DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49272#0101
THE FOLK-LITERATURE OF THE GALLA
85
Gudariessa Gume. 60 What is there for you, Gobana? 61 That king of Salahe? 62 You
have kept the throne for him, 63 and you have put yourself down! 64 You have put aside
your spears! 65 Menilek has reigned because of good fortune! 66 Among the spears, the
filed spear is the best, 67 Among the Wayu, Moroda may be the ruler. 68 Among the tongo,
the tongo of Entotto is the best. 69 Let Menilek rule in Shoa! 70 The slave (whose price
is) two thalers, 71 has sent me the bridle. 72 He has not burdened me with his trophies. 73
He has made me a male ass; 74 he has loaded me with meal! 75 Seeing there the Tullu
Baqqo, 76 the village of the sons of the Sanqilla, 77 he thought that it was near. 78
He has gone down to the Garo. 79 He has collected his thoughts! 80 Adal has ruled in
Goggam. 81 Menilek rules in Shoa. 82 Tullu has ruled in Gimma. 83 Let Moroda rule
in Wayu! 84 The Arabs, one drum, 85 dinner has been supper for them!
Notes. Gobana (v. 1) is similar to a great trunk which falling crushes everything under
it. The singer in the verses 4-13 addresses Gote, who, during the fifty days of the Dervish
invasion, might have believed himself the lord of Lieqa. The brother of Gote, Asana was
supreme judge of his brother’s dominions. In verse 5, the Amharic word wdmbdr is used,
wambari, according to the Galla pronunciation, instead of the Galla abba firdi, “ judge.”
Abba Iggu (v. 6) was the war-name of Gote. Gote had taken, before the battle, a holy
oath that the Arabs would defeat the Amara (v. 7-10). In verses 14-15 the singer puns on
the double sense of Tuqa, name of a clan, and the verb tug, “to touch.” The “old man”
(v. 17) is Ras Gobana. The verses 19-21 allude to an oath of Ras Gobana that he would
defeat the Arabs within nine days.
Then the minstrel begins to state his complaints against the ms’s orders. The verses
22-25 concern the order not to kill the prisoners but to keep them and accept the ransom.
Note that Gobana had established a tax of one sambo for every ten prisoners taken by his
auxiliaries, a real deduction from the ransom. Verses 26-34, quoting the contradictory
orders of Gobana and Moroda (v. 28-29), allude also to the event which took place before
the tent of the ras (see introduction to this song). With such a command of the war, says
the singer, the warrior becomes similar to an ass; that is, he bears only provisions, not
spoils, i.e. genitals of the conquered warriors. The song next rails at Ras Gobana, who,
although born of Galla parents, has adopted the laws and the customs of the Amara, like
a gun, half of wood and half of iron, like a mule, half horse and half ass, like a toga, half
cotton and half wool (v. 35-49). Diso (v. 50) is the horse of the singer, Abba Diso. The
Galla warrior, Gudariessa Gume, son of Sirff Oda, native of Lieqa Naqamte, has killed nine
warriors, and then, according to Galla custom, has shaved his head. Why has such a
valiant warrior, asks the singer, surrendered himself to the Amara (v. 58-64) ? Moroda
must rule the Wayu according to the Galla laws. Menilek with his laws reigns in Entotto,
not in Galla lands (v. 65-69). And Gobana, slave of Menilek has ordered that the steed
of the singer bear meal and not spoils (v. 69-73)!
85
Gudariessa Gume. 60 What is there for you, Gobana? 61 That king of Salahe? 62 You
have kept the throne for him, 63 and you have put yourself down! 64 You have put aside
your spears! 65 Menilek has reigned because of good fortune! 66 Among the spears, the
filed spear is the best, 67 Among the Wayu, Moroda may be the ruler. 68 Among the tongo,
the tongo of Entotto is the best. 69 Let Menilek rule in Shoa! 70 The slave (whose price
is) two thalers, 71 has sent me the bridle. 72 He has not burdened me with his trophies. 73
He has made me a male ass; 74 he has loaded me with meal! 75 Seeing there the Tullu
Baqqo, 76 the village of the sons of the Sanqilla, 77 he thought that it was near. 78
He has gone down to the Garo. 79 He has collected his thoughts! 80 Adal has ruled in
Goggam. 81 Menilek rules in Shoa. 82 Tullu has ruled in Gimma. 83 Let Moroda rule
in Wayu! 84 The Arabs, one drum, 85 dinner has been supper for them!
Notes. Gobana (v. 1) is similar to a great trunk which falling crushes everything under
it. The singer in the verses 4-13 addresses Gote, who, during the fifty days of the Dervish
invasion, might have believed himself the lord of Lieqa. The brother of Gote, Asana was
supreme judge of his brother’s dominions. In verse 5, the Amharic word wdmbdr is used,
wambari, according to the Galla pronunciation, instead of the Galla abba firdi, “ judge.”
Abba Iggu (v. 6) was the war-name of Gote. Gote had taken, before the battle, a holy
oath that the Arabs would defeat the Amara (v. 7-10). In verses 14-15 the singer puns on
the double sense of Tuqa, name of a clan, and the verb tug, “to touch.” The “old man”
(v. 17) is Ras Gobana. The verses 19-21 allude to an oath of Ras Gobana that he would
defeat the Arabs within nine days.
Then the minstrel begins to state his complaints against the ms’s orders. The verses
22-25 concern the order not to kill the prisoners but to keep them and accept the ransom.
Note that Gobana had established a tax of one sambo for every ten prisoners taken by his
auxiliaries, a real deduction from the ransom. Verses 26-34, quoting the contradictory
orders of Gobana and Moroda (v. 28-29), allude also to the event which took place before
the tent of the ras (see introduction to this song). With such a command of the war, says
the singer, the warrior becomes similar to an ass; that is, he bears only provisions, not
spoils, i.e. genitals of the conquered warriors. The song next rails at Ras Gobana, who,
although born of Galla parents, has adopted the laws and the customs of the Amara, like
a gun, half of wood and half of iron, like a mule, half horse and half ass, like a toga, half
cotton and half wool (v. 35-49). Diso (v. 50) is the horse of the singer, Abba Diso. The
Galla warrior, Gudariessa Gume, son of Sirff Oda, native of Lieqa Naqamte, has killed nine
warriors, and then, according to Galla custom, has shaved his head. Why has such a
valiant warrior, asks the singer, surrendered himself to the Amara (v. 58-64) ? Moroda
must rule the Wayu according to the Galla laws. Menilek with his laws reigns in Entotto,
not in Galla lands (v. 65-69). And Gobana, slave of Menilek has ordered that the steed
of the singer bear meal and not spoils (v. 69-73)!