(for khalam)
Long, long have you held between your hands the black face
of the warrior
Held as if already there fell on it a twilight of death.
From the hill I have seen the sun set in the bays of your eyes.
When shall I see again, my country, the pure horizon of your
face?
When shall I sit down once more at the dark table of your
breast?
Hidden in the half-darkness, the nest of gentle words.
I shall see other skies and other eyes
I shall drink at the spring of other mouths cooler than lemons
I shall sleep under the roof of other heads of hair in shelter
from storms.
But every year, when the rum of springtime sets my memory
ablaze,
I shall be full of regret for my homeland and the rain from
your eyes on the thirsty savannahs.
L S Senghor
The Fulani Creation Story
At the beginning there was a huge drop of milk.
Then Doondari came and he created the stone.
Then the stone created iron;
And iron created fire
And fire created water;
And water created air.
Then Doondari descended the second time.
And he took the five elements
And he shaped them into man.
But man was proud.
Then Doondari created blindness, and blindness defeated man.
But when blindness became too proud,
Doondari created sleep, and sleep defeated blindness;
But when sleep became too proud,
Doondari created worry, and worry defeated sleep.
But when worry became too proud,
Doondari created death, and death defeated worry.
But then death became too proud,
Doondari descended for the third time,
And he came as Gueno, the eternal one,
And Gueno defeated death.
Traditional (from the Fulani)
