(poem for a) Coral Reef - English lyrics
by Eddy De Clercq
Eternal source of color and light
a world without seasons
a world without reason
no day nor night
flowers born out of rock and sand
a garden untouched by human hand
rays of light break thru emerald
fish disappearing in deep blue depths
clouds of silver shimmering
vibrating pulse of life
thru misty depths of deep dark
full of unseen creatures
that crawl along the bottom
hide in cracks and holes of the reef
change color quickly
hide in a cloud of inky water
down here floating over the coral reef
this deafening silence that surrounds me
once man has seen this beauty
will he understand his own belief?
(poem for a) Coral Reef –Ikorale yoqaqa lolwandle -Xhosa lyrics
translated by Lunga Heleni
Mthombo wanaphakade wombala nokhanyo
Ilizwe ngaphandle kwamaxesha onyaka
Ilizwe ngaphandle kwezizathu
Kungekho suku nabusuku
Zintyatyamb’ ezizelelw’ ematyeni nasesantini
Sitiya esingachukunyiswanga sandla samntu
Matha okhanyo aqhekeza ngapha kwe – emeraldi
Ntlanzi ezinyamalalela kwiinzulw’ eziluhlaza
Mafu esilivere amenyezelayo
Intontozo esukumayo yobomi
Kwiinzulu ezinkungwana zobunzul’ obumnyama
Zizele zizilo ezingekabonwa
Zikhasela kumazantsi olwandle
Zizimele kumathanda nasemingxunyeni yoqaqa lolwandle
Zijik’ umbala msinyane
Zizimele kwilifu lamanz’ aluzizi
Ezantsi apha zidada ngaphaya kwekorale yolwandle
Lenzolw’ ibang’ ubuthul’ obundingqongayo
Xa umntu ethe wabona obubuhle
Angayiqonda na eyakhe inkolelo?
musical version of (poem for a) Coral Reef on Spotify
Eddy De Clercq aka EDC (Gent, 1955) was the first Dutch house DJ, and co-founder of the legendary Club RoXY. He is a musician and writer, and the founder of Soul Safari blog since 1998. For his recent LP Afrotronic (Ubuntu Publishing/Egoli Records) he wrote the music and text for (poem for a) Coral Reef on the decline of the coral reefs worldwide.
photo: Menno van der Meulers