‘n Ou liedjie op ‘n nuwe wysie ‐ ‘n ander blik op “Ballade van die Grysland”

Summary

“Ballade van die Grysland” by D.J. Opperman tells the story of the downfall of a man (man) in a big city. From the beginning he has almost no resistance against Fate that controls his life in this unnatural environment. In this essay some aspects of the deep grammar of the “Scale and Category” model of Systemic Grammar are applied to the poem illustrating this very fact. The clauses that constitute the poem are analysed in terms of the transitivity choices, especially with regard to process types and participant types. In the process it is indicated how the environment in which he finds himself progressively changes into a nightmare world in which he is no longer an active participant, but in which he is merely carried along by events.

Opsomming

“Ballade van die Grysland” van D.J. Opperman is die verhaal van die ondergang van ‘n man (die mens) in die grootstad. Van die begin af is hy feitlik magteloos teen die Noodlot wat sy lewe in hierdie onnatuurlike omgewing beheer. In hierdie opstel word aspekte van die dieptegrammatika van die “Skaal en Kategorie"‐model van Sistemiese Grammatika op die gedig toegepas om juis hierdie feit te illustreer. Die stelle waaruit die gedig bestaan, word in terme van die transitiwiteitskeuses, veral met betrekking tot prosestipes en deelne‐merstipes, ontleed. In die proses word aangetoon hoe die wêreld waarin die spreker hom bevind, in toenemende mate ‘n nagmerriewereld word, waarin hy nie ‘n aktiewe deelnemer is nie, maar deur die gebeure meegesleur word.