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by Elisabeth Françoise Eybers (1915 - 2007)

Die eerste nag
Language: Afrikaans 
Hoe veilig en stil is my kindjie se slaap,
die tastende handjies so vreedsaam gevou,
die soekende mondjie geslote en soet,
die ogies n skemering van blank en blou.
 
Wat sal haar moeder nou vir haar bid
waar sy slaap in haar wiegie, so warm en wit?
 
Watter geheim sal sy vra dat haar kind
in die skadu van latere nagte mag vind?
 
Wat, in die nag wat eensaam is?
Dat skoonheid gebore word uit gemis.
 
Wat, in die nag van kwelling en pyn?
Dat die môrester dan die suiwerste skyn,
 
Wat, in die nag van liefdeslus?
Dat die teerheid sterker as hartstog is.
 
Wat, in die nag van barensnood?
Dat die lewe magtiger is as die dood.
 
Wat, in die nag wat die laaste sal wees?
dat wie die Lewe het niks hoef te vrees.
 
Want elkeen aan wie die nag dit verklaar
sal wysheid dieper as kennis bewaar.
 
Hoe veilig is nou nog my kindjie se slaap,
die tastende handjies so vreedsaam gevou,
die soekende mondjie geslote en soet,
die ogies n skemering van blank en blou 
 
O duistere Nag, wees goed vir my kind
later, wanneer jy haar wakker vind.

Text Authorship:

  • by Elisabeth Françoise Eybers (1915 - 2007) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Ernest Willem Mulder (1898 - 1959), "Die eerste nag", 1958 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Berta (Albertina Wilhelmina) Tideman-Wijers (1887 - 1976), "Die eerste nag" [ voice and piano ], from Drie liederen: op Zuid-Afrikaanse tekst, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2025-03-22
Line count: 26
Word count: 193

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