Lullabies
Lullabies
፨ ፨ ፨ ፨ ፨
“As
a bond between cultures, lullabies can interconnect and humanize the common
people of the world, regardless of race or background.”
L.R.
Castro (2013, 2)
What
are lullabies? Long before parents began relying on products of modern
technology (radio, voice and visual recorders, television, computer etc.)
lullabies or cradle songs were the universally practiced sleep – inducing melodic
tools to lull children to sleep. They are one of the oldest genres of
traditional children’s songs; some are from antiquity while others are from the
modern times. Their age ranges from the Babylonian song of 5000-years ago[1];
to the popular lullaby of the western world -
“Rock-a-Bye-Baby”, that according to Goldy Kent (2017) is an adaptation of a
previously existing English satirical ballad known as Lillibullero[2]
and dates back to the 7th century. Others
belong to the modern times and are results of the creative work of famous men
of pen like Bertolt Brecht, Alfred Hitchcock, etc. As for the origin of the melody and lyrics of Oromoo lullaby nothing is
known, except that it has been collected and documented by domestic researchers
like - Aster Gannoo (1894), as well as foreign scholars such as Enrico Ceruli (1922), Paulitschke, Philipp (1886) as part
of the Oromoo folk literature. Lullabies have different nature; some are
creepy, others full of suspense, some are heart-warming.
Function and features of lullabies
Based on their lyrics lullabies come
with many features and literary purposes, though their main function is to lull
an infant to sleep. Hence, we shall start with an attempt of getting introduced
to the features of the lullaby genre and provide samples to each feature from
different cultures; and conclude with an Oromoo lullaby with a brief
explanation of what it depicts.
The significance of lullabies in a
child’s life is during the time when an infant’s intelligence seeking
mechanisms operate by the use of their senses (touching, sucking, seeing,
hearing, and feeling). During this period, the soft melody of lullabies and
the rhythmic rocking movement the mother performs is believed to give
the necessary comfort that lull the baby to slumber. This is assumed to be the
basic function of lullabies; and we assume that the baby is the only beneficiary
of the entertainment. However, researchers remind us that lullabies perform
other equally important functions too. They contend that while singing that
hypnotic song to lull the baby to sleep, the mother or the custodian simultaneously,
as del Giudice asserts, turns the song to an outlet through which she expresses
her “emotions, anxieties, desires, and generally her world view; (in Gomez-Castellano,
2013).” It also contributes to the development of a child’s communication and
musical skill. In addition since it is the first song of the community that the
child hears right out of his/her mother’s mouth, it serves as a catalyst in planting
the seed of the mother tongue in the fertile brain of the child. As Del
Giuidice (in Castelleno, 2013, 2) rightly remarks, it “commence enculturation
of the infant” in norms and values of the society too. Ann deVries, goes as
far as remarking that: “Lullabies are the beginning of all poetry, in the life
of each individual and probably also in the history of mankind.”
Of
multifaceted function lullabies may be, it is perplexing to find that most of
these sweet soothing, soft melodies in most instances are nothing but a wrapping for words that
terrify. As lyric contents of different lullabies from different cultures
indicate, relying on scary tactics and words that denote violence and
aggression to lull a baby to sleep is the standard practice. Either mystic creatures or real wild animals are invoked to make the lullaby more
horrifying. To take few instances, in the Brazilian lullaby called “Nana Nene” a creature called “Cuca” is revoked to quieten a crying baby; in Spain and
Latin America it is a shape shifting
monster called “Coco”; in Russia it is the wolf; in Italy the “wolf and the
bogeyman”, in Haiti the “Crab”, in Java we find a nameless scary giant that
looks for children, and the list goes on. Jenny Marder, a digital managing editor for the PBS News Hour, remarks
that: “Judging by lyrics alone,
the lion’s share of lullabies are not sweet and soothing; they are dark and
creepy and macabre” (2014).
This phenomenon has
puzzled some researchers, and even famous men of pen. For
instance, the Spanish playwright, poet, and theater director, Federico García Lorca, (1898-1936) in a
lecture he gave on lullaby in 1928, after categorising the literary wealth of
his native land as a construct that contains “sober sadness and rhythmic fury”
on the one hand, and “joyous songs, jokes, jests, lyrics of delicate eroticism
and enchanting madrigals” on the other; then, with a tone of bewilderment,
asked: “Why then has Spain reserved the most potent songs of blood to
lull its children to sleep, those least suited to their delicate
sensibilities?” Depending on the provision that the surrounding forest makes,
frustrated parents invoke any locally feared wild animal to scare a child to
silence. One good example of such a lullaby is from western
Kenya; sung by the Luo people and a line in the song goes: "The baby who
cries will be eaten by a hyena" (
The Oromoo have a similar line, not in a lyric form
of a lullaby but as a saying of a humorous nature; humorous for the adults, not
for the child of course. It is an old saying, in a question form,
uttered as a reminder of unfulfilled promise. It goes: “How about that child you mentioned a
while ago; said the hyena;” or in Oromoo:
“Waayee mucaa silaa maal jettanii; jedhe waraabessi.”[3] Danielle Mowbray (2019) notes that the Yoruba of Nigeria
have a lullaby called Boju, Boju that
carries a warning message for children to stay in bed with eyes closed, so that
a monster does not find and kill them. In general, lullabies tend to be those
that carry cold and creepy expressions; full of frightening monsters that lurk
outside, and those that express soft and warm motherly love. Before presenting
Oromoo lullaby which could be classified under the latter category, few samples
of the scary ones is in order:
Creepy lullabies
Some lullabies reflect the level of a mother’s intolerable frustration
that leads to wishing something harmful to the baby. Arika
Okrent’s (2015)[4]
collection provides a perfect example of such a lullaby. It is a two liner that
she calls an “Icelandic classic”, and is read thusly:
“Sleep, you black-eyed pig,
Fall into a deep pit of ghosts.”
One of the classic lullabies of the western world is
“Rock-a-Bye-Baby”. Few lines from the lullaby focus on a baby in cradle falling
from a tree top. Imagining a baby in a cradle, rocking - of all
places on a tree top - is rather disturbing and perplexing. It is
understandable that the lyric, as the writer clarifies, “depicts
how people used to place their children in birch bark cradles and suspend them
from a tree branch to rock them to sleep” (Kent,
2017); but still it does not eliminate the image of a baby coming down crushing
if the branch cracks. The lyric of the “Rock-a-bye baby” goes as follows:
“Rock-a-bye
baby, on the tree top,
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.”
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.”
As
this modest collection reveals, “Rock-a-Bye-Baby” is not as creepy and
frightening as other lullabies are. It is rather mildly suspenseful than scary in
comparison with other lullabies from different cultures. What makes this
particular lullaby suspenseful is the idea that the branch that carries the
cradle breaks and the baby plummets to the ground. There are some rather cruel lullabies
that make an unpleasant and a belligerent-to-the-ear-suggestion as a remedy to
pacify a baby that cries non-stop and drives the family to frustration. Velle Espeland
(1995), a Norwegian folklorist and writer, has a lyric that could be one good
example:
If the child won't sleep
Grab
it by the leg
And
bang it against the wall.
Then
the child will sleep.
Both gruesome and heart-warming
lullabies are also found in the unique collection from Estonia. Some are
reflection of agrarian parents’ hope, expectation and good wish. It sounds like
a blueprint of an upcoming farmhand sang to him by his mother. This up-coming
farmhand must grow and become a strong man by inheriting his parents physical
stature and shoulder responsibility in looking after the cattle and sheep,
clearing farm plots, making hay, chopping fire wood, fetching water, picking wild
fruits from the forest and “heating the sauna” too (Mari Sarv, 166).
Rock, rock, hush, hush,
Sleep, sleep, little baby!
Grow, grow bigger,
Grow, grow to be a herder,
As tall as your daddy and mommy,
As big as your relatives,
To bring the horses from the valleys,
To get the oxen from the meadow,
To milk the cow for your mommy,
To keep the oxen for
your daddy.
This
sample might be the kind of wish or positive regard that some mothers of an
agrarian society carry in their bosoms. It is a-life-wish on the child. Strangely
enough, the one presented bellow is the direct opposite; for it is
“a-death-wish” for the baby. Mari Sarv, in her Traditional Estonian lullabies.
A tentative overview (PDF), elaborates the rationale behind the song
as a midwife’s professional pronouncement of an inevitable death of the new
born:
The song type “Sleep towards death” (Suisu
surma poole), represented with 13 texts in our material, creates an awkward
atmosphere where the singer is as if waiting or wishing for the baby’s death.
The song is quite known and widespread, but it is not clear what the context
for its use was. The comments in the typological anthology of folk songs
mention that it was sung to stubborn, bad-tempered or grumbling children.
Another note in the archive states that a midwife sung this song to announce
the parents that the baby is not going to survive.
The lyric of the Estonian “death-wish”
lullaby reads as follows:
Hush, hush, baby
Hush, baby, towards your death,
Grow, baby, towards your grave,
Limp towards the church,
Legs first, head after,
Hands crossed on the chest,
Hands in the wet sand,
Feet
in the black sod. (167)
Lullabies also become a medium for
passing judgement on children. Through lullabies the singer hands down death
and praise depending on the behavior of the children; in which the good ones
are praised while the bad ones are condemned to punishment, i, e. death and to
be stuffed in to the bag:
Hush, hush,
Good children into a cot,
Bad children into a bag,
Evil children into a pouch,
Angry children will be birched,
Wicked children into the grave,
Legs towards the black sod,
Head towards the light of the day. (168)
Still,
lullabies appear in a persuasive way of give-and-take. Some carry words of promises
wrapped in soothing melody. This involves bribery, reward and all kinds of
promises to quieten or lull the baby to sleep so that they could go to their
other affairs. One good example is “Hush little baby,” one of the most popular
American children’s’ songs, whose author and date of origin is unknown, but is
said to be from the Southern United
States. (Kent, 2017)
“Hush
little baby don’t say a word.
Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.
And if that mockingbird won’t sing,
Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring. ”
Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.
And if that mockingbird won’t sing,
Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring. ”
So
far, from the samples given, we have seen a variety of lullabies, especially
those that are creepy, and those that raise a mother’s hope and expectation; all
much to do with the mother’s emotions. From these emotions also emanate not scary
ones only, but those that are full of myths, rich in fantasies and imaginary
dream like world. For instance, consider the following lullaby of an Armenian
mother who sings to her baby sired by the sun and delivered by the moon, plays
with the stars and fed by the wild deer, and whose cradle is rocked by the
southern wind; a shining member of the heavenly bodies, if you may:
(1)
With small leaves I will cover you
The wild deer will give you milk
But she has no heart
And will give you little milk
The sun is your father
The moon is your mother
And the tree is your cradle
The south wind rocks you back and
forth
Let the stars converse with you
And the sun and moon calm you
The wild deer will offer its milk
Sleep,
sleep.[5]
As
mentioned, the main purpose of all lullabies is to sooth the child, or to
placate its anger with hypnotic melody and recurring lyrics. However, in some
cultures shifts in emphasis to convey other messages that are meant to target
mothers has been observed. Hence, some are self-ridiculing lyrics wrapped in a
soft and sweet melody, to verbally drag oneself through comedic roast.
Poor
little child of so many fathers;
Priests,
and students, and other stray wanderers.
Velle
Espeland (1995), the Norwegian folklorist and writer, who provided us with the lyrics,
makes the following plausible comments to decipher what the song is meant for:
“This
may be a useful self-therapy for a sleepless mother of a screaming child, and
as long as the rhythm (sic) and melody is in order that should not make any
difference to the child. When the child gets older and acquires a language the
lullaby changes its function. Then it is no longer necessary to sing the child
completely into sleep (1995)”.
As
Finnegan (2012: 292) contends lullabies are governed by social customs and
norms and influenced by the elements that a society constitutes. Hence, what is
supposed to be a simple, natural and sentimental song that a mother sings to
lull a baby to sleep, turns to a medium of venting a suppressed comment;
expression of insecurity, hope and expectation felt by the mother. That is not
all. In some circumstances lullabies become a medium for expressing resentment;
at times thematically subversive such that they convey complaints and anger
that emanates from the harsh treatment the hired nannies suffered in the hands
of their cruel employers. Two examples can be provided here. The first one is
the case of the Ngoni women of Malawi, and the “rank-conscious” women of Nyoro
of Uganda who are well-off economically and can hire nurse-maids from other economically
less advantageous groups to look after their children; cited by Finnegan
(ibid). The second one is the “komori-boko” of Japan that according to Lauren
Renée Castro forced teenage girls, usually of poor families, to serve a wealthy
family as a live-in nanny and look after new-born babies. Finnegan cites the
following lullaby that the resentful nurse-maids sing to vent the
disappointment they hold towards the mothers’ of the children they are looking
after:
Ha! that mother, who takes her food alone.
Ha! that mother, before she has eaten.
Ha! that mother she says, ‘Lull the children for me’.
Ha! that mother when she has finished to eat.
Ha! that mother she says ‘Give the child to me.[6]
In the case of the “komori-boko” custom of Japan teenage
girls from poor family in exchange for ninety-five pounds of rice are hired for
at least one year to work as a nanny; far away from their family. As Lauren R.
Castro (page 30) explains the working condition of these teenage girls so
gruesome that, “No matter how discontented or homesick these nannies felt, they
were never allowed to complain aloud about their feelings, as they were
supposed to be submissive to their masters.” Their only choice is to vent their
frustration through a lullaby called “Itsuki Lullaby” with a beautiful melody and
has become very popular tune in Japan. It
is read as follows:
I certainly hate
Taking care of the crying child.
They hate me for keeping the child to cry,
They hate me for keeping the child to cry.
The sleeping child's
Cuteness and innocent look!
The crying child's ugly look,
The crying child's ugly look.
I will be here until Bon Festival,
After Bon Festival, I will not be here.
If Bon Festival comes earlier, I would return home
earlier.
If Bon Festival comes earlier, I would return
home earlier. (page, 31)
So far samples of lullabies from different culture have been
presented as to show the thematic diversity of lullabies and the message they
convey as a literary medium. Hoping that they suffice as to fulfill that purpose
let us now see what the Oromoo mothers’ have in store for us.
Oromoo Lullaby and
its Background
What moral order gave
shape and content to the Oromoo lullaby? In traditional Oromoo society,
children are considered sacred; they are divine gifts to be revered; and
according to Gadaa age grading system those who are zero to
seven years of age belong to the Ittimakoo age group. As the
name indicates the Ittimakoo are the new additives to the
society. As (Lemu in Hinew 2012) notes, this period is when
lessons of socialization and acculturation of a child into the society and the Gadaa culture
begins through singing lullabies and other cultural
songs that praise children. The songs are sung by mothers, and on certain
occasions by female family members.
According to
Prof. Asmerom Legese who made a pioneering contribution to Gadaa studies children enjoy a unique privilege and are cared for by the
family as well as the society at large, because of the belief that they “are
among the principal mediators between men and God, invested with powers
and attributes similar to Kallu[1] (in Hinew 2012)
”. Hence, this belief that portrays children as cherished divine gifts seems to
have provided the bases and the rationale for the praises and adulation they
enjoy, and the blessings for the womb that carried them. This is clearly
expressed in the first segment of the lyrics of Oromoo lullaby you are
about to read below.
Ururuu… ruruu… ruruu Lull…ull…. ull
Ururuu… ruruu…
ruruu Lull…ull…. ull
Ururuu, yaa mucaa koo! Lull, baby mine, lull!
Sinbinnee yaa sinbinnee You
were not bought, no, you were not!
Saani mooraa sinbinne You were not bought with cattle from the kraal
Calleen golaa sinbinne; Neither with the beads from the stall;
Garaa toletu si fide, It is the blessed womb that brought you,
Garaa toleef haa tolu, May the blessed womb be ever blessed
Waaqa kenneef haa kennu. May Waaqaa who granted you, be granted.
Aannanii boossu dhugi If it is milk that you are crying for, drink more
Qabeen qammana hin qabu It is not curdled in the gourd
Qoraasee sii na qeeraa; In a freshly fumigated container I have poured;
Hirribaa jettu rafi If it is sleep that you are crying for
Itilleen huuba hin qabu There is no smut in the bed
Haxaayee sii afeeraa. I have swept it clean, go to sleep, go ahead.
Mucaakoo maaltu dhaanee? Who dare punished my baby?
Qananiitu dhaane malee Indulgence dare punished my baby
Kooratu boossisa malee; Pride made my baby cry
Kooraa haboowuu lakkisi Pride, let him cry turn him loose
Qananii hin lakkisini. Indulgence, hold him tight like a noose.
Xinnaayyoon hamma qubaa My little one is thumb-size, it’s a fact
Urgaan damma qumbii ti But his smell is honey myrrh-extract
Mi’aan damma soogiddaa ti. And sweet like honey made of salt.
Saani mooraa sinbinne You were not bought with cattle from the kraal
Calleen golaa sinbinne; Neither with the beads from the stall;
Garaa toletu si fide, It is the blessed womb that brought you,
Garaa toleef haa tolu, May the blessed womb be ever blessed
Waaqa kenneef haa kennu. May Waaqaa who granted you, be granted.
Aannanii boossu dhugi If it is milk that you are crying for, drink more
Qabeen qammana hin qabu It is not curdled in the gourd
Qoraasee sii na qeeraa; In a freshly fumigated container I have poured;
Hirribaa jettu rafi If it is sleep that you are crying for
Itilleen huuba hin qabu There is no smut in the bed
Haxaayee sii afeeraa. I have swept it clean, go to sleep, go ahead.
Mucaakoo maaltu dhaanee? Who dare punished my baby?
Qananiitu dhaane malee Indulgence dare punished my baby
Kooratu boossisa malee; Pride made my baby cry
Kooraa haboowuu lakkisi Pride, let him cry turn him loose
Qananii hin lakkisini. Indulgence, hold him tight like a noose.
Xinnaayyoon hamma qubaa My little one is thumb-size, it’s a fact
Urgaan damma qumbii ti But his smell is honey myrrh-extract
Mi’aan damma soogiddaa ti. And sweet like honey made of salt.
In the first seven lines the mother sings songs of
gratitude for Waaqaa and the womb that made the child possible. The second portion is full of
praise for her baby. The poem is geared towards a specific gender. The mother
showers the baby with adulation. The child’s smell and sweetness is praised excessively. She sings how mollycoddled her child is, and wishes for the indulgence
to be ever continuing. The mother rather seems to be worshiping this “holy” and
“principal mediator between man and God”; and sounds as if she makes offerings
and libation to him in the form of milk, rather than in a style that any mother
feeds and lulls an ordinary baby to sleep.
In the following stanza the mother’s activity is
metaphorically expressed. Her wish of becoming a mother of a large family
suggests her vulnerability to the unpredictable life she leads; her insecurity,
especially of old age. Thus she justifies her wishes by stating the benefit of
having as many children as possible. Children for her are a source of security,
a sort of life insurance that one turns to in case of emergency, sickness and
death.
Ururuu yaa
mucaakoo…! Lull… baby mine; lull…!
Mucaakoo xinnayyookoo Baby mine little one
Haati mucaa simbira A baby’s mom is like a bird
Obboroo kaatee wacci At dawn you hear her chirping
Barii kaatee dubbatti. Rises and talks in the morning.
Mucaakoo xinnayyookoo Baby mine little one
Haati mucaa simbira A baby’s mom is like a bird
Obboroo kaatee wacci At dawn you hear her chirping
Barii kaatee dubbatti. Rises and talks in the morning.
Haadha mucaa na godhi Make
me a baby’s mom, God
Obboroo na dammaqsi Wake me up at dawn
Warra guddaa na godhi Make me a large family
Waarii natti dheeressi. Make my evening long and homely.
Haati guddayyoo qabdu A mother who has the little one
Baddu barbaada hin dhabdu Has a search party if lost
Duutu awwaala hin dhabdu. a funeral party if dead.
Guddaayyoo maaltu dhaanee? Who dare punished my baby?
Qananiitu dhaane malee Indulgence dare punished my baby
Kooratu boossisa malee; Pride made my baby cry
Koora haa boowuu lakkisi Pride, let him cry, turn him lose
Qananii hin lakkisini; Indulgence, hold him tight like a noose.
Qananii ilma lubaa Indulgent son of a counsellor,
Kooraa ilma qondaalaa. Proud son of a hero.
Obboroo na dammaqsi Wake me up at dawn
Warra guddaa na godhi Make me a large family
Waarii natti dheeressi. Make my evening long and homely.
Haati guddayyoo qabdu A mother who has the little one
Baddu barbaada hin dhabdu Has a search party if lost
Duutu awwaala hin dhabdu. a funeral party if dead.
Guddaayyoo maaltu dhaanee? Who dare punished my baby?
Qananiitu dhaane malee Indulgence dare punished my baby
Kooratu boossisa malee; Pride made my baby cry
Koora haa boowuu lakkisi Pride, let him cry, turn him lose
Qananii hin lakkisini; Indulgence, hold him tight like a noose.
Qananii ilma lubaa Indulgent son of a counsellor,
Kooraa ilma qondaalaa. Proud son of a hero.
The complexity of the lyric formation
in Oromoo lullaby can be observed from the usage of different literary
devices such as imagery, simile, symbolism, and digression. In collaboration
they make the song a manifest of the mother’s role and the traditional
responsibility that society assigns to a woman in general, i. e., procreation,
rearing children and housekeeping. It conveys her dream of creating a big family, and becoming an
industrious house wife, a morning bird of the family, if you may. The song is more than a
lullaby; it rather is an expression of her hopes, aspirations, expectation
and in/security. The mother expresses her gratitude to Waaqaa for
making her fertile, and her fear for his wrath. She praises her child,
paints him with an exaggerated brush; like enduing him with the status of
a counsellor’s offspring, or a hero’s offspring – regardless of the family’s
economic class or social status. Traces
of the initial humour eliciting (a subtle one) phrases, especially similes,
- such as likening the waist of the child to that of a heifer wasp can be
observed.
The following final stanza is a digression of the
mother from the earthly affairs to address the heavenly affairs. She
temporarily departs from praising the baby to addressing the mighty and miraculous
power of Waaqaa that expresses itself through devastation as
well as protection. She promises offerings to Waaqaa’s temple
and glorifies His benevolence in protecting and bring-up the
baby that He granted her, while at the same time she underestimates the role of
the giver
(the husband) in getting the baby.
Kennaatu namaa kenna It
is the giver that gives
Waaqatu namaa guddisa. It
is Waaqaa that up-brings.
Kennaan galata miti No
gratitude for the giver
Guddisatu
galata; Gratitude
is for the up-bringer,
In the final lines of the lullaby she addresses the
paradoxical aspect of tolerating something that is unpleasant because of
what makes it bearable on the side; - the uncleanliness of the groin and
the slimness of the waste. She juxtaposes the chest filled with drools with the
dreadlocks loose-hair; and the unclean groins, with the slimy waste that
she equates with that of a heifer wasp. She compensates one
for the other and graciously praises Waaqaa for giving her
that baby.
Adamoo keessa roobee It
rained in the hunting grounds
Dakkuu lummuccuu dhaye and ruined the tattered hide-dress
Somaayyuu jajallisa; It twisted the lance shaft; what a mess
Elemaa keessa roobee During milking time it rained
Gaadii lummuccuu dhayee And the milking strap it ruined
Okolee jajallisa; The milking utensil it twisted.
Kennaatu namaa kenna It is the giver that gives
Waaqatu namaa guddisa. It is Waaqaa that up-brings.
Kennaan galata miti No gratitude for the giver
Guddisatu galata; Gratitude is for the up-bringer,
Galatakee hin balleessu I will uphold your gratitude
Tolakee hin irraanfadhu. Never forget your generous mood.
Yaa kennaa anaa kennee O the giver, who gave me thou
Yaa Waaqa anaa guddisee O Waaqaa, who made him grow,
Sooyee Yaabaloo Galmaa A Yaabaloo rush-plant for your temple
Dakkuu lummuccuu dhaye and ruined the tattered hide-dress
Somaayyuu jajallisa; It twisted the lance shaft; what a mess
Elemaa keessa roobee During milking time it rained
Gaadii lummuccuu dhayee And the milking strap it ruined
Okolee jajallisa; The milking utensil it twisted.
Kennaatu namaa kenna It is the giver that gives
Waaqatu namaa guddisa. It is Waaqaa that up-brings.
Kennaan galata miti No gratitude for the giver
Guddisatu galata; Gratitude is for the up-bringer,
Galatakee hin balleessu I will uphold your gratitude
Tolakee hin irraanfadhu. Never forget your generous mood.
Yaa kennaa anaa kennee O the giver, who gave me thou
Yaa Waaqa anaa guddisee O Waaqaa, who made him grow,
Sooyee Yaabaloo Galmaa A Yaabaloo rush-plant for your temple
Aboottee bishaan
galmaa A
palm-full of water for your temple
Deesistuu mucaa galmaa A mid-wife for your temple
Ajjeesaa faacha galmaa A hunter’s trophy for your temple
Guddoo guduruu reeraa Baby with hair dreadlocks loose
Guddoo qoma gororaa Baby with a chest full of drools
Kaldhichoo bixxillee dha A tiny leather mat for his nap
Mudaamuddiin xurii dha His groin needs cleaning up
Deesistuu mucaa galmaa A mid-wife for your temple
Ajjeesaa faacha galmaa A hunter’s trophy for your temple
Guddoo guduruu reeraa Baby with hair dreadlocks loose
Guddoo qoma gororaa Baby with a chest full of drools
Kaldhichoo bixxillee dha A tiny leather mat for his nap
Mudaamuddiin xurii dha His groin needs cleaning up
Mudhiin soonsa goromsaa. But,
his waist is that of a heifer wasp.
The Ittimakoo age group enjoy
lullaby until they reach the maximum age of two years, after which lulling a
child to bed might not be necessary.
[1]Kallu or Qaalluu in Oromoo traditional
religion – Waaqeffanna – is,what a priest in
Christianity is. He is the mediator between God (Waaqaa) and man.
[2]Source:
All the Oromoo lullabies are from The Galla (Oromoo) Spelling Book (1894:
48-50) by Onesimos Nesib, in Moncullo, Eritrea. All the translations are by the
author.
[1]Rivka Galchen (2015): The
Melancholy Mystery of Lullabies: On the bonds made between
parents and children during a night ritual.
The New York Times (Feature) Oct. 14, 2015.
[2] The reader can get a detailed
background history of Lillibullero at:
[3]
The origin of the reminder is a story that narrates about a
child who is said to have started crying for reasons unknown to the parents and
wouldn’t stop. To scare the child to silence the parents said: “Unless you stop
crying this very minute we shall throw you out to the hyena.” It happens that a
hyena was passing by while this was said, and he overheard this good news and
sat down waiting for the child to be thrown out so that he could grab it for a
snack. Time went by and the child stopped crying; and serenity was back to the
house finally. But the hyena was still waiting for his snack. And when the
waiting became unbearably long, he reminded the seemingly forgetful parents by
enquiring: “How about that child you mentioned a while ago?”
[4] Arika Okrent (2015):12 Creepy Lullabies From Around the World
That Will Keep You Up at Night.
* Nina Perry: The
universal language of lullabies
[6]Bansisa in Finnegan 1936: 110
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