The distant sky watcher
Act 1 the distant SKy watcher
[LEAD STORYTELLER]
(Stomps foot once, pointing a staff at the dark cloud)
The night is freezing! The children are lost in the bush! But look at the sky! The leader of the night is sleeping!
[CHORUS]
(Begins a slow, heavy foot-thumping beat)
Absent mind, o kae? (Where are you?)
Abstracted soul, o fofela koo! (You are flying away over there!)
Apathetic heart, ga e na taba. (It does not care.)
Tsoša mmele, tloša boitšwafa bo! (Wake the body, remove this laziness!)
The Indifferent Witness
[LEAD STORYTELLER]
(Walking in circles, speaking directly to the frozen clouds)
Moon looks down but his mind is miles away, Ngwedi o a fofela.
He is absent from the cold stars, ga a gona mo.
Lost and abstracted in the high clouds, o a hlofa.
An apathetic night sky that does not care about us, ga e na taba.
He is blsh and frozen, o tlwaetše lefase.
Completely bored with the earth below, o lapile ka rona.
He becomes careless with his silver light, ga a hlokomele.
Staying dormant behind the black mountains, o thotse fela.
[CHORUS]
(The thumping gets louder, branches strike the ground)
Absent mind, o kae? (Where are you?)
Abstracted soul, o fofela koo! (You are flying away over there!)
Apathetic heart, ga e na taba. (It does not care.)
Tsoša mmele, tloša boitšwafa bo! (Wake the body, remove this laziness!)
The Sleepwalk
[LEAD STORYTELLER]
(Imitating a slow, drifting sleepwalker)
A dtesmy silver glow appears in the dark, Ngwedi o a lora.
He is an easygoing traveler who does not care about time, o a iketla.
His fading beam is too faint to chase away the darkness, o a fokola.
He walks heedless of the moving hours, ga a hlokomele.
With an impassive white face, ga a na maikutlo.
An inattentive guide who does not hear our cries, ga a theeletše.
His indiffetent path leaves the world in deep shadow, ga a na taba.
Moving along with ndoleny and heavy hips, boitšwafa bo bogolo.
[CHORUS]
(The drums join in, creating an intense, driving rhythm)
Absent mind, o kae? (Where are you?)
Abstracted soul, o fofela koo! (You are flying away over there!)
Apathetic heart, ga e na taba. (It does not care.)
Tsoša mmele, tloša boitšwafa bo! (Wake the body, remove this laziness!)
The Call to Arise
[LEAD STORYTELLER]
(Whispering dramatically as the rhythm drops to a soft heartbeat)
He is indoicisnt about his direction, go dikadika fela.
He is lagging far behind the morning stars, o šala morago.
Passing over us with a laid back attitude, o itetleeletše.
His lanhuudhing spirit looks like it is drowning, maatla a fela.
Lost in a languinous and dull fog, go sena thabo.
Making the grey sky even diller than death, go tšwafiša go feta.
Giving only a halfhearted shimmer to the forest, pelo e nnyane.
(The Storyteller suddenly stops, pointing a finger to the East where a red light begins to glow)
But look! The horizon is catching fire! The morning is here to force the lazy night away!
[CHORUS]
( Shouting at the top of their lungs, striking the drums with explosive force )
Phaphama! (Wake up!)
Tsoga! (Arise!)
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