Batswana Land - Leetile Disang Raditladi

My heart is in the land of the Batswana 

To hunt steenbok and duiker; 

My heart is not really in the Western land, 

It is far away in the bushes.

My heart is really in the village hills

To sing my cultural songs,

To see those with black iron bangles around their arms,

To hear the songs of guineafowl in the river.

Batswana land, land of victors

Land of cows, land of corn

Land of milk, flowing like water

Milk of cows that are milked whilst asleep.

Land of men with huge upper arms;

Where children dip their fingers into cream like milk;

Where they eat giraffe and eland meat,

Where only the blind are led.

My heart is in the land of the Batswana

To hunt steenbok and duiker;

My heart is not really in the Western land,

It is far away in the bushes hunting wild animals.

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Leetile Disang Raditladi (1910–1971) Botswana

Translated by Manini Wilhelmina Ntsonda

Source: An analysis of selected poems from Sefalana sa menate by L.D. Raditladi with reference to Riffaterre's and Lotman's semiotics, Manini Wilhelmina Ntsonda (MA Dissertation), North-West University, 2009