Vana va vusiku
Yimbelelelani vusiku
He Xikoriyo hee
Hee
Hi yimbelela Xikoriyo hi hlongola munyama na ndzwalo wa vurhongo,
Mina wa vusiku ndzi fambile ko hlaya
Ndzi sukela milambu yo oma leyi a yi fihluta tinhlampfi leti a ndzi fihlula,
Na marhavi ya minsinya yo oma la’ ya pomeriweke hi tinyenyana leti khongelelaka mpfula,
Rihati leri vandlamulaka ri tlhambuka malangavi yo ncakunha swindlwana swo voyama,
Na swihlahla swo vuvumela leswi rhurheleke xikokovi na mpfundla tolo.
Ndzi endzela madoroba ya switarata leswi khulukaka tindzimi ta gidi,
Na vanhu ntsena lava nwaka ngati hi swibalesa ku kota mati,
Laha xikandza xa rirhandzu xi pyharhukaka swilondza swo mpfempfa vopfu,
Tinyenyana ti hundzuka vahundzi lava tinsimu ta vona ta mphatsamo ti rhukaniweke.
Vana va vusiku
Vaxengi lava yimbelelaka:
Ka nhwe mi dya yini
Hi dya maxalani
Ndzi sukela masimu ya rihlaza ro yimbelela na mintlhambhi ya swifuwo swo nona,
Rifuwo leri ndlandlamuxeke tinyimba na swivongo leswi naveke swi funengeta tiko,
Mafurha la’ ya kamulutiweke hi xikolokolo xa xibalo xa mbyana na sekwa,
Matimba ya swifamona swo tshovela swi dya laha swi nga byalangiki.
Ndzi endzela madoroba la’ ya tswaleke ticasino ta mubejo wo hundzula vanhu tincuva,
Laha rifuwo ri fundiweke hi maribye ya vito na ntsengo na vun’wini,
Maribye yo vangama ya huhutela mbilu ya vululami ritukulu,
Ya hluta makampfu na makwanga yo xenga makwenu eka xilalelo xa rifu ra xiviti.
Ngulumelo lowu twalelaka ekule
Vana va ku vonakala
Tihuku ke
Ti dya vusokoti
Ndzi sukela mindzhumbha na mancomani ya mincino ya vakokwana,
Marhambu yo vulavula na nkanyi wo qupha xinefu wu nwa byalavusila,
Ndzi vukarha miako ya swimbindzimbindzi swo leha swi xeweta tilo,
Ntshembho na switshembhiso swa Jerusalema lontshwa emisaveni yo bola,
Ya rivengo na makwanga na tihanyi to celela ticece ti ri karhi ti kalakala,
Ngati yo phahla swikwembu swa mali egandzelweni ra nkarhi.
Ngulumelo lowu twalelaka ekusuhi
Vana va vusiku
Hi khoma N’wamani
N’wa-Xitihlwana
Ndzi vuyile ko hlaya ndzi kuma ku hundzuka loko ndzi hundzuleke muhlapfa,
Laha, laha a hi phema kona kun’we enkambanini wun’we,
Hi yingela mintsheketo na swivuriso na mintshayito eswitikweni swa mindzilo yo hlevetela,
Laha, laha marhumbini la’ ya hlekuriweke hi rirhandzu ra malwandla ro enta xilwandle,
Hi yimbelela xikoliyo hi hlongola munyama wa vusiku bya vurhongo bya malanga,
Laha, a ku ri kaya tolo.
Yimbelelelani vusiku
Vana va vusiku
He Xikoriyo hee
Hee
Ndzi Fambile Ko Hlaya
Moses Mtileni
Listen to the poem read in the original Xitsonga by the poet:
‘I Have Gone Away Many Times’ is a poem selected from the anthology of poetry, Ntsena Loko Mpfula A Yo Sewula (Only If It Could Rain), featuring ten young poets and edited by Moses Mtileni. Xitsonga, the language of the original poem, is a southern African Bantu language spoken mainly in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Swaziland. It is one of the eleven official languages in South Africa.
Moses Mtileni was born at Nkuri-Tomu village, in the Limpopo province of South Africa. He is the author of two collections of poetry, U ya va Rungula and When the Moon Goes to Rest, and a novel, Mpimavayeni. His short stories and poems have appeared in anthologies like Voyages, New Pegasus, Tyhini, and Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Anthology, and in journals Timbila, Botsotso, and Poetry Potion Quarterly. He has recently edited a Xitsonga anthology of poems, Ntsena Loko Mpfula A Yo Sewula (Only If It Could Rain), and translated Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s short story, ‘The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright,’ into Xitsonga (published in Jalada, Issue 01). He holds three master’s degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand and Rhodes University.
