I
The sun was shining in my hut
And my women were beautiful and supple
My children glided on the great river
On the depths of death
And my pirogues wrestled with the crocodiles
The moon, maternal, accompanied our dances
The frenetic and heavy rhythm of the tam-tam, the
tam-tam of joy, the tam-tam of recklessness
In the midst of the fires of freedom.
II
Then one day, Silence...
The rays of the sun seemed to expire
In my empty hut.
My women crushed their reddened mouths
On the thin hard lips of conquerors with steel eyes
And my children left their peaceful nakedness
For the uniform of iron and blood.
Your voice has also died out
The shackles of slavery have torn my heart
Tams-tams of my nights, tom-tams of my fathers.
David Diop (born 1966) France
Translated by Google Translate and Bruce Levitan
Source: Sunumbir
- pirogue - native canoe
- tam-tam - tom-tom drum
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