An abandoned bundle (Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali)
In many ways, the ‘core’ of this poem lies in its final stanza (lines 22 – 25). Here, after the poet has
described with vivid gruesome detail the abandonment of a baby and its subsequent brutal attack by
savage wild dogs, he turns the readers’ attention to the case of the child’s mother, described as ‘innocent’
and ‘pure.’ It is up to the reader to assess the mother’s integrity and the motivation for her action.
An abandoned bundle (Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali)
The morning mist
and chimney smoke
of White City Jabavu
flowed thick yellow
5
as pus oozing
from a gigantic sore.
It smothered our little houses
like fish caught in a net.
Scavenging1 dogs
10
About the poet:
draped in red bandanas2 of blood
Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali wrote ‘Sounds of a
fought fiercely
Cowhide Drum,’ which was the first anthology of
for a squirming bundle.
poems written in English by a black South African.
‘Sounds of a Cowhide Drum’ was published in 1972.
I threw a brick;
they bared fangs
15
It was the first opportunity for white South African
readers to learn about the township experience.
flicked velvet3 tongues of scarlet4
and scurried away,
leaving a mutilated corpse –
20
About this poem:
an infant dumped on a rubbish heap –
Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali begins by setting the
‘Oh! Baby in the Manger5
scene in which events will unfold. Unjust living
sleep well
on human dung.’
conditions, brought about by apartheid,
have created a diseased world in which people are
trapped by circumstance. Wild dogs attack
Its mother
had melted into the rays of the rising sun,
her face glittering with innocence
25
an infant which has been left by its mother. The poet
explores whether or not the mother, or society, is
accountable for this horrific act.
her heart as pure as untrampled dew.
1 “scavenging” (line 9): searching for food among waste
2 “bandanas” (line 10): large brightly coloured square of cloth worn around the neck
3 “velvet” (line 15): literally, a fine cloth with a soft furry surface on one side
4 “scarlet” (line 15): very bright red
5 “manger” (line 19): container for food for cattle or horse. The capital letters here suggests a specific baby; Jesus.
QUESTIONS
The following questions refer to Stanza 1:
The “mist” (line 1) and “smoke” (line 2) are compared to “pus” (line 5); while the “White City Jabavu” (line 3)
is compared to a huge “sore” (line 6).
1. Are these comparisons examples of either similes or metaphors? Explain your response in detail.
2. Discuss the figurative effectiveness of each of these comparisons. (Find three similarities which they
share.)
3. What emotional impact do these comparisons have on the reader in terms of setting the scene in which
the events of the poem will take place?
4. To the politicians in apartheid South Africa, how might White City Jabavu, a sprawling part of Soweto
township, been like a “gigantic sore” (line 6)?
The following questions refer to Stanza 2:
Stanza 2 contains only two lines. The two elements being compared here are “our little houses” (line 7) and
“fish caught in a net” (line 8).
5. What is the “It” referred to in line 7?
6. Discuss the figurative effectiveness of this comparison. What is suggested about the people of Jabavu
when the poet compares them to “fish caught in a net” (line 8)?
The following questions refer to Stanzas 3 and 4:
7. What are the “bandanas” (line 10) which the dogs wear?
8. Why would the poet describe the dogs with the line “they bared fangs” (line 14), as opposed to ‘they
showed their teeth’.
9. What do the words “leaving a mutilated corpse” (line 17) reveal about the condition of the infant?
10. Explain the Biblical reference in line 19.
The following questions refer to Stanza 5:
11. How does the mother feel about having abandoned the bundle? Substantiate your response with direct
reference to the text.
12. Locate and rewrite a dictionary definition for PARADOX before explaining the paradox which the poet
creates in the final stanza.
13. Do you think that the mother to blame for leaving her child? Explain your answer in detail.