The Ballade Of October Month Poem by Gert Strydom

(for Annelize, after C. Louis Leipoldt)

It's October, where the days are open and cobalt blue
when the spring speeds up,
where the days do become more sunny and hot,
where blossoms do hang on the fruit trees,
and it almost is as if a person is again experiencing Eden
where on your birthday I long for you.

Chorus:
The veldt is full of cosmos,
cosmos flower the sidewalks mad
in hazy pink and purple and white
that everywhere does grow wild
and now I think especially of you
my beautiful darling woman

when irises do flower yellow, purple, blue, pink and white
bees do buzz up and down from pure joy
when daylilies do follow the sun wherever it goes
and nothing can disguise the colours of spring
when the Iceberg roses do flower crazily abundant
and I almost pray that you must loom up.

Gooseberries are already covered with golden fruit
the jasmine, gardenia and lavender bushes
overwhelm the earth with their perfume
and grapes hang on small bunch upon bunch
that in summer will come to full maturity
and without you all of these things are chaos to me.

The redbreast triple-dance for the rain to come,
the doves coo full of love and they do peep,
the yellow-weavers, hoopoe and barbets twitter
and with pure love and longing my heart is in an uprising
when daily the thunder bashes down blue-white
and from the Cape I want to carry you away to right here

when the hillocks full of sugar bushes do carry sweet smelling proteas,
when the aloes are everywhere red speckled between the green,
the bakbakiris (bush-shrikes)dance for each other, do flutter and whistle
and then there are things that the creation of God does to a person
when the crickets and the frogs do sing in their choirs
and then I want to reconcile my life with you and with God,

then I want to plant immortal roses, carnations and bushes of daisies
in the fruitful garden of your heart,
like decades ago constantly bring you bushes of roses,
do want to walk like young people in love with you hand in my hand,
do want to remind you of those days of beautiful memories
where together we did walk in the spring days at the Strand

but more than that October is the time
where all things in nature do love each other intensely,
where birds in love are warbling
where the days almost endless begin with joy
as if God is spreading the cloak of the spring over the world
and silently-silently I pray you into my days.

[Reference:"Oktobermaand"(October-month)after C. Louis Leipoldt.Poet's note:The seasons in the Southern hemisphere of the earth are opposite to those of the Northern hemisphere of the earth.In the Southern hemisphere October month is in the middle of Spring.]