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    The Mwindo Epic

    Uploaded by

    Mathias Ochuko
    The epic narrative tells the story of Mwindo, who dwells in a drum located in a pool of water. While maidens are drawing water, Mwindo sings two songs from within the drum. In the first song, he says farewell to Shemwindo and predicts that Shemwindo's counselors will fail him. In the second song, Mwindo challenges Kasiyembe and says that if they die, it will be for him, as they dance to music provided by Shirungu.

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    The Mwindo Epic

    Uploaded by

    Mathias Ochuko
    217 views2 pages
    The epic narrative tells the story of Mwindo, who dwells in a drum located in a pool of water. While maidens are drawing water, Mwindo sings two songs from within the drum. In the first song, he says farewell to Shemwindo and predicts that Shemwindo's counselors will fail him. In the second song, Mwindo challenges Kasiyembe and says that if they die, it will be for him, as they dance to music provided by Shirungu.

    Original Description:

    African Poet

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    The epic narrative tells the story of Mwindo, who dwells in a drum located in a pool of water. While maidens are drawing water, Mwindo sings two songs from within the drum. In the first song, he says farewell to Shemwindo and predicts that Shemwindo's counselors will fail him. In the second song, Mwindo challenges Kasiyembe and says that if they die, it will be for him, as they dance to music provided by Shirungu.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    217 views2 pages

    The Mwindo Epic

    Uploaded by

    Mathias Ochuko
    The epic narrative tells the story of Mwindo, who dwells in a drum located in a pool of water. While maidens are drawing water, Mwindo sings two songs from within the drum. In the first song, he says farewell to Shemwindo and predicts that Shemwindo's counselors will fail him. In the second song, Mwindo challenges Kasiyembe and says that if they die, it will be for him, as they dance to music provided by Shirungu.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    THE MWINDO EPIC

    Banyanga, Congo
    [This epic narrative is another example of a story in which songs are central to the plot and the
    style of narration. Two songs from the epic are presented below. ]

    … While the maidens were in the act of drawing water and still had their attention fixed
    there toward the drum [on the surface of the water], Mwindo, where he dwelt in the drum
    in the pool, threw sweet words into his mouth; he sang:
    Scribe, move on!
    I am saying farewell
    to Shemwindo! I am
    saying farewell to
    Shemwindo! I shall
    die, oh! Bira!
    My little father threw me
    into the drum! I shall die,
    Mwindo!
    The counselors abandoned
    Shemwindo; The
    counselors will become
    dried leaves. The
    counselors of Shemwindo,
    The counselors of Shemwindo,
    The counselors have failed (in
    their) counseling! My little
    father, little Shemwindo,
    My little father threw me into the drum
    I shall not die, whereas (that) little-
    one will survive! The little-one is
    joining Iyangura,
    The little-one is
    joining Iyangura,
    Iyangura, the sister of
    Shemwindo.

    ... Mwindo sang; he howled, he said:


    Kasiyembe, you are powerless
    against Mwindo, For Mwindo is
    the Little-one-just-born-he-
    walked. Kasiyembe said: ‘Let us
    dance together.’ Shirungu, give us
    a morceau!
    If we die, we will die for you.
    Kasengeri is dancing with his
    conga-scepter, Conga-scepter
    of nderema-fibers.
    I am saying farewell to Mpumba,
    My Mpumba with many raphia bunches.

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