The poem is a prayer for the countrymen of South Africa during the tragic times of apartheid. It asks God to ordain actions and words that will allow men to still praise God's image of love even after the terrors and hatreds of apartheid are dead. It references the complex difficulties of apartheid and notes that some stayed pure, others learned to endure through rotten days by grinning, while a few hearts stayed warm with love and some minds grew clear in their understanding.

13. A Prayer for my Countrymen
By Guy Butler

14. A prayer for all my countrymen
Guy Butler
1. Though now few eyes
2. can see beyond
3. this tragic time's
4. complexities,
5. dear God, ordain
6. such deed be done,
7. such words be said,
8. that men will praise
9. Your image yet
10. when all these terrors
11. and hates are dead:

15. 12.Through rotting days,
13.beaten, broken,
14.some stayed pure;
15.others learnt how
16.to grin and endure;
17.and here and there
18.a heart stayed warm,
19.a head grew clear.

16. Stanza 1
• Every line in the poem has four (4) syllables

17. Though now few eyes
• eyes: refer to people. Only a few people
• Though: and yet, yet, nevertheless, still, all the
same , nonetheless

18. can see beyond
• can see into the future

19. this tragic time's
• this tragic time: Apartheid
• tragic: Apartheid, the deaths, the persecution,
the unequal rights
• Alliteration: t creates the feeling of anguish
and dismay.

20. complexities,
• complexities: the difficulty, complications of
Apartheid.

21. • Only a few people can see beyond the
complicated, tragic times of Apartheid.

22. dear God, ordain
• dear: a cry of desperation to God.
• God: he calls on the Creator of heaven and
earth to ordain something.
• Ordain: order, decree, proclaim, enact,
command, lay down, rule.
• He wants God to establish something.

23. such deed be done,
• acts must be committed

24. such words be said,
• order that the right words be said

25. that men will praise
• so that men will still be able to praise

26. Your image yet
• God’s image now and after.
• Image: the image of God which is love.

27. when all these terrors
• all these terrors (awful deeds of Apartheid)

28. and hates are dead
• and hatred of races are dead (over)

29. Through rotting days,
• Through some terrible days.
• Rotting: metaphor. Some days were so
terrible, the things that were done can only
be compared to something rotting.

30. beaten, broken
• Alliteration: beaten, broken.
• Some people were literally beaten, some were
figuratively broken when arrested, or
questioned.

31. some stayed pure;
• some stayed pure and never did anything
wrong during Apartheid, they never hated and
they never committed any violence.

32. to grin and endure;
• to keep on smiling and how to endure: bear,
tolerate, put up with, go through Apartheid

33. and here and there
• and very rarely

34. a heart stayed warm,
• metaphor: a heart remained filled with love
and remained unchanged, did not believe in
Apartheid.

35. a head grew clear.
• Metaphor: a head grew clear: a person
changed his mind from thinking Apartheid is
right to realising it is actually wrong.