Our lips made history: boys we kissed
At seventeen are now distinguished men,
Old Mutual would fall without them.

They were divine the boys we kissed.
Now call for stronger coffee and more wine.

Speechless then and staring, boys we kissed
Became their betters, listed men of letters,
Public voices would not exist, but that we kissed.

They were divine the boys we kissed.
Now call for stronger coffee and more wine.

History has dismissed who would not kiss us.
Down this southern strip, striplings hung on our
Lips:
We recast them as rock stars, as Swedish artists.
They are divine the boys we kissed.

Now if only we could be heard above their noise,
We would call for stronger coffee and more boys.

ABAFANA ESIBAPHUZILEYO
(translated by Nelisa Sipamla and Tessa Dowling from the original Boys we kissed by Finuala Dowling)

(We kept to the original as far as possible, as Nelisa loved the rhymth and the sentiment but she thought we should change Old Mutual to the government - she says the guys she and her friends kissed are all high up in the government now! She also says that to her, the young men we kissed could also have been our sons, so the poem has an additional significance for her. Also we don't call for more "wine" but more "meat".)

Imilebe yethu yenza imbali: abafana esibaphuzileyo
Ngoku ngamadoda abalulekileyo,
Urhulumente angawa ngaphandle kwabo.

Babebahle, becwengile abo bafana
Ngoku sicela isitshoqolo sekofu nenyama.

Ngelaa xesha babengenazwi, bethe n'ga umlomo
Abafana esibaphuzileyo ngoku balilizwi lesizwe
Ilizwi elimanyelwa ngamazwe,
Ngenxa yokuba sibaphuzile.

Babebahle, becwengile abo bafana
Ngoku sicela isitshoqolo sekofu nenyama.

Imbali ayibahloniphi abo babengasiphuzi
Apha eMzantsi babequbuda kuthi
Befuna imilebe yethu:
Sabenza baba ngamagcisa omculo
Oosomashishini abaphumeleleyo.
Bahle ngenene abafana esibaphuzileyo.

Ukuba ke ngoku besinokuviwa
Ngaphezu kwesiphithiphithi negxolo yabo
Besingacela isitshoqolo sekofu nabanye abafana.