Lines 402 - 420

 402
vha dzulwa;
At Tshitanini there was peace;
 403
Ha Mutele vha dzulwa.
At Mutele there was peace.
 404
Tshithuthuni vhu lila ngoma,
At Tshithuthuni there is music,
 405
Vhu sa lili ngoma matangwa:
But it is not the music of matangwa:
 406
Ndi madeza a Vhakalanga.
It is the Karanga music of possession which is played on the mbila hand-piano.
Tshithuthuni is near Dzata. Lines 404-406 almost certainly refer to the Lemba, who use the hand-piano for spirit-possession in the same way as the Shona peoples of Zimbabwe.

 407
Ndo -nusa nga tshena,
I feed myself with (the milk of) a white calf,
 408
yo bvaho mananga,
The calf who has come from the dry country,
 409
Mananga Rakulungwane.
The desert of the Maker-of-butter.
 410
Vha Ramasunzi kuvhanganani!
Sons of Ramasunzi, come together!
 411
Ni yo mutumbu tsenene.
You are going to eat the corpse of a big cricket.
 412
Tshivhula tsha matshokotike,
Tshivhula is a wanderer,
 413
Tsha gumbu fhela nga mipfa.
Whose feet are full of thorns.
Line 411 refers to the crowding of ants round the corpse of a cricket. See domba Song No.2. Lines 412-413 are the praises of the people of Tshivhula, of whom Ramasunzi is said to have been a ruler (see van Warmelo 1940:89-91).

 414
Vhufuli Mphigalale.
Vhufuli of Mphigalale.
 415
Vhufuli ho laulwa lusu:
At Vhufuli the meaning of the snuff pouch was explained:
 416
Lu no pfi lwa-mapfundo-.
It was called 'of the four knots'.
 417
Vhulorwa, vhuvhili, vhuraru,
Count the hills from Vhulorwa, (one), two, three,
 418
Hu na ha Mahandulula;
And you come to that of Mahandulula;
 419
Mahandulula wa Phahwe.
Mahandulula who lives on Phahwe.
 420
Vhusendeka vhu redza thavha.
Distance levels out the mountains.

To return, click 'Back' in the Browser.