Lines 158 - 174

 158
Musadzi ndi Nyamulindela,
A married woman is one who waits,
 159
O lindela na pfumo.
She waits for the axe and the spear (of her husband).
 160
Vha redza'ni in begwa?
What name shall we give the child that is born?
 161
O bebwa nga mavhilivhili.
It was born because of the falling of the rain (i.e. the waters of the womb).
 162
Ro tshixele tsha (thendele ya) ,
We brought the child's nursemaid (spinning top),
 163
Tsha u tamba natsho tsimuni.
To play with in the garden (i.e. while the mother works).
 164
Musadzi ho naka wa gombo:
My wife has a very nice navel:
 165
U naka a tshi bva u Iima.
It looks nice when she's out hoeing.
 166
"Vhashumi, Nyakhombwana yanga!"
"Greetings, my fine navel!" I say as she works.
 167
yanga i khou lila,
My snake cries out,
 168
I lila khulu ya thumbuni.
It cries out aloud in the stomach.
 169
U beba ha vhasadzi ndi hunwe:
Bearing children is the same for all women:
 170
Musadzi (munna) in hebela .
One woman (human being) gives birth to another.
These words are generally sung towards the end of the song. Lines 169 and 170 emphasize that people should never hate each other, because mothers bear each one of us in pain and in exactly the same way.

 171
Gadabi -pfunda Gadabi,
Where the tree (Albizzia versicolor Welw.) grows,
 172
o Munzhedzi a naka:
Has washed Munzhedzhi, so that she is beautiful.
 173
A sala a tshi nga luvhungo (luvhumbo),
She stays and looks like a beautiful creeper (a beautiful pot),
 174
A tshi nga luvhu lu .
She looks like the shrub that grows in the water (Hippocratea nitida Oberm.).
Lines 171-174 praise a pregnant woman, because she is indeed beautiful: beautiful because she is fulfilling herself as a woman, and beautiful because her eyes and her skin 'shine'. Venda women are remarkably accurate at spotting pregnancy long before there is any visible swelling of the stomach. They point to several features which change, even before the woman herself believes that she is pregnant.

To return, click 'Back' in the browser.