‘n Hulpelose Samaritaan – T.T. Cloete
Hans takes a drive far out of town with his purebred dogs (opregte honde) as is
his habit (oudergewoonte) on a Friday. He walks along the dirt road (grondpad)
between the remote (afgeleë) farms (plase) for them to exercise a bit (hulle
oefening) and for his own (eie) relaxation (ontspanning).
During one of these outings (uitstappies) he comes across (kom af op) an elderly
(ouerige) man who fell off his bicycle (fiets) and remains lying (lê) in the road.
He makes pleading gestures (smeekgebare) with his arms. Hans stops and
notices that the man got badly hurt (seergekry). He is in a lot of pain (kwaai pyn)
and he is cold. It is winter, one of those Highveld days (Hoëveldse dae) where the
afternoon (middag) remains (bly) mercilessly (genadeloos) cold under the bright
(helder) sun and the man is dressed in shabby clothes (armoedige geklee).
The cyclist (fietser) has a strong alcohol stench (ruik sterk na drank). Hans is
initially (aanvanklik) not sure whether it is the injury (beserings) of the alcohol
preventing (verhinder) the man from getting up and walking.
Hans tells the man that he has nothing with him to help the man medically (om jou te
dokter nie) and that he also cannot put him in his car (kar inlaai) and take (vat)
him to a doctor as Hans’s dogs are dangerously (gevaarlik) vicious (kwaai),
hence why Hans drives out of town to walk them. If he lets the man get into his
car, they will bite (byt) him. Hans also doesn’t see a farmhouse (plaashuis)
nearby (hier naby) where he can leave (los) his dogs or where he can go find
help for the man.
The man is reproachful (verwytend), implying that Hans’s dogs are more
important than him. Hans asks him where he lives (woon) or works but the man
doesn’t want to tell Hans. Whether Hans takes him to his home, if he even has a
home, or to his workplace, if he even has a job, the dogs remain an obstacle
(hindernis).
Hans has a terrible (nare) choice (keuse) to make. He considers (oorweeg) various
(verskeie) possibilities (moontlikhede). The man will have to be taken care of
(versorg word).
He tells the man that his dogs are good dogs and they will indeed bite the man. He
then considers taking his dogs home first (eers) and then coming back to fetch
PROPERTY OF M SOUNES NO COPYING, SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION
1
ALLOWED
, (haal) the man, but the man says that if Hans first takes care of his dogs (sorg), he
will be dead from the cold and the pain by the time Hans returns, saying that Hans
doesn’t actually want to help him …
Hans thinks that if he could tie up his dogs, he would be able to put the man in his
car (oplaai) to go find help and come back later to fetch them, but that is out of
the question. There is in any case (bowendien) no tree to tie them to. He won’t be
able to tie them to the fence (draadpale) as they would get tangled (verstrik) in
the barbed wire (doringdraad) and strangle themselves to death (verwurg). They
are expensive (duur), purebred (opregte) dogs and they might be stolen
(gesteel word). The man remains reproachful (“Jou honde …”).
Hans wanted to say something but then he decides (besluit) in silence: he knows he
must choose (kies) the man. He will just drive slowly (stadig) so the dogs can
run behind the car and keep up (byhou). No dog is worth (werd) a man’s life
(lewe). This insight (insig) feels like a moral (morele) triumph (triomf) to Hans.
It was already very difficult (moeilik) to leave the dogs so they don’t bite the
injured (beseerde) man while Hans helps him into the car with great effort
(sukkelend). The cyclist (fietser) is clumsy (lomp) and a dead weight
(dooiegewig) because he is injured (beseer). Hans’s struggle (gesukkel) makes
the dogs more aggressive (aggressief). They view the injured man (beseerde)
as an attacker (aanrander), an intruder (indringer) that wants to attack (aanval)
their owner (eienaar). They want to protect (verdedig) their owner, keep him
and the injured man apart (uitmekaar hou), as if there is a great danger (gevaar)
that lies ahead (voorlê). Yet (tog) Hans succeeds (slaag) after a great effort (moeite
en inspanning) to get the man in the car and keep the dogs at bay (weg te hou) at
the same time.
The man then asks what about his bicycle, it can’t just stay there on the side of the
road (langs die pad) as someone will steal it. Hans realises that one obligation
(verpligting) entails another (bring die ander mee).
The dogs follow the car with great effort (groot moeite). They are heavy (swaar)
and not used to (gewoond) running so far. After a while (naderhand) they lie
down under some vegetation (kreupelhout), exhausted (moeg). Maybe (dalk)
they will stay there until Hans returns (terugkeer). Maybe they will start tracking
(spoorsny) their own way home once they have rested (uitgerus).
PROPERTY OF M SOUNES NO COPYING, SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION
2
ALLOWED
Hans takes a drive far out of town with his purebred dogs (opregte honde) as is
his habit (oudergewoonte) on a Friday. He walks along the dirt road (grondpad)
between the remote (afgeleë) farms (plase) for them to exercise a bit (hulle
oefening) and for his own (eie) relaxation (ontspanning).
During one of these outings (uitstappies) he comes across (kom af op) an elderly
(ouerige) man who fell off his bicycle (fiets) and remains lying (lê) in the road.
He makes pleading gestures (smeekgebare) with his arms. Hans stops and
notices that the man got badly hurt (seergekry). He is in a lot of pain (kwaai pyn)
and he is cold. It is winter, one of those Highveld days (Hoëveldse dae) where the
afternoon (middag) remains (bly) mercilessly (genadeloos) cold under the bright
(helder) sun and the man is dressed in shabby clothes (armoedige geklee).
The cyclist (fietser) has a strong alcohol stench (ruik sterk na drank). Hans is
initially (aanvanklik) not sure whether it is the injury (beserings) of the alcohol
preventing (verhinder) the man from getting up and walking.
Hans tells the man that he has nothing with him to help the man medically (om jou te
dokter nie) and that he also cannot put him in his car (kar inlaai) and take (vat)
him to a doctor as Hans’s dogs are dangerously (gevaarlik) vicious (kwaai),
hence why Hans drives out of town to walk them. If he lets the man get into his
car, they will bite (byt) him. Hans also doesn’t see a farmhouse (plaashuis)
nearby (hier naby) where he can leave (los) his dogs or where he can go find
help for the man.
The man is reproachful (verwytend), implying that Hans’s dogs are more
important than him. Hans asks him where he lives (woon) or works but the man
doesn’t want to tell Hans. Whether Hans takes him to his home, if he even has a
home, or to his workplace, if he even has a job, the dogs remain an obstacle
(hindernis).
Hans has a terrible (nare) choice (keuse) to make. He considers (oorweeg) various
(verskeie) possibilities (moontlikhede). The man will have to be taken care of
(versorg word).
He tells the man that his dogs are good dogs and they will indeed bite the man. He
then considers taking his dogs home first (eers) and then coming back to fetch
PROPERTY OF M SOUNES NO COPYING, SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION
1
ALLOWED
, (haal) the man, but the man says that if Hans first takes care of his dogs (sorg), he
will be dead from the cold and the pain by the time Hans returns, saying that Hans
doesn’t actually want to help him …
Hans thinks that if he could tie up his dogs, he would be able to put the man in his
car (oplaai) to go find help and come back later to fetch them, but that is out of
the question. There is in any case (bowendien) no tree to tie them to. He won’t be
able to tie them to the fence (draadpale) as they would get tangled (verstrik) in
the barbed wire (doringdraad) and strangle themselves to death (verwurg). They
are expensive (duur), purebred (opregte) dogs and they might be stolen
(gesteel word). The man remains reproachful (“Jou honde …”).
Hans wanted to say something but then he decides (besluit) in silence: he knows he
must choose (kies) the man. He will just drive slowly (stadig) so the dogs can
run behind the car and keep up (byhou). No dog is worth (werd) a man’s life
(lewe). This insight (insig) feels like a moral (morele) triumph (triomf) to Hans.
It was already very difficult (moeilik) to leave the dogs so they don’t bite the
injured (beseerde) man while Hans helps him into the car with great effort
(sukkelend). The cyclist (fietser) is clumsy (lomp) and a dead weight
(dooiegewig) because he is injured (beseer). Hans’s struggle (gesukkel) makes
the dogs more aggressive (aggressief). They view the injured man (beseerde)
as an attacker (aanrander), an intruder (indringer) that wants to attack (aanval)
their owner (eienaar). They want to protect (verdedig) their owner, keep him
and the injured man apart (uitmekaar hou), as if there is a great danger (gevaar)
that lies ahead (voorlê). Yet (tog) Hans succeeds (slaag) after a great effort (moeite
en inspanning) to get the man in the car and keep the dogs at bay (weg te hou) at
the same time.
The man then asks what about his bicycle, it can’t just stay there on the side of the
road (langs die pad) as someone will steal it. Hans realises that one obligation
(verpligting) entails another (bring die ander mee).
The dogs follow the car with great effort (groot moeite). They are heavy (swaar)
and not used to (gewoond) running so far. After a while (naderhand) they lie
down under some vegetation (kreupelhout), exhausted (moeg). Maybe (dalk)
they will stay there until Hans returns (terugkeer). Maybe they will start tracking
(spoorsny) their own way home once they have rested (uitgerus).
PROPERTY OF M SOUNES NO COPYING, SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION
2
ALLOWED
