Babesithi Kukuzonwabisa
IBALA elikhulu lemidlalo lalithe ndi lihlombe. Amashumi amawaka ayehlanganisene ukuze abukele eyona miboniso ichulumancisayo yeRoma yamandulo. Iiflegi, iintyatyambo namalengalenga okuhombisa anemibalabala ayethe qole apho ehombise eli bala lemidlalo. Imithombo yayitsitsa amanzi aneziqholo, ifafaza umoya owawutsho ngevumba elithi ndirhogole. Izinhanha zazihombe zimanzi ngezingayiwayo zona iimpahla. Incoko eyayikho phakathi kwesihlwele yayimana ikhatshwa sisiqhazolo sentsini, kodwa oku konwaba kwale ndimbane kwakuquve isiganeko esihlasimlis’ umzimba esasiza kwenzeka.
Kungabanga thuba lide ukukhala okuxhomis’ amehlo kweetubæ kwakusithi mazitshe kumadoda amabini awayelungele ukulwa. Isihlwele sasiphambene njengoko abo babesilwa babeqalisa ukubinzana ngendlela engenanceba. Ukudlana kwamakrele kwakugqunyelelwa sisankxwe esasisenziwa ngababukeli ngenxa yemincili. Ngequbuliso, ngokulula nje, enye kula madoda yayigibisela phantsi leyo ilwa nayo. Isiphelo salo mlwi uwileyo sasilawulwa ngababukeli. Ukuba babewangawangise ngeetshefu zabo wayeza kuphila. Ngomqondiso nje omnye abawenza ngeminwe yabo, abo babehlanganisene apho—kuquka amabhinqa namantombazana—bayalela ukuba makagqityezelwe abulawe. Ngemizuzwana nje eso sidumbu sarhuqwa sakhutshwa kwelo bala lemidlalo, umhlaba onegazi waphethulwa ngemihlakulo, kwasasazwa intlabathi entsha, ibe izihlwele zazisele zilungele ukubukela ezinye izantyalantyala zegazi.
Kwabaninzi ababehlala kwiRoma yamandulo, oko kwakugqalwa njengokuzonwabisa. Incwadi ethi Rome: The First Thousand Years ithi: “Kwanabona bantu bangqongqo ekufundiseni ngokuziphatha okuhle babengekho nxamnye nokuthandwa kokuphalazwa kwegazi.” Ibe lo mdlalo wokulwa ngamakrele wawuyenye indlela yokuzonwabisa ehambis’ umzimba eyayikho eRoma. Amadabi okwenene awayesilwelwa elwandle nawo ayenzelwe ukuhlekisa ababukeli abanxanelwe igazi. Kwanezigwebo zokufa zaziphunyezwa esidlangalaleni, ngokuthi isaphuli-mthetho esigwetyiweyo sibotshelelwe esibondeni size siqwengwe ngamarhamncwa asendle alambileyo.
Abo babengakuthandi ukuphalazwa kwegazi, babelungiselelwe intaphane yemifanekiso yeqonga eRoma. Kwimidlalo yeqonga ekulinganiswa kuyo—imidlalo emifutshane engobomi bemihla ngemihla—“ukukrexeza nokuthandana kwakuyimixholo ephambili,” wabhala watsho uLudwig Friedländer kwiRoman Life and Manners Under the Early Empire. “Intetho yayizele ngamazwi akrwada, nezinto ekwakuhlekiswa ngazo abantu zazizaliswe kukunyevula, nezimbo zomzimba zokunyelisa ibe ngaphezu koko, kwakukho nendlela yokudanisa egqwethekileyo njengoko kwakukhala ifleyiti.” Ngokutsho kweThe New Encyclopædia Britannica, “kukho ubungqina bokuba izenzo zokukrexeza zazilinganiswa eqongeni ngexesha loBukhosi baseRoma.” Kungeso sizathu uFriedländer wakubiza oko kulinganisa ngokuthi “ngeliphandle nje ngowona mdlalo ugabadeleyo kuyo yonke ngokuziphatha okubi nangokungcola,” ibe walek’ umsundulo esithi: “Eyona mifanekiso ingcolileyo yayilandelwa yintswahla yezandla.”a
Kuthekani namhlanje? Ngaba uhlobo lokuzonwabisa oluthandwa ngumntu lwahlukile? Khawuve obu bungqina njengoko buxutyushwa kwinqaku elilandelayo.
[Umbhalo osemazantsi]
a Maxa wambi, isohlwayo sokufa sasidla ngokuphunyezwa eqongeni ukwenzela ukuba loo mdlalo ubonakale njengento yokwenene. Incwadi ethi The Civilization of Rome ithi: “Kwakungeyonto ingaqhelekanga ukuba isaphuli-mthetho esigwetyelwe ukufa sidlale indawo yomntu osele eza kufa.”
[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 17]
The Complete Encyclopedia of Illustration/J. G. Heck