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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 January 2012
The songs presented here were collected for me by Wäldä Sänbät Bänti. In my experience of collecting linguistic material in Ethiopia, Wäldä Sänbät deserves special mention. He is about twenty years old, a speaker of Gyeto which is a slight variant of Chaha. When I asked Wäldä Sänbät whether he would be willing to work with me on the Gyeto vocabulary, he readily agreed in terms that I at first considered rather boastful. He told me indeed that he was the most knowledgeable man in the dialect of Gyeto, a statement that I did not hear too often from my Ethiopian informants. The truth of the matter is that Walda Sanbat was the best informant I encountered in my linguistic work in Ethiopia. Not only did he know his language admirably well, but he was also a born field-worker. Without my prompting, he brought me all kinds of plants, cereals, and grasses and gave me their native names. He knew how to illustrate difficult terms with appropriate gestures and stories which explained the difficult word in context. Thus, having noticed his ability as a fieldworker, I asked him to collect Chaha songs dealing with any subject. Here again he showed that he knew the technique of a professional. When he presented me with the bill agreed upon in advance, he had added to it an item for which I gladly paid. Indeed, on several occasions he had found it necessary to offer the singer a bottle of native beer to put him in the mood to recite the song. So it was that he brought back to me at Addis Ababa a considerable collection of Chaha songs.
LE FERMIER DANS LES CHANTS CHAHA
Par ces chants, les poètes exaltent, lors d'occasions variées, les vertus du fermier, qui est l'idéal des Gurage. Un bon fermier doit cultiver sa terre, planter des eucalyptus, des caféiers et toutes les variétés d'äsät, plante semblable à la banane, qui est la base de la nourriture Gurage. Le fermier est comparé avec le paresseux qui nʼa aucune de ses qualités.
page 231 note 1 V = vowel; C = consonant.
page 231 note 2 The final m is the ending of the perfect in the main clause.
page 232 note 1 The verb čotäm means ‘work ’, but particularly ‘cultivate the land ’.
page 232 note 2 Lit. ‘Cluster of things ’.
page 232 note 3 From f wänäm.
page 232 note 4 From bä-wäräǧxä.
page 232 note 5 From bänam ‘eat ’.
page 232 note 6 For bä-anäxä-m ‘if you live, indeed ’.
page 232 note 7 Lit. ‘Taking out a part, taking out, your giving (is) ’.
page 232 note 8 Lit. ‘Because of this blessing (or hope) is your receiving ’.
page 232 note 1 For gard-əm-axä.
page 232 note 2 From mečäm ‘wash ’.
page 232 note 3 From fätam.
page 232 note 4 For tä-wäxe.
page 232 note 5 From qänäm ‘be lost ’.
page 232 note 6 For yä-amär-axä ‘according to your habit ’.
page 232 note 7 From awäṭam ‘remove ’.
page 232 note 8 For qawa-š.
page 232 note 9 For bämər yägwäkwäči, from gˈäkˈätäm ‘see off, receive ’.
page 232 note 10 Lit. ‘your misfortune, indeed ’.
page 232 note 11 Lit. ‘With soap (is) your washing ’, that is, a verbal noun, as is the case of därotaxä ‘your putting on ’ (1. 4), fətotaxä ‘your combing ’ (l. 5), zorotaxä ‘your going around ’ (l. 6), bärotaxä ‘your saying ’ (l. 7).
page 232 note 12 Lit. ‘your assembly (is) with gentlemen ’.
page 232 note 13 Lit. ‘You stood and you are lost ’.
page 232 note 14 Lit. ‘You cut and you remove your lips ’.
page 232 note 15 safra is a meal consisting of roasted coffee or bread taken with coffee at any time of the day.
page 232 note 16 Lit. ‘It's more (yirq-äta) than this (bäz), I (əya) let it be (enough) for me (yämbäre) ’.
page 234 note 1 For bä-ebärwä.
page 234 note 2 Impersonal of imperative from käfätäm.
page 234 note 3 Impersonal ‘that one filled it ’, from mänam.
page 234 note 4 Impersonal of imperative from šäkätäm.
page 234 note 5 Impersonal of imperative from fäkam.
page 234 note 6 For yä-wäre.
page 234 note 7 For titǧäpär.
page 234 note 8 For ən-awiye, impersonal of the perfect (of abäm ‘give ’) with the suffixed pronoun of the 3rd fem. ‘why did not one give her? ’
page 234 note 9 For ən-anäwiye, impersonal of the perfect (of anäbäm ‘to milk ’) with the suffixed pronoun of the 3rd fem. ‘why did not one milk her? ’
page 234 note 10 For fəq-x-äna.
page 234 note 11 From qəyäm ‘guard, watch ’.
page 234 note 12 Negative perfect of wäräm ‘go ’.
page 234 note 13 lalamwä is probably a proper noun.
page 234 note 14 gwäfäre ‘kind of hair-dress ’ used mainly by a person who cares for his appearance only and does not work. He does so in order to impress people.
page 234 note 15 He goes from house to house where there is coffee or beer. If there is some he drinks it, if not he asks the host to borrow some.
page 234 note 16 Since the beer was just put in a jar it is not yet ready to drink.
page 234 note 17 What follows is a dialogue between the husband and the wife. He: ‘Where is the calf? ’ She: ‘It died the other day.’ He: ‘Which day ?’ She: ‘The day you left ’, and so on.
page 234 note 18 Lit. ‘It burnt ’.
page 234 note 19 Lit. ‘He turned over his stick ’.
page 234 note 20 Lit. ‘A neighbour who knew the root (of the matter) ’.
page 234 note 21 Lit. ‘May your hand become for the earth! ’
page 234 note 22 Extended usage of qar ‘thing ’.
page 234 note 23 Lit. ‘He who did not know his soul ’.
page 234 note 1 For mər yitäm.
page 234 note 2 lo ‘they are ’, säb being treated as collective.
page 234 note 3 From axänämäm.
page 234 note 4 For tä-an-ača-ta ‘with his unequals ’ (ača ‘who is equal in age and rank ’).
page 234 note 5 For toto-č ‘cultivate the land ’ (pl.), from čotäm.
page 234 note 6 For sərəm-ečəndä ‘it will not let us alone ’, from čäm ‘abandon, let go ’.
page 234 note 7 Lit. ‘What is tasteful? ’
page 234 note 8 Lit. ‘God loved him, he who cultivated the land ’.
page 234 note 9 That is to say, he does not use the plough for ploughing, but keeps it in the loft all year round.
page 234 note 10 Lit. ‘What is the thing (the reason) that he does not work ? What died ? (that is, ‘why has he become so weak ? ’).
page 234 note 11 Lit. ‘He gives to drink ’.
page 235 note 1 Imperative plural of čotäm.
page 235 note 2 For tämər yigäba.
page 235 note 3 For bäčäx wä emot.
page 235 note 4 For wära astara.
page 235 note 5 From näqaräm.
page 235 note 6 From šäpätäm.
page 235 note 7 From fətäfätäm.
page 235 note 8 From šäkätäm.
page 235 note 9 For mər yäsṭäwi ‘what is it that one drank? ’, from säṭäm.
page 235 note 10 From bəṭäbäṭäm.
page 235 note 11 ṭəra täṭabäṭäm ‘keep grudge ’.
page 235 note 12 From šämätäm.
page 235 note 13 Impersonal of the imperative of bänam ‘eat ’.
page 235 note 14 From səräčäm ‘be fed up, be disgusted ’, the second č is not clear.
page 235 note 15 Impersonal of the perfect of čotäm ‘work ’.
page 235 note 16 For mot-m-u ‘death indeed it is ’.
page 235 note 17 From motäm ‘die ’.
page 235 note 18 Lit. ‘A tip of God ’.
page 235 note 19 That is, poverty comes when one lies down or sits without working.
page 235 note 20 It is not the spear, but the plough, that kills poverty.
page 235 note 21 Lit. ‘Be proud ’.
page 235 note 22 The lines 7–19 describe hospitality: lines 7–11 are a description of hospitality by a wealthy farmer; lines 12–19 describe the way a lazy farmer receives his guests.
page 235 note 23 The gwariyä and astara are kinds of the äsät, or the banana-like plant of the Gurage.
page 235 note 24 A kind of measure.
page 235 note 25 Because it is bought and does not come from the host's field.
page 235 note 26 Lit. ‘Quarrel go and may one fall down ’ (from čəm baräm).
page 235 note 27 Lit. ‘This-one (zam) one-dies’ (mwäčəm, impersonal of motäm).
page 236 note 1 Nearly all the verbs of the song are impersonals. In order to avoid an accumulation of footnotes I give here the impersonals that differ from the original root. The number in the parentheses refers to the verse. The verbs are: yoče (1) from oṭam; asaǧäǧəm (1) from asadädäm; ṭäwäčəm (2) from ṭäbäṭäm; dämwäǧəm (3) from dämädäm; tetrakwäšəm (4) from tärakäsäm, root näkäsäm; täramwäǧəm (4) from täramädäm, root namädäm; amwanǧəm (5) from amandäm; yarčsm (9) from anṭäm; mwäčəm (11) from motäm; yičočəm (14) from čotäm.
page 236 note 2 From yačänäta ‘he who brings ’, a substantivized verbal form.
page 236 note 3 From tä-an-ača.
page 236 note 4 From qänäm ‘disappear ’.
page 236 note 5 Impersonal of tanä ‘while one is ’, from t(ä)-anä.
page 236 note 6 Lit. ‘By joining close ’.
page 236 note 7 Lit. ‘One shortening the pants one puts (them) on ’.
page 236 note 8 Lit. ‘Today and tomorrow ’.
page 236 note 9 Lit. ‘One drinks ’.
page 236 note 10 It refers to the man who does not work. He is considered dead even though he is still alive.
page 237 note 1 For binor närä.
page 237 note 2 For tä-astara-ta.
page 237 note 3 From täk amänäm ‘place suddenly ’. Note that the ending -wi of this verb as well as of the other verbs is a dialectal form of Gura.
page 237 note 4 For bäčär närä.
page 237 note 5 Seems to be the name of the person who was a blacksmith. It then took the meaning of ‘blacksmith ’ in general.
page 237 note 6 Should be bankٰäkٰäräč; the form bankٰäkٰärä is due to the rhyme.
page 237 note 7 From tärakäsäm, root näkäsäm.
page 237 note 8 For tabo-š, imperative plural of čäm.
page 237 note 9 For betä-š, pseudo-gerundive of baräm.
page 237 note 10 For etgätär, from tägätäräm.
page 237 note 11 Kinds of the äsät plant.
page 237 note 12 Lit. ‘He left for it ’, from gäfäräm.
page 237 note 13 That is to say, he is rich enough to buy a revolver and a rifle, arms being considered a mark of status (see also song no. VIII).
page 237 note 14 A place near Endeber.
page 237 note 15 It refers to Qäňazmač Amerga.
page 237 note 16 The people of Gura make trouble by not accepting the advice given by the Qäňazmač.
page 237 note 17 Instead of working in the field.
page 237 note 18 Lit. ‘Today and tomorrow, every day ’.
page 237 note 19 Lit. ‘So that the soul should not go out ’.
page 237 note 20 That is to say, the weaver who does not have his own cattle buys it from the butcher and there is always a blacksmith who sharpens the knife necessary for slaughtering the cattle. The meat that he buys sustains him so that he does not die.
page 237 note 21 The advice is given to plant the coffee tree that always blooms and brings in money.
page 237 note 22 Lit. ‘In the days [or ‘time ’] of the sun ’.
page 237 note 23 That is, it brings in gold when it is sold.
page 237 note 24 That is, it produces more.
page 237 note 25 Lit. ‘(Let) his lamentation (bixٰäta) in the public place (bäǧäfwärä) be šäbra šäbra, or sounds of lamentation used by the mourners. Only one who planted at least five hundred coffee trees can sustain himself (see also song no. IX, line 14).
page 238 note 1 ayam qəyam ‘trouble ’.
page 238 note 2 Nearly all the final verbs are impersonals. In order to avoid an accumulation of footnotes I give here the impersonals that differ from the original root. The verbs are: asäwim (1, 4) from ašäm; qasäwim (2, 10, 16, 19) from qašäm; gasäwim (3) from gašäm; totäwi (5) from čotäm; yazäwi (6, 8) for yä-azäwi from ažäm; äzäwi (9, 11, 14, 15), impersonal of imperative of ažäm; mwasäwim (18) from mwašäm.
page 238 note 3 From veranda.
page 238 note 4 Impersonal, imperfect of näqämäm.
page 238 note 5 From Belgique.
page 238 note 6 Because of war.
page 238 note 7 zaxər ‘so much ’.
page 238 note 8 Lit. ‘The land (afär) a good (wäxe) thing-it-is-indeed (qar-u-š), one cultivated-it (totäwi)’.
page 238 note 9 This refers to the picture of the farmer on the dollar bill, the Emperor being on the left of the bill and looking down on the farmer.
page 238 note 10 The man from Gura is advised to take example from the Galla who brings his millet to Addis Ababa, from the Mareqo who brings his pepper to the capital, and from the people of Ewan, Aṭaṭ and Inor who plant coffee trees.
page 238 note 11 The Mareqo are Sidamo of the region of Butadjira.
page 238 note 12 These are places near Endeber.
page 238 note 13 The gun is a mark of status (see also song no. VII).
page 238 note 14 Lit. ‘As for Gura (gura-š) it said (baräm) “I shall not cultivate the land ” (ančot)’.
page 239 note 1 For bä-wäxe.
page 239 note 2 sənar (also Amharic) ‘a good kind of mule ’.
page 239 note 3 From qäpäräm.
page 239 note 4 Where the banana-plant grows. Our virility today is not manifest in the battlefield.
page 239 note 5 He who cultivated his field in the back of his house has money available.
page 239 note 6 It is not sufficient to plant fifty coffee trees only. To do so is to make believe that one cultivated the land. One should plant at least five hundred trees (see l. 13).
page 239 note 7 Lit. ‘(Are) without heart (or understanding) ’.
page 239 note 8 Since he has no money he begs from the weaver.
page 239 note 9 See song no. VII, line 29.
page 240 note 1 For yämər aččot (from atčot).
page 240 note 2 From agänäm.
page 240 note 3 From nädädäm.
page 240 note 4 For bä-wänäxwä-e.
page 240 note 5 Is a dialectal variant of Gura.
page 240 note 6 For yətgätär.
page 240 note 7 From ažäm ‘see ’.
page 240 note 8 From fačäm.
page 240 note 9 From čotäm.
page 240 note 10 From tätodäm.
page 240 note 11 From odäm.
page 240 note 12 Fom täpam.
page 240 note 13 Bero is the central section of Endeber where the government offices, the market place and all the shops are.
page 240 note 14 Lit. ‘You run in the tracks of alcohol’ and this prevents you from working.
page 240 note 15 Lit. ‘Water, liquid ’.
page 240 note 16 Lit. ‘While you say (tibro) what is the remedy against it? ’
page 240 note 17 Milk could keep you away from alcohol, but there is no milk in your house.
page 240 note 18 Since you have no sheep of your own you ask for it from your neighbour pretending that it is for the sacrifice. No sheep is refused if its colour (dära) is appropriate for the sacrifice.
page 240 note 19 The lazy man has so few plants that he cannot wait until the gwariyä-plant becomes sarsäna (a more advanced stage of the plant) and is ready for food. He pulls out the gwariyä before it reaches that stage.
page 240 note 20 Lit. ‘He lies down ’.
page 240 note 21 Lit. ‘One looks (yiše) for his tracks (täzäfär) ’.
page 240 note 22 He is buried deeply so that he is unable to come back.
page 240 note 23 The contents as well as the rhyme of the following verses seems to indicate that they do not belong to this song.
page 240 note 24 There are many useful things to do in life, but the lazy person does not take advantage of them.
page 240 note 25 Milk comes from the cows that eat the grass that was mown.
page 240 note 26 People tell each other what to do in the different seasons of the year.
page 241 note 1 Nearly all the final verbs are impersonals. In order to avoid an accumulation of footnotes I give in this footnote all the impersonals that differ from the original root. The verbs are: tičoči (1) from čotäm; yitwawäǧi (2) from täwawädäm; yatf wanči (4) from atfanṭäm; oǧim (6) from odäm; atwaräǧim (7) from atwarädäm; wäsäǧəm (8) from wäsädäm; agwäǧim (8) from agččim (14) from ṭäbäṭäm; eyaqm wäči (17) from aqmäčäm; tiččoǧi (18) from täčodäm; tiqٰäči (20) from qٰäṭäm; tiwräči (21) from täbrätam; wäčäm (21) from wäṭam; yarči (24) from anṭäm; yiroči (25) from roṭäm; säkwči (26),yäsäkwči (27) from šäkätäm.
page 241 note 2 It seems to be a dialectal form of Gura.
page 241 note 3 Impersonal of the imperative from zägädäm.
page 241 note 4 From bä-bärčəma.
page 241 note 5 From sänam ‘arrive, reach ’.
page 241 note 6 Lit. ‘In every country ’.
page 241 note 7 The Bero is the central section of Endeber where the liquor shops are.
page 241 note 8 All these things take him away from work.
page 241 note 9 Lit. ‘The man who steals ’.
page 241 note 10 Lit. ‘He is taken away and tied (in) prison ’.
page 241 note 11 The people of old were warriors.
page 241 note 12 Lit. ‘To the left and right ’.
page 241 note 13 Lit. ‘One wrote the thing and kept it ’.
page 241 note 14 It refers to Abba Frančois Markos, a Chaha, the head of the Catholic Mission at Endeber.
page 241 note 15 All the people like him as if he were their son.
page 241 note 16 Drinking coffee while conversing and picking coffee grain is the right thing to do. The lazy man, instead, participates in the monthly gathering without being able to afford it and slaughters a bull which was bought with a loan.
page 241 note 17 Lit. ‘Man of the loan ’.
page 242 note 1 From mwätäm.
page 242 note 2 A dialectal form; the dialect of Chaha would say etärfwi xuta.
page 242 note 3 From čotäm.
page 242 note 4 For yar.
page 242 note 5 For qar.
page 242 note 6 From naqäm ‘be more ’.
page 242 note 7 Lit. ‘The fact that one does not save him ’.