A very ancient Zulu song for the old and the dying, said to date from before the reign of Shaka.
The body perishes, the heart stays young,
The platter wears away with serving food…
Incantation
The Yorùbá believe in Atunwa, reincarnation within the family. Yorùbá funeral songs such as Slowly the Muddy Pool Becomes a River and Where are You Now? incorporate the symbolism of loved ones returning in other forms. This poem is a grief-stricken Yorùbá prayer, inviting a dead child to be born again.
Death catches the hunter with pain.
Eshu catches the herbalist in a sack…
Where are You Now?
Another Yorùbá funeral song from Nigeria. (See also the poem ‘Slowly the Muddy Pool Becomes a River’).
The hunter dies
and leaves his poverty to his gun…
But for Death
A lively example of a Yorùbá poetic tradition known as Iwì Egúngún, the chant of the masked dancers. Masquerades feature on festive occasions, such as a chief’s appointment, the funeral of a prominent person, the dedication of a shrine, the visit of someone important.
Offspring of Abilodesu, listen to my words
One with disordered head pad…
A Widow’s Lament
An Igbo lament from eastern Nigeria, listing six very pragmatic reasons for mourning a dead husband.
Six times the widow recalls her husband’s death.
When the yam-planting season sets in early…
The Homestead of Death’s Mother
An Acoli death-defying dirge from Uganda, sung by relatives of the deceased as they arrive for the Guru Lyel ceremony. See also the poems Close to Her Husband and If Death were not there.
Fire rages at Latima, oh,
Fire rages in the valley of River Cumu…
