DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49272#0155
THE FOLK-LITERATURE OF THE GALLA
139
lation in many respects inexact, I introduce here the song written and translated as Loran-
siyos, who knows it by heart, has corrected it.
garti Waqayd fudi
si hdrkd qdbda
garsa Wdqayo dag di
garti Wdqayo dag di
si gurrd qdbda
garsa Wdqayo argi
10 fdrda gdri yd galldtta fudi
niti gdri yd galldtta fudi
garbiccd gdri yd galldtta fudi
dag di Wdqayo
Waqayd dag di
5 garti Wdqayo argi
si iggd qdbda
garsa Wdqayo fudi
1 O old God, listen! 2 0 decrepit God, listen! 3 Thou who hast ears, 4 0 old God,
look! 5 O decrepit God, look! 6 Thou who hast eyes, 7 0 old God, take! 8 0 decrepit God,
take! 9 Thou who hast hands, 10 if thou lovest beautiful horses, take them! 11 If thou
lovest beautiful women, take them! 12 If thou lovest beautiful slaves, take them! 13
Listen, 0 God! 14 0 God, listen!
Notes. In verses 2, 5 and 8 the feminine garti, “ old ” is used in a disparaging sense,
which makes superlative the adjective garsa, “ old.” Thus, for a decrepit old man, in Am-
haric the feminine bdltzet is used. The translation of Cecchi,1 “ old women who are near to
God ” is certainly erroneous.
140, 141
In the paganism of the Galla, as in so many other primitive religions, there exist special
ceremonies for asking the divinity for rain. One of these ceremonies is that of the raya,
which is a solemn procession of women and children who go in search of a special grass,
out of which they then weave wreathes. It is a part of the ritual to eat a barley pudding
before the procession. On such an occasion, songs are sung invoking rain. Here are two
of them:
kusurru Gibie qssa si dibe
hursa Mandiyd robi rob
1 0 grass kusurru of the Gibib! 2 0 storm of Mandiyo! 3 Where art thou shut up?
4 Rain! Rain!
Notes. The kusurru is a kind of grass which grows on the banks of rivers, and which
the Galla use to cover their huts; Mandiyo (v. 2) is the diminutive of Abba Mando, a
cdmsitu (see song 7). Perhaps it is the same Abba Mando, magician of the Sibu Ganti,
referred to in song 50, who has held back the rain now invoked by the singer.
bokkdd ’ano diegd baddsd
’and gabbdro 5 gadi dzerqsd
dulldcca kdsd bdkkae robi
1 Op. cit., vol. 2, p. 33.
139
lation in many respects inexact, I introduce here the song written and translated as Loran-
siyos, who knows it by heart, has corrected it.
garti Waqayd fudi
si hdrkd qdbda
garsa Wdqayo dag di
garti Wdqayo dag di
si gurrd qdbda
garsa Wdqayo argi
10 fdrda gdri yd galldtta fudi
niti gdri yd galldtta fudi
garbiccd gdri yd galldtta fudi
dag di Wdqayo
Waqayd dag di
5 garti Wdqayo argi
si iggd qdbda
garsa Wdqayo fudi
1 O old God, listen! 2 0 decrepit God, listen! 3 Thou who hast ears, 4 0 old God,
look! 5 O decrepit God, look! 6 Thou who hast eyes, 7 0 old God, take! 8 0 decrepit God,
take! 9 Thou who hast hands, 10 if thou lovest beautiful horses, take them! 11 If thou
lovest beautiful women, take them! 12 If thou lovest beautiful slaves, take them! 13
Listen, 0 God! 14 0 God, listen!
Notes. In verses 2, 5 and 8 the feminine garti, “ old ” is used in a disparaging sense,
which makes superlative the adjective garsa, “ old.” Thus, for a decrepit old man, in Am-
haric the feminine bdltzet is used. The translation of Cecchi,1 “ old women who are near to
God ” is certainly erroneous.
140, 141
In the paganism of the Galla, as in so many other primitive religions, there exist special
ceremonies for asking the divinity for rain. One of these ceremonies is that of the raya,
which is a solemn procession of women and children who go in search of a special grass,
out of which they then weave wreathes. It is a part of the ritual to eat a barley pudding
before the procession. On such an occasion, songs are sung invoking rain. Here are two
of them:
kusurru Gibie qssa si dibe
hursa Mandiyd robi rob
1 0 grass kusurru of the Gibib! 2 0 storm of Mandiyo! 3 Where art thou shut up?
4 Rain! Rain!
Notes. The kusurru is a kind of grass which grows on the banks of rivers, and which
the Galla use to cover their huts; Mandiyo (v. 2) is the diminutive of Abba Mando, a
cdmsitu (see song 7). Perhaps it is the same Abba Mando, magician of the Sibu Ganti,
referred to in song 50, who has held back the rain now invoked by the singer.
bokkdd ’ano diegd baddsd
’and gabbdro 5 gadi dzerqsd
dulldcca kdsd bdkkae robi
1 Op. cit., vol. 2, p. 33.