Mo ne nnetwerE! WoayE adeE pa ara! You have done well! This is a beautiful poem by J. Gyekye Aboagye that I was introduced to back in a literature of Akan language course I took some 6 years back that I've made a point to share with all who were interested in the Twi language.
On the few grammatical errors I've seen these errors from students I've worked with back in the day. Be careful that these don't become 'fossilized' so that you don't pass them on to others when you teach them. Stay BlackNificent!
Obadele Kwame
(ps- adjustments are in brackets)
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by ajaguna
Ko mo anim tee {Lit. Go (the way of) your face}
This is a poem I wrote to my children in Twi as a final presentation for a class I was in. Let me know what ya'll think. It hasn't been reveiwed yet...so any twi speakers out there let me know if ya'll see any corrections needed.
Me mma [ho yE] fEfEEfE (fEfEEfE is an adverb to be used in conjunction with a verb like yE (i.e. YE w'adwuma fEfEEfE - do your work beautifully). This works like yie. Otherwise you can add fE to the noun i.e. MmafE in order to make it a compound noun like nkwandE)
Obra yi yE den
Nti, [E]hia sE mo ani yE den
Mo bra [E]nyE dE a,
Kae mo nkrabea
Afei deE, wobEduru baabi a w'ani da so [no]
K[O] mo anim tee
Y[E]n nnipa reko
Na y[E]hia nnipa a w[O]w[O] anihutumi
Nti moaba
Y[E]n nnipa reko
Na y[E]hia [O]kofo[O]
Nti [moaba]
K[O] mo anim tee
Sees[e]i ara y[E]n [a]tamfo[O] rehyE y[E]n so[O]
Nti mohunu [O]tamfo[O] no a, te atua!
Na [yEbEnya] mfaso[O],
[Mohunu] nhyEso[O] a, te atua
Na yEbEnya mfaso[O] pii!
K[O] mo anim tee
[Seesei ara] Abibifo[O], yErehu[nu] amane/ayE mmObO (either hunu amane - to experience a calamity or ayE mmObO - to be in a pitiful state. Each one is best rendered with it's own specific verb otherwise you get a completely different meaning. To 'hu mmObO' is to sympathize with someone)
Nti, mohunu obibini a [wayE] mmobo a,
Fa wo ho ma no
Na wobEnya animuonyam
Mohunu [O]yare a, sa bi
Na wobEnya animuonyam
K[O] mo anim tee
HwE mo [na] na tie n[']afotuo
Na mobE[nya] nyansa
S[E] [moware] a, hwE sE mo y[e]re te s[E] mo [na]
HwE sE w[O]w[O] suban t[en]enee, mmOborOhunu, ne akoko[O]duru
Na [E]bEsi wo yie
My beautiful children
This life is hard
Therefore you must be determined
When your life is not sweet
Remember your "mission/destiny"
After that, you will reach the place that your eyes lay on
Go straight ahead
Our people are fighting
And we need visionaries
Therefore ya'll have come
Our people are fighting
And we need warriors
Therefore ya'll have come
Go straight ahead
Right now our enemies oppress us
Therefore when you see the enemy, resist!
And WE will receive benefit
When you see oppression, resist!
And WE will receive much benefit!
Go straight ahead
Right now Afrikans are suffering
Therefore when you see a suffering Afrikan
Give of yourself
And you will receive honor
When you see disease, heal it
And you will receive honor
Go straight ahead
Look at your mother and listen to her advise
And you will receive wisdom
When ya'll marry, make sure that your wives are like your mother
Make sure that they possess righteous character, compassion, and courage
And it will serve you well
|