“Na da oo, O Na da oo! Kuje kusanar!”
Bring the cymbals, bring also the gongs
Let’s make an African song…
Before you hit the cymbal
Remember the tune to the Tribal,
Twist your palm a bit to the left
But hold your strike, yes hold it
For I must blow the whistle
And introduce the songs title
I must blow the whistle
But strike the cymbal a little
Follow my lead
Tell of the days deed
Did it rain?
Did it shine?
Did the blue cloud sail across the horizon
Carrying with it the songs of kites and herons?
Or did Mazi Okoro visit his palm tree’s pots
So that we may be sure that wine will flow tonight?
The Palm and the Iroko trees are our virgin flowers
They are our symbol of fertility and power
Did you hear the leopard
Calling through the wild?
So let the ancient drum talk
Hit the areas marked with chalk:
“May the eagle perch,
May also the hawk perch
Let none forbid the other
From perching on the great ugba”
Gather the broken brooms and wood
Tonight we make a huge fire with logs
In preparation for our African song
Happy that the long day is done
***
Commentary.
Na da oo… Kuje kusanar!: Hausa language for “I am back, go and tell them”
Mazi Okoro: imaginary person. Mazi means Mister. In Igbo land, the Palmwine tapper normally sets his pots on the tree were the wine was ripe and flowing. This may take some days to be full before it is harvested and prepared for consumption.
Iroko: A great tree in Igbo land.
Ugba: A tree in Igbo land
