Bangwadi ba Bathobaso ba difela tša kereke ba hueditšwe ke bangwadi ba baruti (ba
Matoitšhi ba Kereke ya Lutere ya Berlin) ge ba tlo ngwala difela. Ka go realo ke ba mathomo
ba go ngwala poleloopelwa ya Sepedi. Ka lebaka la gore baruti ba Matoitšhi ba be ba sa
tsebe melao ya go laola metara wa Sepedi, ba thomile go hlama difela tša bona ka mokgwa
wo difela tša Setoitšhi di hlamilwego ka wona. Bangwadi ba difela ba Bapedi le bona ba
ba šala morago bjalo. Ka go realo go ka thwe mothopomogolo wa khuetšo ya sebjalebjale
dingwalong tša Sepedi ke mediro ya kereke ya mathomothomo. Le ge go le bjalo bohlokwa
bjo bja kgolo ya theto ka tsela ya difela dingwalong tša Sepedi ga se bja šalwa morago le go
gatelelwa ke basekaseki. Maikemišetšo a taodišwana ye ke go lekola, ka botlalo, mongwalelo
wa difela ka go nepiša sefela sa Serote sa 147 sa go bitšwa ‘A re thabeng re rete’ (Difela tša
kereke 2010:130). Go yo tsitsinkela ka fao mongwalelo o tšwetšago pele kgegeo. Ka mantšu a
mangwe, go yo sekasekwa dipharologantšho tša mongwalelo tše di tšwetšago pele kgegeo.
Go tlo lemogwa gore kgegeo yeo e bonagatšwa ka modiro wa Selalelo se Sekgethwa sa
Morena seo se hlalošwago ka tsela ya khuduego/maikutlo go tšwetša pele morero wa
mongwadi/moopedi wa sefela se ka ge bjale Selalelo e le selo seo Bakriste ba se hlomphago
(se lebane le tshwarelo ya dibe tša bona), go ya ka fao se hlalošwago ka gona ka tsela yeo
ya kgegeo.
Black composers of church hymns were influenced by German pastors of the Berlin
Lutheran Church to do so. In other words, these pastors were the first composers to
write the Sepedi language in the form of music; because they did not know the rules
that control the Sepedi meter, the writers started to compose their hymns in the way that
the German hymns were patterned. Therefore, one might argue that the main source of
modern influence in Sepedi literature lies in the workings of the very first hymns of the
said church. Nevertheless, the importance of the development of poetry in the form of
hymns in the Sepedi literature has not been followed up and emphasised by reviewers.
The aim of this article is to survey thoroughly the style of writing hymns, by discussing
Rev Serote’s hymn number 147, entitled ‘A re thabeng re rete’ (Difela tša kereke 2010:130).
The scrutiny will examine the way in which style depicts irony in the very hymn. In other
words, the investigation considers especially the characteristics of style that indicate and
develop irony in the work. It will be shown that the irony becomes clear during the service
of Baptism which is expressed by way of emotions to develop the author’s aim, as this
sacrament is something that Christians respect (it goes hand in hand with the forgiveness
of their sins).
