For Ellis H. Evans 1887-1917 The Shepherd war poet Hedd Wynn
Many Moons ago
before I was born
a story was told of a great king
called Kuva Likenye
With tears in his eyes,
Kuva invoked ancient spirits
they heard his voice,
his lamentations,
they came singing.
‘’Djembe Kumbi
Eezrewa Etongi
Etongi Ndi Mawongor
Wanna Wa Njuma Ezraweya
Evonda ya Njuma emuka
Ja’ataneya ndo Mavanni’’.
With the spirits, Kuva built a wall, a kortoh,
outside the Kortoh,
German war machine raged.
Many moons ago
before morning breeze greeted my face,
a war was fought in a distant land.
It was, as Owen said,
‘’Dim through the misty panes,
and thick green light.
As under a green sea’’,
’That old lie’’,
in droves they died.
Hedd Wyn went,
a journey of no return.
Beyond the horizon
young boys
young girls’,
quake in their boots
of what might or might not come
from behind the wall.
Mothers dressed in sackcloth
pciking empty bullets shells,
in reverse.
In this fight,
in this great war,
only the maggots win.
Many moons ago
tales were told of soldiers –
dead and buried in distant lands
souls roaming
craving for one last journey home,
Hedd Wyn was there,
lost.
They found them dead at dawn,
bodies littered here and there
holes on their helmets
one soldier, eyes open,
as if following the path of his death,
In his right hand was a note.
NB: ‘‘Djembe Kumbi
Eezrewa Etongi
Etongi Ndi Mawongor
Wanna Wa Njuma Ezraweya
Evonda ya Njuma emuka
Ja’ataneya ndo Mavanni’’.
(The djembe is playing loud
the Ezrewa (war gong) sounds
it speaks of ill winds, danger
Children of War heed the message
the time for war is here
let us meet at the border crossing)
Kortoh: A protective wall built by Kuva Likenye the mountain King who mobilised the Bakweri people to resist the German penetration of Buea in 1891
Eric Ngalle Charles
About Eric Ngalle Charles
Eric Ngalle Charles is a poet, dramatist and novelist, originally from Buea in Cameroon. He runs Black Entertainment Wales, an arts organisation that provides a platform for artists in BME communities to showcase their work. His work explores the links between literature and trauma to look at how creativity can be used as a means of overcoming trauma.