258 
Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa. 
Kwa seleteS. go nwana o monana, 
go legora le lieletsa Molefi le rago- 
Mojalefa. 
E ne e-na le Eamolibe tshukulu, 
tshukulu ea ga ka le Ramorontse, 
eare e fitlha fa Mankwe, ea tlhapa, 
ea ja taka, ea boea ka matsogo, 
ea ba ea boea ka likgokono, 
tshukulu ea ga ka le Ramorontse. 
Where the good land is, there's a 
new (born) child (i.e. Kg., cp. 
Pollio), 
there is the hedge to protect 
Molefi and the father of the Heir 
(i.e. R'lane). 
The rhinoceros (Kg.) was with 
Ramolobe, 
my rhinoceros and Ramorontse's. 
When it arrived at Mankwe, it swam, 
it ate lime, which came up its arms, 
Yes, it came even to his elbows, 
(the elbows) of my rhinoceros and 
R.'s. 
Magoapitlana, nwana-mahulu wa ga 
Kgafela, 
nwana mahulu, tshaba tlhaga : 0 le 
man. ? 
0 le lifako li nkwela gale, 
tlhagana tsa marallana. 
Motho, ke tshaba wa selepe ; 
wa molamu ga ke mo tshabe : 
a ka re " tou," ka hunyela, 
ka hunyella legapen. 
Walker like the tortoise, ]Sfwana- 
mahulu of Kgafela, 
Child of the tortoise, shun the dry 
grass, for who are you ? 
You are the hail which has fallen on 
me longsyne : 
You are the small dry grass of the 
hills. 
" Man, I fear him of the axe. 
him of the kerrie I fear not : 
he may smite, but I pull in my head : 
I pull my head into my shell ! " 
Nearly every line is crammed with allusions like the lines of a Greek 
chorus or a Hebrew prophet, and those who cannot follow much of them 
must allow for their effect. I hope, however, something of it may be given 
even in my rough version. It is very much that of the blessing of Judah or 
Benjamin in Genesis : 
Judah is a lion's whelp : 
From the prey, my son, thou art gone up : 
He stooped down, he couched as a lion, 
And as a lioness : who shall rouse him up ? 
Benjamin is a wolf that raven eth : 
In the morning he shall devour the prey, 
And at even, he shall divide the spoil : 
or that of Joseph in Deuteronomy : 
The firstling of his bullock, majesty is his : 
And his horns are the horns of the wild ox : 
With them he shall push the peoples, all of them. 
