DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49272#0161
THE FOLK-LITERATURE OF THE GALLA
145
Notes. The murtutte (v. 2) is a bush which provides the four-tined forks necessary for
the sacred promise. Ho! ubaydy! (v. 3, 7) are magic syllables without any lexical meaning.
Perhaps the “ five doors ” (v. 6) have also a magic sense which Loransiyos cannot explain
to me.
b. Christian
144
The Galla celebrate with special solemnity the festival of the Cross. After great bonfires
(in Amharic damzera) preceded and followed by salutes of guns, there takes place between
the warriors the traditional tourney with lance and shield (Amharic, guys). The male
cattle are crowned with flowers as a sign of rejoicing. The boys of the region, led by one
who bears a flower in his hand, go to the doors of the huts and sing:
yqkd dardr! yaSbabd dardr!
kzena manni sirbe, yd^babo dardr!
barart harcdse, yd "'babo dardr!
mdsqal abba kormd, yd^babd dardr!
5 tbsd korommidd, yd^babd dardr!
ant koftNngumt, yd'babd dardr!
Ligdt Bakd gubbe, yd "babd dardr!
gubbt nattt dame, yd "babd dardr!
and koftd^ngumnt, yd^babd dardr!
10 Rorrd Bakd gubbe, yd'babd dardr!
gubbt nattt dame, ycNbabd dardr!
hd gubbu Bbrana, yd ‘"'babd dardr!
abba warrd sirbe, yd "babd dardr!
barari harcdse, yd "babd dardr!
15 hindanqd badase, yd'babd dardr!
abba warrd sirbe, yd "babd dardr!
faffatd harcdse, yaSbabd dardr!
iggolle badase, yd^babo dardr!
darard qbiccd, yd^babo dardr!
20 kannifnt mar site, yd "babo dardr!
darard bisingd, yd "babd dardr!
simbird mar site, yd^babd dardr!
darard masqald, yd "babd dardr!
iggolle mar site, yd^babd dardr!
25 yqkd dardr! yd^babd dardr!
1 Come, blossom! Blossom, 0 little flower! 2 Our family has sung; blossom, 0 little
flower! 3 It has made the gnats fall; blossom, 0 little flower! 4 The Cross of the one rich
in oxen; blossom, 0 little flower! 5 The light of the young bulls; blossom, 0 little flower!
6 Not I alone have made the fire; blossom, 0 little flower! 7 Ligdf Bakarie has made the
fire; blossom, 0 little flower! 8 “ Do thou make the fire, too! ” he sent me to say; blossom,
0 little flower! 9 Not I alone have made the fire; blossom, 0 little flower! 10 Rorrisa
Bakarie has made the fire; blossom, 0 little flower! 11 “ Do thou, too, make the fire! ”
he has sent me to say; Blossom, 0 little flower! 12 Let the bbrana make the fire; blossom,
O little flower! 13 The chief of the people has sung; blossom, 0 little flower! 14 It has
made the gnats fall; blossom, 0 little flower! 15 It has made the hens rejoice; blossom, 0
little flower! 16 The chief of the people has sung; blossom, 0 little flower! 17 He has had
the soup set on the table; blossom, 0 little flower! 18 It has made the boys rejoice;
blossom, 0 little flower! 19 The flowers of the verbena; blossom, 0 little flower! 20 The
bees make a circle; blossom, 0 little flower! 21 The flowers of the sorghum; blossom, 0
145
Notes. The murtutte (v. 2) is a bush which provides the four-tined forks necessary for
the sacred promise. Ho! ubaydy! (v. 3, 7) are magic syllables without any lexical meaning.
Perhaps the “ five doors ” (v. 6) have also a magic sense which Loransiyos cannot explain
to me.
b. Christian
144
The Galla celebrate with special solemnity the festival of the Cross. After great bonfires
(in Amharic damzera) preceded and followed by salutes of guns, there takes place between
the warriors the traditional tourney with lance and shield (Amharic, guys). The male
cattle are crowned with flowers as a sign of rejoicing. The boys of the region, led by one
who bears a flower in his hand, go to the doors of the huts and sing:
yqkd dardr! yaSbabd dardr!
kzena manni sirbe, yd^babo dardr!
barart harcdse, yd "'babo dardr!
mdsqal abba kormd, yd^babd dardr!
5 tbsd korommidd, yd^babd dardr!
ant koftNngumt, yd'babd dardr!
Ligdt Bakd gubbe, yd "babd dardr!
gubbt nattt dame, yd "babd dardr!
and koftd^ngumnt, yd^babd dardr!
10 Rorrd Bakd gubbe, yd'babd dardr!
gubbt nattt dame, ycNbabd dardr!
hd gubbu Bbrana, yd ‘"'babd dardr!
abba warrd sirbe, yd "babd dardr!
barari harcdse, yd "babd dardr!
15 hindanqd badase, yd'babd dardr!
abba warrd sirbe, yd "babd dardr!
faffatd harcdse, yaSbabd dardr!
iggolle badase, yd^babo dardr!
darard qbiccd, yd^babo dardr!
20 kannifnt mar site, yd "babo dardr!
darard bisingd, yd "babd dardr!
simbird mar site, yd^babd dardr!
darard masqald, yd "babd dardr!
iggolle mar site, yd^babd dardr!
25 yqkd dardr! yd^babd dardr!
1 Come, blossom! Blossom, 0 little flower! 2 Our family has sung; blossom, 0 little
flower! 3 It has made the gnats fall; blossom, 0 little flower! 4 The Cross of the one rich
in oxen; blossom, 0 little flower! 5 The light of the young bulls; blossom, 0 little flower!
6 Not I alone have made the fire; blossom, 0 little flower! 7 Ligdf Bakarie has made the
fire; blossom, 0 little flower! 8 “ Do thou make the fire, too! ” he sent me to say; blossom,
0 little flower! 9 Not I alone have made the fire; blossom, 0 little flower! 10 Rorrisa
Bakarie has made the fire; blossom, 0 little flower! 11 “ Do thou, too, make the fire! ”
he has sent me to say; Blossom, 0 little flower! 12 Let the bbrana make the fire; blossom,
O little flower! 13 The chief of the people has sung; blossom, 0 little flower! 14 It has
made the gnats fall; blossom, 0 little flower! 15 It has made the hens rejoice; blossom, 0
little flower! 16 The chief of the people has sung; blossom, 0 little flower! 17 He has had
the soup set on the table; blossom, 0 little flower! 18 It has made the boys rejoice;
blossom, 0 little flower! 19 The flowers of the verbena; blossom, 0 little flower! 20 The
bees make a circle; blossom, 0 little flower! 21 The flowers of the sorghum; blossom, 0