Nē ōmsa xu nau ōms
Nē tsēts go sari mâ?

Nau ōmsa xu nē ōms
Nē tsēts go !gû mâ?

#Nû ka khâi, ka khâi #nû
/uia /nūts ge go
#āre /hâ /nūts ge go
#gāwats ge go
/gâ #gâts go

#âts a !hōhets ta sa?
Tsîn ta sa !nōro sa âisa?
#Nûsi #nû //khaebasen
Khâi si namxa !nōro
Tin ge Kai-khoe na ge re mî

Tāni-aotse, khoen #hôan di tse
Tao tamats hâ, okha?
#Hôanats ta //gōwe mâ-ō
//gāru-e //gōwe hâ khoe-ī khami?

Ō !gōm tama-ī hâ?
Nēti #gae !aosen sa donkib khami?
Ai, ētse, //nāts ge gāru ra
Nē !gōm #hôa //garub /kha

//Hû //nâ //nā //gāruba
#hôare /û, #gā//āre /û
Tānimâ /û khoen #hôana
Xu khoen #hôana

Translation:

The poem describes how the habit of spreading rumours can weigh their bearer down:

“ /uia /nūts ge go
#āre /hâ /nūts ge go
#gāwats ge go “

The poem makes use of an old KhoeKhoegowab proverb which states that the people one gossips to, in turn, gossip about the gossiper.

“#Nûsi #nû //khaebasen
Khâi si namxa !nōro
Tin ge Kai-khoe na ge re mî”

The poem ends with a note of caution to bearers of rumours: leave others to live their lives.

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Verushcka Garises is a Namibian poet, visual artist, and primary school teacher. She specialises in dressmaking, collage, and painting. She has exhibited at the National Art Gallery of Namibia’s “Creations” exhibition in 2019. She is currently completing her poetry anthology of Khoekhoegowab.