Senegaal: A Wolof Poem by Cherif Correa-gctid31632

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

Senegaal

Du ma la sopp ngir sa taar
Du ma la topp ngir sa waar
Du ma bakkoo sa mbaax
Du ma regg ci say laax
Du ma roy sa njambaar
Du ma fecc sa riiri sabar
Du ma la maggal ndax say diine
Du ma la sargal ndax sa teranga

Di naa la jooy ndax coono say nit
Di naa la jooy ndax mbonu say ñjiit.

Daan naa degg fecci kolëre
Xamuma woon lu muy tekki
Wante tey kumpa wëy na,
Ndaxte wedi gis bokku ca.
Daan naa degg ñuy wax worange
Mu nekkoon kaddu gu amul jëmm
Wante tey ku ko lamb daj ko
Te lamb daj gis gënnu ko leer

Fu ma tollu ma ngi lay jooy
Wante itam maa ngiy ñaan
Wante itam maa ngiy jeem
Wante itam di naa xeex
Sunu doole di sunu ëppukaay
Laax bu táng bi di sunuy njiit
Te ëpp baax na ci lax bu tàng
Wala sunuy doom torox ëlëk

Suma sañoon tey meti suba neex
Tey ma jooy suba ma daal di féex
Suma sañoon tey sumay soox
Mu wóor ma ne ëlëk di naa dox
Te itam suma dee daagu
Xam ne ëlëk di naa waaxu
Kii di raam mëna naaw
Ñu mëna moytu li fi xewoon démb
Nooteel benn yoon rekk doy na ca.

CHERIF

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

Senegaal
   
  I will not love you because of your beauty
  I will not be with you because of your wealth
  I will not brag about your generosity
  I will not satisfy my hunger with your laax
  I will not emulate your courage
  I will not dance to your music
   
  I will not praise you because of your religions
  I will not respect you because of your hospitality
   
  I will cry because of your people's suffering
  I will cry because of your leaders' ruthlessness
   
  I heard them talk about ungratefulness
  I didn't know what it meant
  But today my ignorance is over
  You can't deny what you see
  I heard them talk about betrayal
  It was a word without any shape
  But now you can even touch it
  And what you can touch and feel is as visible as sight

I am always crying for you
  But I am also praying
  But I am also trying
  But I will also fight
  Our muscles are like the fans
  With which we will blow the laax,
  Our political leaders, otherwise
  Our children will suffer tomorrow

I'd rather suffer today and be happy tomorrow
  I'd rather cry today and be jovial tomorrow
  If I am crippled today
  I want to be able to walk tomorrow
  If I am lagging behind everybody else today
  I want to be leading the march forward tomorrow
  And see the handicapped run and fly
  We should avoid what happened in the past
  Once a slave is more than enough.