afrikaans:

groen meisie

die plek waarvan ek kom
is glad nie so vêr nie
maar dit voel assof dit 'n ander wêreld is.
droëland, die plek se naam
waar die kraans so goud groen en oranje skyn
en die 'anoster bos, wat in elke plekkie grooi
ruik soos die hemel as die stof so swaai.


mense het vir my al van kleins af vertel, van die waternoontjie,
wat daar in die malaaiskloof bly
hulle sê, as 'n mens diep in die kloof in gaan, sal sy jou doodmaak
en jou mooigeid vat.. en dit hou vir haarself

maar daai dag toe dit so gesneeu het
het so 'n spier wit man na ons toegekom
hulle het gesê, hy's van die noord
hy het sulke ver weg blou oë gehad
net soos my ouma s'n

hy het gesê, daar waar hy vanaf kom,
sneeu dit altyd so baie

dit was daai dag van die sneeu, toe ons almal die waternoontjie gehoor sing het

ek het haar aleen gaan soek

almal was te bang

-​ - -

green girl

the place where i come from
is not that far away
but it feels as if it's another world
droëland.. the place's name
where the cliffs shine a red, gold and orange sheen
and the "anoster" bush, which grows in every little place
smells like heaven when the dust blows

the people there told me from an early age, about the water maiden,
the one who lives there in malaaisklof
they say, if you go deep into this ravine, she will kill you..
and take your beauty.. and keep it for herself

but that day, when it snowed so much,
a very white man came to us
they said that he was from the north
he had far away blue eyes
just like my grandmother's eyes.

he told us that, where he comes from, it always snows so much

it was that day of the snow, when we all heard the water maiden sing

i went alone to look for her

everyone else was too scared