black cloud that brought us white rain Has vanished – the sky is empty; Our kraal is desolate; Our calabashes are dry: 25 And we weep.

Questions:

1 Identify the similes. What is compared in each? “Beautiful was Wetu as a blue shadow” – Wetu the cows’s beauty/appearance is compared to a blue shadow. “Her coat was black and shiny / Like an isipingo-berry” – the cow’s coat is compared to a black shiny isinpingo-berry. “Her horns were as sharp as the horns of the new moon” – the points of the cow’s horns were as sharp as the points of the new moon. “Her round eyes were as clear and soft as a mountain pool” – the cow’s eyes are compared to a pool of water in a mountain.

© Oxford University Press Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2013. From Oxford Practical Teaching English Literature: How to teach Grades 8–12. You may modify, print and photocopy this document solely for use in your classes. 2

2 Say which is your favourite simile, and why. Learners’ own answers

3 How do the layers of similes contribute to the portrait of the cow in the poem? The similes create a picture of a healthy cow that is not only beautiful with her shiny black coat, but is also gentle and has a purity about her (“clear and soft” eyes).

4 What does this tell us about the feelings of the speaker (the tone), and about what the speaker is describing? (Think about what a “lament” is.) A lament is like a praise poem, where the speaker pays tribute to/honours the subject of the lament. This portrait indicates the speaker’s great admiration/love/deep respect for the cow. The tone also conveys a deep sense of regret and sadness/grief that the cow is dead.

5 Using this poem as a model, pick any animal (e.g. a dog, a dinosaur) and write your own simile poem. Your poem must also convey tone (how you feel about the animal). Learners’ own answers