The Ballade Of Field-Coronet Salmon Gerhardus Van As Poem by Gert Strydom

(after C. Louis Leipoldt)

I
At night in the darkness as the moon rises
there is a British officer that astonishes the Boers,
where every night he rides with a white flag to them
and then the rifles of the Boers do follow him.

II
Chorus:
Every night he passes with a line of dust,
tries to lead the Boers astray to surrender,
where constantly he is scouting their positions
and then with that information does ride back to the British.

III
Constantly he wants to convince them that they are going to loose,
says frankly to them: "do surrender, "
where he is spying on their new positions,
to enable the British to kill them with their cannons.

IV
On a hillock Salmon van As is at the most forward position,
there is some creaking with branches breaking in the bush,
where that Englishman is coming nearer to his position,
which could just there cost his life.

V
In defence of his life Salmon do fire,
as he kills captain Miers in the Sugar-bush-hillocks,
some black men run with that report to the camp of the British
and an English major thinks of murder and his anger is great.

VI
At the Peace of Vereeniging the blood of van As is claimed as a war criminal,
a brave Boer warrior has to compensate for the crimes of an Englishman
and in Heidelberg van As continues with his life,
believes that God and the truth will protect him from any charge.

VII
Salmon is arrested by the British and summoned before a military court
and the actions of that so-called court are very low,
he is not allowed a defence or to call witnesses,
he is seen as a war criminal as it does fit the British,

VIII
bravely he writes to his parents who are praying for him to keep faith
and for his beloved fiancé to still trust in God,
thinks that reverent A. J. Louw will be able to bring his case to the British
but the enemy do view Salmon as a murderer

IX
and at daybreak the rifles of a British firing squad resound,
a brave Boer is murdered and falls with the bullets going through him
and in the cliff where he had been buried grows a big thorn tree,
as a witness of this true story in the dale of the Sugar-bush-hillocks.

[Reference: "Salmon van As" by C. Louis Leipoldt.Poet's note: Salmon Gerhardus van As was a field-coronet of the Heidelberg Commando and these events did occur in the Sugar-bush-hillocks at Heidelberg in the Transvaal now Gauteng.A field-coronet: "During the second Anglo-Boer war: A official dealing with the military order in a ward. A field-coronet was an officer with the rank equivalent to that of a captain. A field-coronet was an important official, in the local government, who was subject to the magistrate and had functions of great meaning in accordance with local, administrative, judicial and police matters. In his ward the field coronet represented the magistrate."]

© Gert Strydom


Die ballade van veldkornet Salmon Gerhardus van As*
(na C. Louis Leipoldt)

I
Snags in die donkerte as die maan opkom
is daar ‘n Britse offisier wat die Boere verstom,
waar hy elke aand met ‘n wit vlag na hulle ry
en dan volg die Boere se geweerlope vir hom.

II
Koor:
Elke aand kom hy met ‘n stofstreep verby,
probeer die Boere tot oorgawe verlei,
waar hy gedurig hulle posisies bly verken
en dan met inligting na die Britte toe terug ry.

III
Gedurig wil hy hulle oortuig dat hulle gaan verloor
sê prontuit aan hulle: "gee maar oor, "
waar hy gedurig hulle nuwe posisie kom bespied
sodat die Britte hulle met kanonne kan vermoor.

IV
Op ‘n koppie is Salmon van As by die voorpos,
dit kraak met takke wat breek daar in die bos
waar daardie Engelsman na sy posisie nader kom,
wat net daar Salmon se lewe kan kos.

V
Tot verdediging van sy lewe knal van As se skoot,
skiet hy vir kaptein Miers in die Suikerbosrand dood,
swartes hardloop met ‘n gerug na die Engelse kamp
en ‘n Britse majoor dink aan moord, sy woede is groot.

VI
By die Vrede van Vereniging word geëis na van As se bloed,
moet ‘n dapper kryger vir die misdaad van ‘n Engelsman vergoed
en in Heidelberg gaan Salmon van As met sy eie lewe aan,
glo dat God en die waarheid hom van enige aanklagte sal behoed.

VII
Salmon word gearresteer, deur die Britte voor ‘n krygshof gedaag
en die optrede van daardie sogenaamde hof is uiters laag,
hy word nie toegelaat tot verdediging of om getuies te roep,
as ‘n oorlogmisdadiger beskou soos dit die Engelse behaag,

VIII
dapper skryf hy vir sy ouers wat vir hom bid om geloof te hou
en vir sy geliefde verloofde om steeds op God te bly vertrou,
dink dat dominee A. J.Louw sy saak aan die Engelse sal kan stel,
maar nog word Salmon deur die vyand as ‘n moordenaar beskou

IX
en met ligdag is daar ‘n Britse vuurpeloton se gewere wat knal,
is daar ‘n dapper Boer wat vermoor word en voor die koeëls val
en in die kloof staan waar hy begrawe was ‘n groot doringboom,
as ‘n getuie van hierdie verhaal daar in die Suikerbosrand se dal.

[Verwysing: "Salmon van As" deur C. Louis Leipoldt.Digter se nota: Salmon Gerhardus van As was ‘n veldkornet in die Heidelberg kommando en hierdie gebeure het afgespeel in die Suikerbosrand by Heidelberg in die Transvaal nou Gauteng. ‘n Veldkornet: Gedurende Tweede Anglo-Boere oorlog: "Amptenaar belas met (militêre)orde in ‘n wyk. Offisier met ‘n rang gelyk aan kaptein." Nasionale woordeboek. "'n Belangrike amptenaar, in die plaaslike bestuur wat ondergeskik was aan die landdros en funksies van groot betekenis uitgeoefen het in verband met plaaslike, administratiewe, regterlike en polisie aangeleenthede: In sy wyk het die veldkornet die landdros verteenwoordig." Hand woordeboek van die Afrikaanse taal.]

© Gert Strydom