Not quite Glenda Kemp and Oupa

Snake fondling has never really been high on my list of priorities. But for some reason I looked at the python and felt an irresistible urge to hold it.

I was at the Tzaneen Show, an annual agri-event, and the python was part of an exhibition by Khamai a local reptile park. “Have your photo taken with a python”, proclaimed the poster, and a group of wide-eyed school children were gathered around the python handler and his python. “Come on”, he said, “don’t be scared”, but every time the python moved or stuck out its forked tongue, the school children shivered and shrieked and quickly retreated.

I wasn’t at all scared however, in fact, quite the opposite. I was fascinated, compelled. What on earth was it that made my arms want to reach out and hold that python? Then it hit me. Duh.

It was Glenda Kemp, that marvelous icon of tacky, trashy, tasteless 70’s South Africa. Glenda Kemp was a Potchefstroom school teacher turned stripper who became famous in cities and small towns across the Highveld, for her acts with her python called Oupa.

She was “a national treasure at the height of sexual repression”, writes Pat Hopkins quite correctly in Cringe, the Beloved Country. The combo of her disarming innocence, her beautiful body and her python was a complete hit and it was not uncommon, writes Hopkins for the audience to include a smattering of wives, prominent townsfolk, church elders police officers and magistrates. All whites only of course. Kemp became even more famous for a show she did in Volkrust in 1973 in which she painted herself black and donned an Afro.

I believe the world is a better place because of women like Glenda Kemp and now here I was at the Tzaneen agri show in a totally different time, being given a chance to be Glenda Kemp, even if only for a moment. What self-respecting, fun-lovin’, fortysomething blonde would resist?

I whipped the required R30 bucks out of my wallet, and assisted by the handler, rushed forward, gripped the python firmly and attempted to drape Oupa junior about my body as evocatively as I could. Which was rather difficult considering I had to keep my clothes on - there were children about – and the fact Oupa junior seemed unusually keen on licking me. He was a big boy and even though he was still quite young apparently, his skin was silky smooth and it was like holding one, er, long, strong and rather cold wriggling muscle.

We wrestled gently together as the schoolchildren shrieked and giggled and then we both managed to both smile for the camera just as I felt myself starting to blush from the toes up at my own fantasy thoughts of Glenda Kemp.

It set off a great wave of nostalgia amongst friends and family. My brother remembered the python was called Oupa, my friend’s father actually went to a Glenda Kemp striptease show, and amazingly, my gay pharmacist friend Albie, turned out to have once treated Oupa for a skin infection. He had a pharmacy in Lancet Hall in downtown Joburg where he dispensed his muti and Glenda and Oupa would pop in every now and again.

Cringe, the Beloved Country by Pat Hopkins is published by Zebra, www.zebrapress.co.za

By Jacqui Thompson

We may not have the fascinating Santa Fe Three-Day Restroomless Chili Cook-Off (yawn, ugh) or the always well attended Communist’s People’s Weekly World Banquet (attendance compulsory comrade!). But we do have a wide range of food & drink festivals and events popular with thousands of South Africans. (more…)

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Eventually we all complete the great circle of life and I know as I go through mine many bottles of memorable wine will have been an integral part of it. Waterkloof’s newly released maiden vintage of blended white - Circle of Life 2009 - was one such bottle and its interesting wrap-around label depicts drawings of the vine through its circle of life.

Harnessing the integrated elements of nature coupled with Waterkloof’s bio-dynamic approach to winemaking, this refined wine (which is made up of three white cultivars), is a reflection of the estate’s defining sense of origin with its singular variations in soils, terrain and climatic conditions.

“The name Circle of Life reflects the renewal of nature. I regard the vine as a perfect expression of nature’s ability to renew itself every year and its annual cycle a metaphor for birth, production, death and rebirth once again at the advent of a new season,” says Waterkloof winemaker Werner Engelbrecht.

Waterkloof Circle of Life White 2009 is made from site-specific vineyard blocks located high on the slopes of the Schapenberg which have contributed to the 2009 blend.  Home to 120 hectares of vines and fynbos on the idyllic outskirts of the Helderberg Winelands, Waterkloof rises up to 300 metres above sea level with the Hottentots-Holland and Helderberg Mountains as its backdrop. (more…)

By Dianne Bayley

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Fishing boats in the picturesque West Coast town of Paternoster (Image: South African Tourism)

For those who want to see small towns and real people across South Africa, get off the toll roads and delve into the wonders of those spiderweb roads on your map.

South Africa’s heartland offers the real gems of this country: The small towns and villages just off the beaten track that take you back to a quieter, more peaceful time and offer spectacular scenery to view and people to meet.

Artists and other “creatives” flourish in the peace and quiet and beauty of these areas.

They also give travellers the opportunity to meet colourful local characters who still have the time to talk and settings that can leave you breathless.

WESTERN CAPE

Knysna

On the Garden Route in the Western Cape, the coastal town of Knysna offers incredible vistas of the lagoon and the ocean and a famous forest that shelters elusive elephants.

At the Knysna Heads, the ocean crashes through a narrow rocky outcrop to feed the waters of the lagoon - a nursery for all manner of sea life, such as the tiny Knysna seahorse. Knysna is rich in art galleries, fabulous coffee shops and excellent restaurants. Not to be missed is Knysna’s oyster festival, which celebrates the exotic food cultivated in the lagoon and harvested in the wild. (more…)

A burgeoning of African restaurants in Johannesburg offers testimony to the city’s cosmopolitan nature, with people flocking to here from all over Africa. Some restaurants offer traditional South African kos, others specialise in the cuisine of specific cultures, or try to offer an overview taste of the continent.

Abyssinica
Address: Seventh Street, Melville
Telephone: 011 482 5097
Hours: Open seven days a week; lunch 12-2pm, dinner 6.30-10pm
Ethiopian-born Samson Malugeta was Africa bureau chief for the New York newspaper Newsday when he heard a steakhouse was up for sale. He promptly turned his back on journalism and bought it. But something was missing ‘ specifically watt and injeera, the foods of his childhood.

No longer. With fellow Ethiopian Wondu Tesfaye he has opened an upmarket Ethiopian restaurant called Abyssinica, across the road from his steakhouse, the Melville Grill. (more…)

By Boris Johnson, Mayor of London,  20 Jun 2010

I wish you could have come with me yesterday as I ran through the delightful district of Westcliff, one of the richest square miles in Africa. The sun was taking the chill off the winter morning. The sky was blue. The urban forest of Johannesburg was a winter symphony of brown and green and gold.

Among the trees, on either side of the well-kept street, I passed the kinds of homes you normally associate with Beverly Hills. Here was the honey-stoned palazzo of a diamond executive. There was the schloss of the most successful boob-job exponent in the neighbourhood.

Each villa was the size of a country club, and through every set of gates you could see the carob-shaded tennis court or the ultramarine ping of the sunlight on the pool. Every property overtly proclaimed the determination of the haves to resist the depredations of the have-nots. Great brown Rhodesian ridgebacks snuffled behind the electric fences. Chubb security vans cruised quietly up and down. Fixed to the wall beside virtually every nine-foot impregnable gate was a sign announcing that any intruder would be met with an “Armed Response”.

I wish you could have been there, to soak up the splendour of the lives of the affluent Johannesburg professionals. Then I wish you could have come with me to another neighbourhood, a township called Cape Flats, nor far from Cape Town. Then you would have understood the vast economic disparity of South Africa – the wealth gap that helps to prompt the security fences of Westcliff.

Here there was no tarmac on the streets. No one had cleared up the piles of rubbish. No one had painted the battered grey breeze blocks of the flats or mended the panes in the washing-hung windows. Of the hordes of unwashed kids who came out to compete for our presents – badges and trinkets – hardly any seemed fluent in English.

A nice one-eyed woman called Mary took us in to see her flat, and though she was immensely proud of her two chipped-eared china dogs, and though her lino floor shone with mopping, she had almost none of the amenities that are taken for granted by the poorest families in modern Britain.

She had no hot water. She had no cooker except for a couple of electric rings. She had no system of heating or air conditioning, and though Mary and her family were avidly following the World Cup, they were listening to the commentary on a crackling old radio. They had no television, and nor did any of the neighbours.

Above all, she had no job, and neither did her husband. It was years since he had last worked as an upholsterer for motor cars, and the same applied to all the hundreds of other men and women who swarmed out of their flats to welcome the delegation from London.

They had no job, and no hope of a job – and yet these people, Mary and her neighbours, were lucky by the standards of many in South Africa. Mary lives in breeze-block luxury compared with the inhabitants of the “informal settlements” – shantytowns to you and me – of which there are 230 in the vicinity of Cape Town alone, providing homes to about 500,000 people in a population of 3.5 million.

It is when you have such inequality, and such grinding poverty, you cannot be surprised that some pessimists have asked whether it was sensible for South Africa to take on the difficulty and expense of hosting the World Cup. That is why I have spent the past few days posing the legacy question to just about everyone I have met.

What happens on July 12, after the captain of the winning team has waved the Jules Rimet trophy in his sweaty palm? What will people say when the last fan has traipsed home and the last journalist has composed his last philippic against his defeated national team and when the last vuvuzela has parped its last melancholy parp? What will this World Cup leave for South Africa?

I have asked barmen and journalists and politicians such as the remarkable Helen Zille, premier of the Western Cape province. I have ended up feeling like those Monty Python characters who were so foolish as to question the benefits of the Roman Empire. The World Cup not only gave jobs and skills and hope to thousands of local people.

The tournament gave an absolute deadline to South Africa for the introduction and improvement of all kinds of infrastructure – not just sports grounds, but roads and bridges and airports and bus lanes that would otherwise not have been built and which will benefit the country for decades to come. Above all, the World Cup has given this country something intangible but priceless: a deep sense of pride that it has taken on something difficult and done it well.

When they look at themselves in the approving mirror of world opinion, South Africans of every race agree that the first African World Cup is a joyous success, and that success breeds confidence. The rand is rising. South Africans who left for Australia or Canada are starting to return to a country whose banking system largely escaped the recent crisis.

The sheer number of visitors – about half a million – will help to open the eyes of the world to South Africa and its potential for trade and investment; and get this – crime, the crime that has been supposed to be one of the drawbacks of living here, is down 90 per cent in central Cape Town, and there has not been a single serious incident of crime or violence in any of the fan parks.

Of course there will be disappointments, and no one could pretend that the World Cup will solve the economic or political problems of the country. But it offers a sense of unity and confidence to a place with a tragic past. It should help to build the taxpayer base that is so essential to narrowing the wealth gap.

It gives potential wealth creators at least some of the infrastructure they need. Fifa took an inspired decision to give the World Cup to South Africa, and South Africa has responded brilliantly.

By Dianne Bayley

Even as the World Cup rocks our nation and people from all walks of life gather together to cheer on their team of choice (and the choices are getting limited now), we still have a Geeze & Whine party happening. Granted, it’s only a small bunch of people - but what is their case, exactly? Here’s a note to them . . . (more…)

By Jacqui Thompson

Last month I wrote about places in Joburg I take visitors to see and enjoy. Here are a few things  I do and places I go when I have down time and which regularly remind me of the fabulous city I live in.

Velskoen Drive-In

I’m a sucker for retro and good things that remind me of my childhood and make me happy.  This, the last drive-in in Gauteng, is a classic even though the fairground complete with a gilded carousel with dancing horses is gone as are Silver Voice & Golden Voice, the dad & son DJ team that spun records during intermission. The crackly speakers are history and you listen via your car radio. Velskoen has grade-A status so it screens the big releases the same day as the cinemas. R70 per car for two current full length features? Bring your own padkos? Smoke while watching the movies? Unbeatable value for money. Tel. (011) 793-2812.

Teatime at a Boutique Hotel
There’s nothing nicer than finding a quiet retreat that serves chilled champagne, fabulous desserts and tea in fine china in a tranquil setting. It makes one feel ever so special! One of my favourite places to do the lady-of-leisure is Fairlawns in Morningside Manor.  Other excellent hide aways are the Peech, Morrells and Falstaff with the best chocolate torte in town. Another perennially perfect place to crook your pinkie is the classic Westcliff Hotel with a spectacular view over Joburg’s leafy suburbs and the zoo. Yes, it’s larger than a boutique hotel but there aren’t many places in Joburg you can spot elephants while sipping on your Twinings!

Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens

With a mile high (okay not quite, but close) beautiful waterfall and a resident pair of breeding Black Eagles this is my favourite emergency bush breakaway.  Not only is it a perfect back to nature getaway but they offer interesting talks and walks, some even after dark.  They’re conducted by interesting, motivated and knowledgeable experts. Their SAPPI Sunday afternoon concerts in wintertime are not to be missed. (more…)

Nelspruit, the capital of Mpumalanga Province, is surrounded by some of the South Africa’s most spectacular game reserves including the globally-renown Kruger National Park, which is roughly the size of Wales.

A city of some 222,000 people, Nelspruit lies in north-eastern South Africa and is the capital of the Mpumalanga province, formerly known as the Eastern Transvaal.

Resting on the Crocodile River, the town is about 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of the Mozambique border and 330 kilometres (205 miles) east of Johannesburg. The nearest township is KaNyamazane, a few kilometres east of Nelspruit.

Part of the local municipality of Mbombela, the region is South Africa’s “Garden of Eden”, with a flourishing fruit industry and spectacular waterfalls that drop from striking cliff faces.

Visitors to the region should get to the museum village of Botshabelo, which preserves the culture of the colourful Ndebele, who belong to the large group of Nguni people. It’s thought that the Ndebele moved from KwaZulu Natal around the 15th and 16th centuries to live a more peaceful existence with other Nguni peoples.

Nelspruit is a good base for exploring the nearby Limpopo Trans-frontier Park, which incorporates the Kruger National Park (South Africa), Limpopo National Park (Mozambique) and Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe).

In siSwati, Mpumalanga means “place where the sun rises”, a name aptly given to the place that houses God’s Window and the majestic green hills and blue waters of Blyde River Canyon.

For visitors to the area, if you haven’t got accomodation in the park there are plenty of places to stay nearby that enable you to take day trips into the Kruger National Park. It’s one of the many attractions in South Africa that shouldn’t be missed. Remember, though - you’re dealing with wild animals where THEY live! Don’t for a second believe that they’re “cute and cuddly”!

By Dianne Bayley

It is a day in time not many South Africans will ever forget: Friday 11 June 2010. A day we had anticipated for years - some with much negativity, most with great hope. It came . . . and it surpassed our wildest expectations.

I was privileged to have been invited by Visa to attend the opening ceremony and the Bafana Bafana versus Mexico game at the exquisite Soccer City stadium in Soweto. Driving to the Visa offices, Rosebank was alive with vuvuzelas, cars hooting with pride at each other’s flags, and almost everyone wearing a Bafana shirt. I didn’t see one person who wasn’t wearing a smile . . .

After a fabulous breakfast and a press conference, we piled into three buses - proudly wearing our hand made Makarabas - and began winding our way towards The Calabash. Downtown Joburg - known always for its “vibe” - was absolutely pulsating. Groups of people were dancing the diski on the sides of the road; shoppers and store owners were waving and cheering as our buses went by; old men doffed their hats and smiled.

The Rea Vaya route was fantastic - hardly any traffic and newly surfaced roads made the trip a short one. Then . . . THE STADIUM! I have never seen anything quite so architecturally breathtaking in South Africa. The colours, the style, the way it fits into the landscape of dusty African reds and browns. And, yes, it looks like a traditional calabash pot!

Of course, the buzz of the vuvuzelas hummed constantly as we walked towards the stadium. The closer we got, the more we “felt” it - ke nako! It is here!

I took my first view of the inside of the stadium and was humbled by the amount of work and timing that went into this project. South Africans can - and should - be proud of the effort labourers and architects and affiliated companies put in to creating something that makes you feel so small and yet seven feet tall. It it splendid - and it is ours!

We couldn’t sit still - we wandered in and out of the stadium and met with amazing Mexican fans, dressed to the nines for the Big Game. The police presence was incredible and reassuring - though not a single incident marred the day - probably to the disappointment of many foreign journalists who kept “suggesting” the dangers of visiting “darkest Africa”! Our forces need to be congratulated for the time and effort they have put in - and their friendly way of dealing with the massive crowd.

Then - the Opening Ceremony! While some have suggested it was “disappointing”, I just couldn’t find fault with anything on Friday and loved it all. Our President did us proud opening the tournament, and made many of us cry when he sent the message from Madiba - who sadly lost his great-grandaughter after the concert the night before.

Given that some people have no respect for national anthems - their own or anybody else’s - I was so proud that the crowd showed great respect for the Mexicans as they sang theirs. Then . . . Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika, the only anthem in the world sung in five different languages. I sang my heart out, holding the hand of the elderly man beside me who had fought for democracy in our country. At the end of the anthem, we both wept!

Now, here’s where I own up. I had never been to a soccer match before. I know nothing about the game, except that the players are supposed to throw themselves on the ground until they feel they’ve caught the attention of the ref, who then punishes another player. I have no idea what “off sides” means, except that they have to keep stopping and starting. I imagine they are supposed to get the ball into the goalposts as often as possible, but see them kicking the ball back and forth to each other for HOURS at a time. Oh, well - billions of fans around the globe can’t all be wrong, so in the spirit of the soccer I will try to forget my own love, fast-and-furious rugby!

There’s no doubt, though, that when Bafana Bafana scored, I was as happy as anyone else in the stadium. Then the equaliser came from Mexico and . . . well, we didn’t lose! And, though some say a draw is a bad as losing, I refuse to buy into that! It is just too happy an occasion for our country for me to see anything negative about any of it . . . even the constant “ha-de-dah” drone of the vuvuzelas . . .

Leaving the stadium, I looked back and marveled again at what it looks like all lit up. And it wasn’t just lighting powered by Eskom. It was lighting powered by 84 000 privileged spectators, and MILLIONS of others across our country and across the globe.

You did it, South Africa. You sweated and worked and met the deadlines. You beefed up the police force and ambulance services and got the army in. You set targets and reached them and made sure hooligans didn’t get past airport security. You sent your planes over the stadium in a show that delighted and enforced our belief in our airforce. You brought your people together and gave us another chance to show how much we really like each other. We are family - we can be disappointed with a brother or a sister; we can even call each other names - but we can never not be related!

To the world I say: “Thank you for coming to our beautiful country. Try not to let the vuvuzelas be a noise; remember instead that it is the sound of a united South Africa.

To South Africans, I say: “Ngiyabonga kakhulu! Baie dankie! Thank you, thank you - you ROCK!” The feeling in this country right now can only be compared to how I felt when Nelson Mandela came out of prison, or when we became a democracy, just 15 years ago. I think we should do this more often - host something that reminds us that we really do like each other and that we all have the same goal in mind - peace, happiness and a brighter future for all our people.

Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika!

Home to the only ‘big seven’ reserve in South Africa, the Eastern Cape also offers an astonishing variety of plant life and ravishingly beautiful scenery

The Eastern Cape is South Africa’s second biggest and most biologically diverse province. From the spectacularly arid plains of the Karoo to the bright green or snow-capped southern Drakensberg and the turquoise lagoons of the Wild Coast, there is so much to see. And it is all so beautiful.

Probably the most interesting aspect of the Eastern Cape is the fact that it has only recently become a major game-viewing destination. The Greater Addo Elephant National Park, which was proclaimed in the 1930s to protect the then last 11 elephants remaining in the area, has become a safari destination of note, and has recently been enlarged to stretch from Algoa Bay (including some offshore Islands) to the Zuurberg Mountains. (more…)

By Kenneth Davison

World Cup fever is gripping the country but luckily the hospitals have not been overloaded. The bigger problem will be the World Cup withdrawal we all get after it is over, but that is so far away so we won’t worry about it. And as everyone is well aware, many of the teams have arrived and started training.

There has been a lot of hype around the training and if you are inclined, you could attend a public training session held by the teams. But be warned not all the teams have got public sessions. Teams like Brazil, who are training out of site of the road don’t intend on letting people come watch them train, in case there is a spy from a rival team. But there are still plenty of teams who are willing to let people watch them train.

One thing I have struggled to do is find out where all the teams will be training in one place. There are many sources letting you know where an individual team is training so you could possibly sneak a peak or even sit and watch. So I thought I would try and give you as many teams and their training grounds as possible. (more…)

To help foreigners fit in and avoid trouble during the World Cup, Oliver Roberts has devised this handy lingo guide, published by www.timeslive.co.za

BABBELAS (BUBBLE-US): Hangover. Usage: “Jeez, I had too many dops last night. I’ve got a hectic babbelas.”
BAKKIE (BUCKY): What Americans would term a “pick-up”. A two-seater light vehicle with an open rear cargo area. The rear is often used to transport an impossible number of workers who stare back at you in traffic and make you feel awkward and a bit guilty.
BERGIE: Term used for a type of homeless person in Cape Town. Originates from “berg”, which is the Afrikaans word for mountain, referring to the homeless people who used to live on Table Mountain but who now live mainly in the city. Pronounce the harsh “g” as if you’ve swallowed an insect and are trying to clear it from your throat.
BLIKSEM (BLUK-SEM): If you’re in a pub and you accidentally spill a beer belonging to a man with a thick neck, he may say: “Do you want me to bliksem you?” Don’t respond. Just run. Run for your life. It’s the Afrikaans word for hit or strike or punch. (more…)

A letter to World Cup visitors from GreaterGood South Africa
 
Dear Visitor,

Between the economic crisis and the volcanic ash, we were worried that you might not make it. And then of course there was the fear-mongering in the tabloids – one British paper recently insisted that “packs of rampaging baboons” were “targeting tourists” in Cape Town!

But let’s not forget the many South African problems that don’t really make for interesting headlines. They are problems that you probably already know about without us trying to impress you with sensationalist headlines and statistics. Ours is a country with widespread unemployment and poverty, it is at the heart of the global AIDS pandemic and there is a crisis in education.

These are not really problems that affect most visitors. As a tourist, you are likely to arrive in South Africa at an airport that compares favourably with any you have seen. You are likely to stay in hotels that would not be out of place in the capitals of Europe. You will watch soccer in some of the most impressive sports stadiums anywhere in the world. You might have the chance to eat in great restaurants or sample some fine wines, and, if you venture a short distance from the major tourist hubs, you will find it all really affordable. (more…)

From Mediaclubsouthafrica.co.za

Mediaclub’s Bongani Nkosi reports that Joao Raposo - a Brazilian journalist - is so impressed with South Africa’s stadiums he’s concerned his home country won’t match up when it hosts the Fifa World Cup in 2014.

“In Brazil we’re concerned about the stadiums we will have,” Raposo said during a recent interview at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg. “I think it will be difficult to compete with the stadiums that Africa has [built].”

Raposo, a producer at Bandeirantes TV in Sao Paulo, is one of 120 international and local journalists currently touring South Africa’s 10 host stadiums on a trip initiated by Fifa and the Local Organising Committee (LOC). It has been scheduled to coincide with celebrations marking 100 days remaining to the kick-off the 2010 Fifa World Cup in June.

Artist's rendition of Mbombela Stadium

Another journalist, Ghanaian Henry Asante Twum, is also taken aback by South Africa’s “impressive” stadiums. Twum, the head of sport at Ghana Television, had seen most of the host stadiums and is convinced the country will stage a memorable event in June.

“The World Cup in South Africa will be magnificent. I’m happy that Valcke has commended what South Africa has done to prepare,” Twum said. “I’m impressed with the stadiums I’ve seen.”

The hospitality industry also looks ready to welcome the world to Africa, Twum added. “I’ve seen some hotels here. I think the country is in good shape.”

Read the full story of South Africa’s amazing soccer stadia.

By Jacqui Thompson

Our city has so much to offer. There is a multitude of cultural, adventure and educational activities suitable for curious guest. It’s unlikely your American Gran-in-law would want to power swing across the Soweto cooling towers, or your surly teenage nephew admire the turn of the century architecture in Jeppe. But if I have visitors to Jozi who are only in town for a few days and want to get a feel for the place, these are the spots I take them to. (more…)

As excitement builds for the You-Know-What, I have to say that it is a delight to see the country united by little flags flying from every second car that goes past. (Anyone remember how marketers managed to get everyone to plak a “Put a Tiger in your Tank” or “STP” sticker on their cars all those years ago?)
Now, I am not a soccer fan at all. I find the rolling around on the grass clutching your leg when someone runs past you all too much, having just watched the Blue Bulls run headlong into other MOUNTAINS on the field and not flinch. (more…)

The poem from which this movie takes its name was written by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903) in 1875 and first published in 1888. It seems to reflect the spirit of Nelson “Madiba” Mandela, whom – it is said – recited it often while incarcerated.

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
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