Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part post which presents the English translation of several Ashanti talking drum verses found in R.S. Rattray's 1923 book Ashanti.
For Part I of this post, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/akan-talking-drums-verses-from-rs.html Akan Talking Drums Verses From R.S. Rattray's book "Ashanti" - Part I.
The content of this post is presented for historical, educational, folkloric, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners. My hope is that reposting the book excerpt helps to raise positive awareness about Ghanaian culture & prompts viewers to learn more about that culture.
My thanks to the composers of these drum verses, and thanks to R.S. Rattray for documenting these verses.
****
EXCERPT FROM ASHANTI by R.S. Rattray* [Continued from Part I of this series; The author's words are given here in italics to better distinguish them from the drum verses]
THE DRUMS [continued]
"He then called upon the spirit of the tree from which the fibre is made that holds down the tympanum of elephant hide.
I lay down, but I did not feel sleepy,
I lay down but my eyes did not close,
For three watches of the night.
I think about my friends who have left me and are asleep,
Amoafo-Awuku-the cock-the old bird whose bones have grown strong.
Fowl, good morning, good morning.
The fowl has crowed &c., &c.[etc., etc.]
The sky is wide, wide, wide,
The earth is wide, wide, wide,
The one was lifted up,
The other was set down,
In ancient times, long, long ago.
Supreme Sky God, upon whom men lean and fall not,
We serve you.
When the Sky God shows you anything
May you profit by it.
If we wish 'white' we get it,
If we wish 'red' we get it.
Him upon whom we lean and do not fall,
God, good morning.
You whom we serve upon a Saturday,
Good morning.
The fowl has crowed &c., &c.[etc., etc.]
He then discoursed about the herald 'with the black monkey-skin cap' who 'carries his own stool'. He continued in praise of the great god Tano, to be described later.
The stream crosses the path,
The path crosses the stream;
Which of them is the elder?
Did we not cut a path to go and meet this stream?
The stream had its origin long, long ago,
Th stream had its origin in the Creator.
He created things,
Pure, pure Tano [the great god of the Ashanti].*
Come here, Tano;
He devours rams,
Ta, the great one, the powerful one
Whom we serve upon a Monday.
And again.
He is coming, he is coming,
Little by little, slowly, slowly.
Be careful not to stumble,
Little by little, slowly, slowly.
You will come and sit down,
Chief, you will come and sit down.
Kon! Kon! Kon!**
The great man, Osai's son, has sat down.
The King has sat down
He who destroys towns has sat down,
He who never forgives,
He has taken a stool and sat down.
And so on, ending with:
The King is going to rise.
The destroyer of towns is about to rise.
Rise!
Rise!
Rise!
Little by little!
Carefully! Carefully!
Take care you do not stumble (1)
King let us forward.
(1)In olden times it was considered extremely unlucky for the King if Ashanti to stumble, should he do so, a slave was immediately killed on that spot. On great occasion an attendant lifted and set down his feet for the King, lest he should stumble and fall down."
[end of quote]
*This is a direct quote from that book.
** This was given in italics in that book to denote non-English words.
Source - R. S. Rattray: London, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1959, Chapter V, "A Wednesday Adae Ceremony", pps 101-103; originally published in 1923
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sutherland_Rattray for information about Robert Sutherland Rattray (1881– 1938).
****
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/videos-of-west-african-talking-drums.html West African Talking Drums
****
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Showing posts with label drum verses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drum verses. Show all posts
Friday, May 18, 2012
Akan Talking Drums Verses From R.S. Rattray's book "Ashanti" - Part I
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a two part post which presents the English translation of several Ashanti talking drum verses found in R.S. Rattray's 1923 book Ashanti.
Part II of this post provides additional verses from that book. For Part II, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/drums-verses-from-rs-rattrays-book.html.
The content of this post is presented for historical, educational, folkloric, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners. My hope is that reposting the book excerpt helps to raise positive awareness about Ghanaian culture & prompts viewers to learn more about that culture.
My thanks to the composers of these drum verses, and to R.S. Rattray for documenting these verses.
****
EXCERPT FROM ASHANTI by R.S. Rattray*
[The author's words are given here in italics to better distinguish them from the drum verses. The title of these verses is given here in capital letters but is written in italics in the book.]
"The chief took about forty-five minutes to dress and change into his rope of state, and this interval was filled by the old drummr, Osai Kojo, talking on his two ntumpane drums, and telling all who could understand their language the history of that particular division.
I have given elsewhere in this volume an account of the talking drums and of the drum language, and I shall here quote only a few verses of what the drums were saying on this occasion at B___. It must, of course, be understood that I did not follow at the time one-tenth of what they were recounting. I later spent many weeks with the old drummer, working out syllable by syllable and tone by tone, what is here given in an English translation only.
THE DRUMS
Oh, Divine Drummer, I am scarcely awake and have risen up.
I, the Ashanti porcupine chief's drummer,
I am scarcely awake,"
I have made myself to rise up,
I am about to sound the drum.
If you have gone elsewhere and I call you,
Come;
The fowl has crowed in the morning,
The fowl has awakened and crowed,
Very early,
They are addressing me and I shall understand.
He then called upon the spirit of the cedar-tree and of the elephant, part of which had gone towards the making of the composite drum. The following verse is a variation of that used at Mampon.
There are swamps, swamps, swamps,
Which can swallow up the elephant.
A river may lie small in the valley
Between great hills.
But it flows on for ever and ever.
If you (spirit of the elephant) have gone elsewhere and I call upon you
Come.
The fowl has crowed in the morning, &c.[etc.]"
[Continued in Part II of this post.]
*Source - R. S. Rattray: London, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1959, Chapter V "A Wednesday Adae Ceremony", pps 100-101; originally published in 1923
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sutherland_Rattray for information about Robert Sutherland Rattray (1881– 1938).
****
ANOTHER RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/videos-of-west-african-talking-drums.html West African Talking Drums
****
Thanks for visiting this page.
Viewer comments are welcome.
This is Part I of a two part post which presents the English translation of several Ashanti talking drum verses found in R.S. Rattray's 1923 book Ashanti.
Part II of this post provides additional verses from that book. For Part II, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/drums-verses-from-rs-rattrays-book.html.
The content of this post is presented for historical, educational, folkloric, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners. My hope is that reposting the book excerpt helps to raise positive awareness about Ghanaian culture & prompts viewers to learn more about that culture.
My thanks to the composers of these drum verses, and to R.S. Rattray for documenting these verses.
****
EXCERPT FROM ASHANTI by R.S. Rattray*
[The author's words are given here in italics to better distinguish them from the drum verses. The title of these verses is given here in capital letters but is written in italics in the book.]
"The chief took about forty-five minutes to dress and change into his rope of state, and this interval was filled by the old drummr, Osai Kojo, talking on his two ntumpane drums, and telling all who could understand their language the history of that particular division.
I have given elsewhere in this volume an account of the talking drums and of the drum language, and I shall here quote only a few verses of what the drums were saying on this occasion at B___. It must, of course, be understood that I did not follow at the time one-tenth of what they were recounting. I later spent many weeks with the old drummer, working out syllable by syllable and tone by tone, what is here given in an English translation only.
THE DRUMS
Oh, Divine Drummer, I am scarcely awake and have risen up.
I, the Ashanti porcupine chief's drummer,
I am scarcely awake,"
I have made myself to rise up,
I am about to sound the drum.
If you have gone elsewhere and I call you,
Come;
The fowl has crowed in the morning,
The fowl has awakened and crowed,
Very early,
They are addressing me and I shall understand.
He then called upon the spirit of the cedar-tree and of the elephant, part of which had gone towards the making of the composite drum. The following verse is a variation of that used at Mampon.
There are swamps, swamps, swamps,
Which can swallow up the elephant.
A river may lie small in the valley
Between great hills.
But it flows on for ever and ever.
If you (spirit of the elephant) have gone elsewhere and I call upon you
Come.
The fowl has crowed in the morning, &c.[etc.]"
[Continued in Part II of this post.]
*Source - R. S. Rattray: London, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1959, Chapter V "A Wednesday Adae Ceremony", pps 100-101; originally published in 1923
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sutherland_Rattray for information about Robert Sutherland Rattray (1881– 1938).
****
ANOTHER RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/videos-of-west-african-talking-drums.html West African Talking Drums
****
Thanks for visiting this page.
Viewer comments are welcome.
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