Navigation auf uzh.ch

Suche

English Department The Liberian Literature Project

The Old Stream

 
 
 
 
5
 
 
 
 
10
 
 
 
 
15
 
 
 
 
20
 
 
 
 
25
 
 
 
 
30
 
 
 
 
35
 
 
 
 
40

 

 

Rays of sunlight streaming bright
blinding strokes
strike the stream
the stream speaks
it lives
it provides our needs
our ancestors are in it
the stream runs
it visits
the stream carries messages
from village to village
our ancestors send greetings
our fathers are not dead
they are searching
searching for life
the life after life
our fathers are not dead
they are for life
o stream of ancient power
your powers are not lost
our fathers' canoe
rode gallantly
on your watery surface
they went to war
to feasts
to fish
to collect the harvest
up and down stream
toward the sun
no longer do our canoes
rest upon your glassy body
no longer do our fathers
ride your calm surface
our canoes are
resting now
your surface is resting
it is resting
they form a link
between our past and present
between our fathers and us
a link
though strained
never breaks.

                                        (July 31, 1965)

Source

Khasu, Kona. “The Old Stream.” The Seeds of Time: A Collection of Poems. Mimeographed typescript. Monrovia, 1971. 22–23.

Editorial Changes

Line Typescript Changed to
[title] THE OLD STREAM The Old Stream
3 strikes the stream strike the stream
4 the stream speak the stream speaks
22 rode galliantly rode gallantly
39 between our the past and present between our past and present

Weiterführende Informationen

The Liberian Literature Project

Project Editor: Martin Mühlheim

UZH English Department, Plattenstrasse 47, CH-8032 Zürich, Switzerland

Email / Homepage