Proverbs in R. N. Phume’s Bohloko ba Maikutlo

Abstract: This article examines R. N. Phume’s use of proverbs in his volume of Sesotho poems entitled Bohloko ba Maikutlo. The proverbs to be considered are found in the poems: ‘Bohloko ba maikutlo’, ‘Motho’, ‘Re ka kgona’, ‘Moshanyana’ and ‘Ihlo la moya’, which are found in the said volume. The proverbs to be discussed, as found in the poems, are nnete re entse letsoho la monna (truly we’ve done a man’s hand), ha ho tume feela di melala (it’s not only the fat necks that gain fame), kgakgi o kgakga se ya beng se sa o kgakge (care about a person who does not care about you), moaha moriti ruri ha a o dule (the creator of a shade does not sit in it), ihlo la kgutsana ke lebone (the eye of an orphan is a light), and monate o utlwa ke moetsi, athe bohloko bo utlwa ke moetsuwa (happiness is felt by the doer, while pain is felt by the victim). The concept of ‘proverb’ will be defined as part of the introductory section of this study. The different sections of the article are the introduction and discussion. A concluding remark will be included towards the end of the discourse