The Praises of Mzilikazi, the Son of Matshobana

Bayethe! Ndebele Nation!
You are the knobkerrie that menaced Tshaka.
You are the big one who is as big as his father Matshobana.
You are the string of Mntinti and Simangele
Simangele son of Ndaba.
You are the string of Mntitni and Ndaba
The string they made until they wet tears
You are the sun that rose from the ear of the elephant,
It rose where upon the birds announced to each other.
You are the son of Simangele who was kicked!
Who was kicked by long feet and by the short ones.
You refused to eat the gift of meat in Bulawayo.
You are the fighter who has marks of fighting,
You are the cattle that opened the closed pen with their horns,
Because they opened the Ngome forests and left.
You are the moon the people said had set
Yet it was just rising;
It rose in the year of Mpeyana.
You are the cow that showed its face from the crowd.
You are the log from which the Zulus cut firewood until they left it.
You are the cow that, while it was just emerging made progress.

Izibongo ZikaMzilikazi KaMatshobana

Izibongo ZikaMzilikazi KaMatshobana

Bayethe!  Hlabezulu!
Untonga yabuy\' ebusweni bukaTshaka.
Utshobatshoba linganoyis\'uMatshobana.
Intambo kaMntinti noSimangele-
Isimangele sikaNdaba
Intambo kaMntinti noSimangele,
Abayiphothe bakhal\'imvula yeminyembezi.
Ilang\'eliphum\'endlebeni yendlovu,
Laphum\'amakhwez\'abikelana.
UMkhatshwa wawoZimangele!
Okhatshwe ngezind\'izinyawo,
Nangezimfutshazanyana.
Wal\'ukudl\'umlenze kwaBulawayo.
Inkubel\'abayihlabe ngamanxeba.
Unkomo zavul\'inqaba ngezimpondo,
Ngoba zavul\'iNgome zahamba.
Inyang\'abath\'ifil\'uzulu
Kant\'ithwasile;
Ithwase ngoNyakana kaMpeyana.
Inkom\'evele ngobus\'emdibini.
Uband\'abalubande balutshiy\'uZulu.
Inkom\'ethe isagodla yeluleka