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South African Voices

Bhotomane, Ndumiso; Biyela, Umhle; Koko, Magagamela; Ngcama, Ashton; Ngcobo, Sondoda; Tyabashe, Mdukiswa; Zenani, Nongenile Masithathu / South African Voices: The Way We Travelled: Oral History and Poetry (2006)

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South African artwork

POEM ONE

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Date:    August 9, 1967
Time:    2:30 p.m.
Place:    The royal residence of King Diliz' Intaba Mditshwa, Tshiqo, Mdibanisweni, Tsolo District.
imbongi:    Mdukiswa Tyabashe, 74 years old, is a Mpondomise, also called William Tyabashe. He lives in St. Cuthbert's Location. He was King Lutshoto's imbongi, now in semi-retirement, and is called upon from time to time to create King Diliza's izibongo.
The Izibongo:    The occasion: holding of court in the king's royal residence. The izibongo is created while the imbongi stands, facing the home of the king. The poetry is created with vigor, declaimed. The king remains, on the surface anyway, rather calm about the poetry, to the point of acting as if he is oblivious to it.
Audience:    over sixty people who are gathered in the king's compound, and the crowd swells as the poem goes on.
1S-86
Tape 3, Side 1

Shu! Shu! Shu!

ndathunukala...ndathunukala...
'be ndithunukwa nguDiliz' iintaba...
nguMdilizi weentaba iintab' ezinde iintaba zaseLundini...
kanti nezi zikaNokolokoth' ebeya kuzidiliza...
ndibe ndatsho...
ndibe ndatsho...
ndibe ndatsho...
ndath' atshilo amaduna aseNtibana...
wayetshil' uMaphondo...
wayetshil' uMaphondo...
kanti noBusobezulu ukwatshilo...
ukuthi bahle abantwana bentombi yaseMqwangqweni...
kube kuhle uGqirana...
egase ngemilenze enxabalaze phezu kwaMalephe noMjika...
kub' eye kuhle uMakhandezinyoni...
esuk' egadeni waphum' eluthulini...
kant' ub' emhle noSoDiliz' iintaba
kuba wayefanelwe nguNgubenani...
ndibe ndatsho...
ndibe ndatsho...
ndibe ndatsho...
ndath' afanelekile amaduna akuJengc'...
bafanekil' abantwana bakaQhekez' ukhamba...
kwaKhwetshube kaXhwangu...
ngokua beguge baguga basiny' amazinyo...
kodwa abangangomntakaMatshiliba...
owaphikis' ukuguga
waphikis' ukwaluphala...
wayigweqil' imvaba ngemilenze
walilum' iselwa ngomlomo...
wothuka uZebangweni...
esithi mkhulu kowabo kwaMbara...
kuba thina noko atshoyo...
noko atshoyo...
siyayazi thina inkulu yakwaMbara...
ngoba idlule nentutselana elukhalweni elukhalayo...
ngomntakaMakhamba owadiz' ebukhweni kwaMabilokazi...
kuthiwa usisicebevana...
kwathiwa usisikhabancana...
akayanga kwaMadubedube 'se simthandaza thina bamqal' umntu ngangenduku...
yatsho kwisikwabakaz' esadliwa ngesixenxe ngabafazi bakwaMbusha...
enkundleni kwaSobixashe...
nditsho kuMatheguda...
nditsho kuMatheguda...
engelilo iguda laseMaraizel'...
endabangancuma laqhokotha
ndaba ngabantsa latyikila
latyikilikela landishiya ndithe ca izisini noko ndiyinzwana ngodudalwa...
Diliz' iintaba!

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