Sepedi Poetry
A poem titled Sepedi written in the Sepedi language

This poem praises the Sepedi language.A language created by the Pedi ancestors, who left a heritage of a deeply rich language, which is today used on many platforms like radio and other broadcasting platforms.

It's a language people use to Praise God and sing hymns,a language used to recite poems, used in rejoicing and in mourning, a rich language.

A language cretated by the Pedi  ancestors, a rich language,a language full of great proverbs and idioms, a great language inherited from the Bapedi ancestors.


Sesotho sa Lebowa

E phatlaletje polelo ya borakgokhukhu
E ikadile dileteleteng
E aparetje Leboa ka moka.
Borakgolokhukhu ba re ratile
Ba re tlogetje bohwa
Dichweu di tsentje diatla pelong
Di e emaemetje ka gohle
E phaphasela diyalemoyeng,
E phaphasela boka nonyana moyeng.
Lefaufaung go fofa mantju a bagoeletji,
Ba bolela sona Sesotho sa Leboa,
Ba gashetja Bapedi bohle.

Re reta Mmopi ka yona,
Re founela difela,
Ra rapela ka yona,
Ra reta direto.
Re thaba ka yona
Ra hlonama ka yona.

E nonne polelo ya botate
E a tshutshuma,
E re makhura thankga!
E fahletjwe ka diema
E tiishitjwe ka dika
Polelo ya borakgolokhukhu

Ngwanamopedi learns and teaches about Sepedi Proverbs and idioms,use,books,origin,and modern day relevance

So growing up and going to primary school as well as high schoola certain book seemed to be present and peremeating learning of the Sepedi language.The title of this book is "Marema ka dika"  The title could be loosely translated to:" Cutting through idioms"This book seemed to be the holy book of the Sepedi language.It contained all the rhymes,riddles,proverbs, idioms and other sayings of the Sepedi language that one needed to know in order to solidify their knowledge and use of the language. A house without this book was indeed poor.Ownership of a Marema Ka Dika book meant doing homework was much less burdensome and tiresome. This book was also to be studied diligently in order to pass Sepedi First Language at matric level especially.It was expected that the Sepedi national examiner could ask for the meaning of any proverb,idiom or riddle found in the "Marema ka dika".This a matric student without this book was indeed poor.

So I wonder which other language has a book that is entirely and specifically filled with proverbs, idioms, and riddles.I wonder why this collection in the form of a book was necessary. I recently discovered another book of a much than the former which covered fables, folktales, proverbs,idioms and riddles but on a much smaller scale .This book is titled " Bohwa bja rena"'  by I.S Masola which means our heritage/wealth/inheritance.

I will focus on proverbs and idioms  and the role they play in our society as well as their supposed aim and use in our lives.There is no doubt that the use of proverbs in the Sepedi language enrich the quality of our language and speech.Proverbs and idioms play a big role in society.Apart from enriching our Sepedi language, they guide and arrange society into the correct roles and behavior that are suitable for each member of a Bapedi society. They touch on  all areas of life and permeate every part of existence of a human being in the Bapedi  society. They give perspective and guidance on the deepest parts of life and they give advice and guidance in every part of one's life and behavior.

Sepedi Proverbs and idioms have been wisely and expertly crafted by Bapedi ancestors in their quest to understand life and give structure and meaning to human's existence and behavior.Thus it's important to know your Proverbs  and idioms as a Mopedi person so that you are able to make sense of life and also so that they can guide and judge your own behavior.The proverbs will also serve to warn you of danger in life.

Because proverbs and idioms are highly valued and precious,they are to be treated with great respect and care.Care should be taken to make sure that they do not dissapear from our Sepedi language for they teach much and they avoid much trouble in our society.Thus a Pedi community who have lost the use iof proverbs and idioms has become poor.Proverbs and idioms should be used by adults and they should be passed on to the younger generation to use in speech. Who knows ? Maybe the continued use if proverbs and idioms could have prevented the moral degeneration we see around our communities not only in  The cities but in the villages too. Imagine the following idioms and proverbs being used continuously and often by Sepedi speakers, young and old, would our values not be much stronger and more entrenched?'Would we not be more respectful, patient, persistent,hardworking, kind, forgiving, devoted, etc people I'm our communities. Yes we would.

The following are some proverbs  that stand out in the Sepedi language and clearly serve the purpose of proverbs as detailed above:
Dipshio tsa tlou ga dipataganywe
Meaning/Tlhaloso
Motho yo a  lekago go pataganya mediro gantshi o atisha go palelwa
A person who tries to do many things at once usually fails to succeed

This is a proverb that would be of great help in our society where stress and the need to achieve leaves people overburdened and unable to cope with all the commitments and goals they have set fur themselves.This proverb could help us to regulate how much we take on and how much we expect ourselves to achieve.This would reduce the stress levels we were faced with and diseases related to stress.

Batho re mabele, ba re go lengwa ba hlagolelwa./People are like grain,you have to remove the weeds  around after you have planted them.
Meaning/Tlhaloso
Bana ba lapeng ba swanetse go godishwa ka go etetswa ka mekgwa ya setho gore ba gole gabotse
Children in the family have to be taught values and correct manners and behavior so that they can grow into good adults

Many people fail at parenting today and here is a Sepedi proverb that directly adresses good parenting and urges parents to teach,admonish,correct,guide and rebuke children so that they grow into good ,responsible adults.Proverbs are of great use in guiding people in the Sepedi culture.

Proverbs and

Ngwanamopedi

Ngwanamopedi essentially means Pedi child.This blog aims to define the Pedi person.Ngwanamopedi refers not only to a child as in an infant but to one that is born into the Pedi culture,language and way of life.Thus ngwanamopedi is ageless and not restricted by geographical borders.It is an inner definition that one carries with him her.The word encompasses all aspects of being a Pedi person.Ngwanamopedi is essentially about identity.The  poem ngwanamopedi is written to describe to see extent the essence of a Pedi person, the things he/she prides herself with in life.Not all aspects of being a Pedi person have been covered simply to allow artistic creativity and leave some to the reader's imagination. The poem follows below.English translation available.


Ke ngwanamopedi
Ke boa Lebowa
Lebowa dithabeng tse kgolo
Dithabeng tsa Leolo
Dithaba tsa lokologana naga
Ke boa nokeng tsa Limpopo dinoka dikgolo
Dinoka meetse maphaaphaa
Ke tseba dikgoshi tsa ka
Dikgoshi maaparankwe
Baetaditshabapele
Ke bina kosha ya Sepedi
Ga ke bine ntshesere
Ke tia kati ke hlaba fase ka letolo
Ke tia moropamogolo
Basadi ba tia mekgolokwane
Ke bina dipepetlwane
Ke ngwanamopedi
Ke bolela segageshu Sepedi sa Lebowa
Ke tia dika le diema ke tswaka polelo
Polelokgolo ya Lebowa
Polelo sehumi
Ke tseba gae gagesho
Gae ga Mahlaku
Ke naba maoto pelo ya wa ya re "tswee!"
Ke robala boroko gae ga Mahlaku
Ke opela kosha ka ga Mmamatsobane
Mmamatsobane kgaetsedi ya rena apea ka pitsa e kgolo
Bapedi ba sware lefehlo
Mollo swara legonyana
Ke itheta ka direto tsa gesho
Direto tsa bomakgolokhukhu
Bafetapelegaka
Bona bashiileng mehlala ye mebotse
Ba shiela nna ngwanamopedi
Gore ke gate ke sa gate magala
Ka swa ka shala ka mabadimaso
Ke itheta ka direto tsa gesho
Banna ba tie kati
Basadi ba tie mekgolokwane
Ke ngwanamopedi

Ke ngwanamopedi
Ke boa Lebowa
Lebowa dithabeng tse kgolo
Dithaba tsa lokologana naga
Ke boa nokeng tsa Limpopo dinoka dikgolo
Dinoka meetse a maphaaphaa
Ke tseba dikgoshi tsaka
Dikgoshi diaparankwe
Baetaditshabapele
Ke bina kosha ya Sepedi
Ga ke bine ntshesere
Ke tia kati ke hlaba fase ka letolo
Ke tia moropa mogolo
Basadi ba tia mekgolokwane
Ba bina  dipepetlwane
Ke ngwanamopedi
Ke bolela segageshu Sepedi sa Lebowa
Ke tia dika le diema ka  tswaka polelo
Polelokgolo ya Lebowa
Polelo sehumi
Ke ngwanamopedi
Ke tseba gae gagesho gae ga Mahlaku
Ke naba maoto pelo ya re tswee
Ka robala boroko gae gaMahlaku
Ke opela kosha Mmamatsobane kgaetsedi
Mmamatsobane a apee ka pitsa e kgolo
Bapedi be sware lefehlo
Mollo o sware legonyana
Ke itheta ka direto tsa gesho
Banna ba tie kati basadi ba tie mekgolokwane
Ke ngwanamopedi