Becoming The Muse

About

Of Munengwe

Its been a month since I first listened to Munengwe, a track by Probeatz and Young DLC featuring Jah Prayzah. A heady melody that blends the mbira instrument with hiphop to evoke that melancholic feeling relatable to one who struggles and never catches a break.

Munengwe literally translates to There be Leopards… in the forest.

There is a Shona proverb Sango rinopa aneta directly translating to the forest rewards the one who is exhausted… which means that if you want to gain something you have to put in the work… In the context of the song, there be leopards in the forest, which would hinder your efforts to toil and get your just rewards….

The track has multi-layered meaning in its lyrics a hallmark of the Shona language’s idiomatic nature where meaning is implied, contextual and more than meets the eye…

Munengwe Lyrcis and Translation

Dzimwe nguva ndinoshingaira
Sometimes I struggle
Machemebere kwedu vakandibikira doro
My elders brewed appeasement beer for me
Asi ndigori paya paya
But yet here I still am
Banga jena rekucheka nyama
The shiny clean knife for cutting meat
Toriwana kune vakapfuya mombe
We can only find with those who keep cows
Nehuku dzo para-para
And chicken that scratch
Dzimwe nguva ndinoshingaira
Sometimes I struggle
Machemebere kwedu vakandibikira doro
My elders brewed appeasement beer for me
Asi ndigori paya paya
But yet here I still am
Banga jena rekucheka nyama
The shiny clean knife for cutting meat
Toriwana kune vakapfuya mombe
We can only find with those who keep cows
Nehuku dzo para-para
And chickens that scratch

Chinobaya chiiko? (Banga)
What stabs? (A knife)
Hona rinonyura munyama
See it sinks into flesh
Hona rinocheka vasikana
See it cuts girls
Haa banga here? (Banga)
Yeah a knife? (A Knife)
Chinobaya chiiko? (Banga)
What stabs? (A knife)
Hona rinonyura munyama
See it sinks into flesh
Hona rinocheka vasikana
See it cuts girls
Haa banga here? (Banga)
Yeah a knife? (A Knife)

Pana chiro chandaona
There’s something I saw
Chinopinda chero pakaoma
Which enters even the hard
Chouraya setsaona
And kills like an accident
Chine mhere mhere yakaoma
with great screaming

Ndiputsike ndimuke
I fall and I rise
Vadzimu vangu mundiyambutse
My ancestors carry me over
Ndicheke kanyama tidye
So I can cut a small piece of meat and eat
Inga kwedu chembere dzizere
At my place there’s a lot of elders

Dzimwe nguva ndinoshingaira
Sometimes I struggle
Machemebere kwedu vakandibikira doro
My elders brewed appeasement beer for me
Asi ndigori paya paya
But yet here I still am
Banga jena rekucheka nyama
The shiny clean knife for cutting meat
Toriwana kune vakapfuya mombe
We can only find with those who keep cows
Nehuku dzo para-para
And chicken that scratch
Dzimwe nguva ndinoshingaira
Sometimes I struggle
Machemebere kwedu vakandibikira doro
My elders brewed appeasement beer for me
Asi ndingori paya paya
But yet here I still am
Banga jena rekucheka nyama
The shiny clean knife for cutting meat
Toriwana kune vakapfuya mombe
We can only find with those who keep cows
Nehuku dzo para-para
And chickens that scratch

Nhumbi dzemhepo takurura
Ill fated clothes I have cast off
Doro kuvakuru ndadurura
Liquour for my ancestors I have poured
Mombe ndadonhedza
A cow I have slain
Mbudzi tauraya
A goat we have slaughtered
Makushe ehuku taundura
Chicken feathers have been plucked
Ini saHarry ndapota
Like Harry I plead
Hombodo dzinongopopota
Pockets full of quarrels
Sadza nenyevhe isina mafuta
Sadza and vegetables with no oil
Ndogara ndichingorota ndakaguta
I always dream of a being content

Mimba haibve negosoro
A pregnancy cannot be sneezed away
Kushanda kutsvaka zororo
Working to find peace
Zvinoda kubvunza mhondoro
I will need to consult spirit medium
Kuverengera igororo renguva
Procrastination is a thief of time
Pasi rino iri idambe
This world is full of strife
Tiri kurarwama hupenyu hwemakwikwi
We live a life of competing
Pasina kana mukombe
Yet there is no trophy

Katsuro kunzvenga musungo
A rabbit evading in the forest
Mhembwe kunzvenga pfumo
A deer evading a spear
Munengwe here? (munengwe)
Are there leopards? (leopards)
Musango munengwe
The forest has leopards
Aiwa mukoma hurombo
No brother its poverty
Vamwe vachitamba mutambo
While some play games
Munengwe here? (munengwe)
Are the leopards there? (Leopards)
Musango munengwe
The forest has leopards.

Dzimwe nguva ndinoshingaira
Sometimes I struggle
Machemebere kwedu vakandibikira doro
My elders brewed appeasement beer for me
Asi ndigori paya paya
But yet here I still am
Banga jena rekucheka nyama
The shiny clean knife for cutting meat
Toriwana kune vakapfuya mombe
We can only find with those who keep cows
Nehuku dzino para-para
And chicken that scratch
Dzimwe nguva ndinoshingaira
Sometimes I struggle
Machemebere kwedu vakandibikira doro
My elders brewed appeasement beer for me
Asi ndigori paya paya
But yet here I still am
Banga jena rekucheka nyama
The shiny clean knife for cutting meat
Toriwana kune vakapfuya mombe
We can only find with those who keep cows
Nehuku dzino para-para
And chickens that scratch

Chinobaya chiiko? Banga
What stabs? A knife
Hona rinonyura munyama
See it sink into flesh

, , , , , , , , , ,

Responses to “Of Munengwe”

  1. Bookstooge avatar
    Bookstooge

    Gotta say B, if those lyrics are even a halfway good translation, that this song horrifies me. Blaming your elders, cutting up women, etc, that’s what I saw when reading through the lyrics. It came across as a total abnegation of self-responsibility and blaming everything on everybody else.

    I thought long and hard before writing the above. You mention that the original language version has a lot more context, etc and that is what seems to be missing in the translation, because I really hope a song has more than what I saw.

    At the same time, I must admit your calling it hip hop really biased my reaction. Because most of the hip hop I’ve listened to seemed to be a bunch of very angry men blaming everybody else for their problems and encouraging the listeners to do the same. So maybe I’m reading that into the song when it’s actually not there.

    I hope I am not coming across as “dem durn kids and their new fangled music”, but music is so powerful and people just seem to use it like it is meaningless. Anyway, I’d really like your thoughts on what I wrote and if I’m way off base in my reaction.

    Cheers!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Beaton avatar
      Beaton

      You make some astute observations my friend…
      globably the hiphop movement carries a lot of anger and hate plus splashing that flamboyant lifestyle for those who breakfree from the “rat-race.”

      So I would like to think I understand your “beef” with hiphop music as a genre…… and no you dont come across as a “dem durn kids and their new fangled music” …… hahaha ok maybe a tiny bit…..
      contextually in my neck of the world sometimes hiphop became a sort of lets call it …protest poetry…
      and of course one does not protest unless they are so angered to do so…. so yes there’s always anger there….

      Contextually the Shona language has multifaceted meaning… bottom line being in this song everybody has played their part in making this world better so how come life starndards are not improving and more of a plea to figure who dropped the ball and how can we fix it than an abnegation of self-responsibility… cause everyone has played their part and still there be leopards in the forest, stopping everybody from making a decent living out “hunting” and the only people who do have knives that are shiny from constant use arent the sort of people who should have knives….. because they do bad things with them…
      Makes it a sad sad song….

      ~B

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Your thoughts.. if you will?