The Second Liberation

By Mphiliseni Mthimkhulu

With to-the-point wit, craft and acuity, in his first book, Mphiliseni Mthimkhulu launches a series of distinguished and sublime poems that hinge on history, politics, language, love and identity as he intertwines them with daily life.

The work in this book is about a fanciful journey into history, a surreal venture into contemporary politics, an exploration of linguistic versatility and a seething and love, on one hand. On the other, it is a confrontation with the evolution of culture and self-identity that delivers an unpredictable emotional roller-coaster.

These poems that are both in IsiZulu and English, are not an attempt at a translation of each poem from one language to the other. They are deliberately written independently in one or the other language with no relationship and none intended.

Paradoxical as it may sound, just like in the 1879 battle of Isandlwana between the Zulus and the English, so the poems exist in this book side by side, each with a self-determining manifestation.

Each of them gives space to poetic meaning that brings out an almost unconscious individual dialogue to both author and reader.

The style of writing is both fresh and powerful.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mphiliseni Mthimkhulu
• Release date: Jul 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463720691

Mphiliseni Mthimkhulu

Mphiliseni Mthimkhulu is a South African poet and published author based in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal. He is an engineer by qualification. Having worked for Eskom for over 15 years, he is now running his own engineering firm called Engabazeni Resources. At the moment, he treats writing more as a hobby and past time activity, although he has dreams of writing quite a number of books, specializing in Zulu history, short stories and poems. So far Mphiliseni has published the book called THE SECOND LIBERATION. The book is a collection of both English and IsiZulu poems.

Book preview

Amazwi Omlobi

Lencwajana bengingeke ngikwazi ukuyiloba ngaphandle kwenkuthazo nezifiso zempokophelo-phambili kubantu abaningi engisondelene nabo. Emndenini, ezihlotsheni nasebanganini.

Angiphawule futhi ukuthi nakuba ugqozi nesilokozane sokubhala kade kwasa singishisa ezibilini, kepha ukubhala ngishicilele ngikhombis’ omunye umuntu imibono nolwazi, neminjunju, nosizi kanye namahung’ ezifiso ezisenhliziyweni yami yinto ebengiyesaba kunazozonke izinto.

Kodwa-ke sengibonga laba engibabalile ngenhla ukuthi ekugcineni sengiliqhumbuzile lelithumba; futhi ngiyethemba kuningi okusazophuma kulolugebhezana lokushisel’ izinyamazane zaseNgabazeni.

Ngaleliqoqo lezinkondlwana ngizama ukuhay’ inkondlo yalabo engibakhonzile, abasaphila nabangasekho. Ngizama ukuthunuka kanye nokuthob’ amanxeba kulabo abalahlekelwe; noma sekwadlul’ iminyakanyaka bahanjelwa ngabantu ababakhonzile. Ngiyethemba-ke lowomthunuko uyobasiza ukuthi bahlale bebakhumbula njalo kuze kube sekugcineni kwezizukulwane ngezizukulwane.

Njengoba isho injingalwazi yomGiligi u-Aeschylus mayethi:

"Memory is the mother of all wisdom.

There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief."

Lencwajana ibhalwe ikakhulukazi ukukhumbula nokuthoba amanxeb’ alabo abanesilokozane senkumbulo nosizi lokulahlekelwa yizithandwa zabo ekulweni nobandlululo nobuhlwempu bendlu eMnyama kulelizwe.

Ezinhluphekweni zabantu abaMnyama ngibonga leyomindeni eyadela izingane zayo zafel’ ukulwa nokuhlukunyezwa kanye nokunukubezwa ngokomphefumulo nangokwenyama ngamaBhunu. Zafela izinkululeko nokunotha esesikubona manje kwabanye bethu.

Ngakho-ke isuke iqinisile Imbongi yeNkosi yaseMgungundlovu mayithi:

"Vezi kof’ abantu kosal’ izibongo,

Yizona zosala zibadabula,

Yizona zosala zibalilela emanxiweni."

Umsebenzi wethu-ke thina zimbongi yikho ukukhumbula lamaqhawe, sakhe izibongo zawo ukuze izizukulwane zikaZulu wonkana zingawakhohlwa. Sishiye nezibazi zawo ezinhliziyweni zethu. Sibe yiphel’ endlebeni nakuba sebakhohlwa abantu; sebacwila ebumenyezeleni bezindonga zobumpunyela.

"Yilo-ke ugqozi nempokophelo

Oludale ngibhale loluqwenjana.

Yil’ ugqoko lwecebile yakithi kwaMthaniya,

Engithe mangidla kulo maqede ngabindeka ngoma,

Ngomel’ amanzi eMbozamo yawoJama.

Yil’ udosi lwamalakazane olungutinyela

Maqede ngalangaza ukubhala lemilozi,

Imilozi yakithi kwaNtu,

Imilozi yamaqhawe e-Afrika."

Zulu!

Table of Contents

Amazwi Omlobi

Isandulela

1. Ngo-79

2. Art of death

3. Epitaph at 4am

4. Revelations of the liberation movement

5. Isidakwa

6. The string

7. Kwathi bho!

8. The man who didn’t wake up

9. Don’t go easy on that night in a small town

10. You wonder?

11. Love, life, happiness

12. The big drought of the 18th

13. Death of a great poet

14. An island away from the seas

15. Fly away, my bird

16. Unlikeable love

17. I’m sorry that he has died

18. To be African

19.