Adam Melkamu

The Farmer In Chaha

O man who cultivates the field, how great is your merit!
Wealth flows out from your fingers
The sea gushes out in front of your home
The crippled person comes to your house to beg
You share with him your produce
Because of this you receive blessing
The orphan comes to your door to beg
You share with him your produce
Because of this you receive blessing
The ants will not eat your fingers
When you die you are destined for Paradise
If you continue to live, you are destined for blessing

Image result for ethiopian farm
https://commons.wikimedia.org
Biographical information
This poem is a folk song created by the Gurage people. They are a people group the lives in southwest Ethiopia. The Gurage invest a lot of time in cultivating their crops so it is a important part of their culture. This poem has no known author but rather is a well known folk song passed from generation to generation. On africanpoems.net there are a colection of songs like this with similar topics collected by Walda Sanbat Banti.

Analysis
The poem is about a hard working farmer and their rewards. As well as the farmers good deeds. The speaker is a person praising the farmer. They believe that the farmer is hardworking and deserves the rewards that they receive. When the author says "wealth flows out from your fingers" it is a metaphor that the author uses to express the rewards of the farmer for hard work. I think that ants will not eat your fingers is a idiom for another harmful thing that could happen to a lazy farmer. Another example of figurative language is when the author says "The sea gushes out in front of your home" it is a metaphor for the prosperity of the farmer. I believe the tone is sanguine. They are cheerful of their hard work and their rewards. They are optimistic of the farmers future. I think the theme is that if you put in hard work you will be rewarded abundantly.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 21, 2019 at 11:08 AM

    The poem you chose was very uplifting and cheerful. It described the prosperity of farming which you mentioned was a common job for the Gurage people. I agree with you saying that the tone is Sanguine. I also agree with the statement "They are cheerful of their hard work and their rewards" because the song/poem is all about farmers prosperity. In conclusion I liked your analysis and agreed with your points made.

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