Peace and a Thorny Tree News Poetry with IsiZulu
A News Poem with Women’s Peace Poetry from Current Events and News Poetry.
Peace and a Thorny Tree
Some of Africa’s greatest matriarchs / queens, rebels and freedom fighters / disturbers of the peace / scrubbed from history / but like thorny trees / may serve a purpose.
In Zulu or isiZulu / spoken in South Africa and Lesotho / one who disturbs the peace / is compared to a thorny tree and muddy water.
“Dunga” is to disturb the peace / make turbid or muddy / stir up mud / befoul liquid or water / “ukudunga amanzi” to befoul the water.
“Dungabantu” is an agitator / a disturber of the peace / one who stirs up trouble / literally “dunga” “abantu” / what disturbs the people / making the comfortable uncomfortable.
“Dungamuzi” is also a disturber of the peace / literally “dunga” “umuzi” / the village disturber on one hand / a large tree on the other / root deep known scientifically as “Euclea daphnoides” / and “Euclea natalensis” / the bark and leaves used as a purgative / believed to cause quarreling in the village.
“Idungamuzi lehlanze” and “idungamuzi lehlathi” / are nasty thorn trees disliked as firewood / “idungamuzi elinameva” or the thorny scolopia / an idiom for disturber of the peace.
“Dungazela” is to mix liquids or to walk blindly / as an absent-minded person does / as if only when we take conscious action / we can create peace “ukuthula” / solve quarrels welcoming a new era / of freedom and peace for all.
A News poem based on the article Women’s Day Warriors — Africa’s queens, rebels and freedom fighters
Originally published at http://www.poetry24.co.uk on March 30, 2019.
Way of Peace
In isiZulu language of South Africa
“phila ngokuthula” means follow the way of peace
where “phila” means live
and peace is “ukuthula”
following peace
transformed into life
Peace Haiku Places in South Africa
Cathkin Peak, South Africa: Leave Him In Peace
David Gray a Scot
Named for a hill near Glasgow
settled in Natal 1849
Zulu “Mdedeke”
leave him in peace refers to
dominant male form
Ndwedwe, a Village north of Durban South Africa
Zulu long table
Valley of a Thousand Hills
is pensive peaceful
Phalaborwa Town in the Letaba district
Proclaimed in July 1957
in Sotho “it is better
here than in the south”
Peaceful existence
refugees fleeing north from
Swazi and Zulu
Originally Published in Peace Poetry Dictionary, The Meaning of Peace and Calm in 5000 Languages.
