Mkata wa maneno The Word Cutter

Mkata wa maneno

Zacheka nami zangu chekeo
               zacheka zafurahika
Sina mawazo    kichwani leo
               Bado hayajarauka ...
 
Nadhani ni asubuhi
               imeanza kuchipuka
Nayo ndiyo sababu
               ya moyo kuliwazika
na huu mdundo mtamu
               mwema ulotandazika
 
Najichekea ... kwani najua vyema
kwamba sijazoea hali hii tabasama
ijitembezayo kwa shairi na kwa ngoma
ikichezacheza nami ... ikininyegeza kama mke na mume
                                                          kama wapenzi daima
 
Najua sijaizoea hali hii ya furaha na shauku
                ijigambayo kwa mchana na usiku
                kufuata mtindo wa manju kila siku
                ... kufuata anasa za dunia
 
Ndipo nikawa mkata...
              mkata wa maneno ya furaha na amani
                                            ya mahaba au dini
maneno ya kufifisha kisasi cha mja
                juu ya maisha duniani
                maneno ya kushinda vita vya nyoyoni
                hivyo vita vya ndani kwa ndani.
 
Neno langu ni maumivu tu, ni mashaka
Ndipo kapendelea mwenendo wa kale ...
                                                                 fikira kutoziandika.
 

Kukata maneno = to make a decision, or, to interrupt someone’s speech. Literally: to cut words. From this this compound verb Mazrui has created a compound noun mkata maneno, referring to a person in an ambiguous way; later in the poem it becomes apparent that the literal meaning, which normally would be overriden by the phrasal meaning, is crucial in this case.

The Word Cutter

My laughter laughs with me
      laughing joyfully
I don't have any thoughts in my head today
      they haven't woken up yet
 
I think it's morning
      dawn is breaking
And that's precisely the reason
      for the heart to be calm
and why this sweet beat
      resonates
 
I laugh to myself... for I know
I'm not used to this smile
that strolls through a poem and a dance
laughing with me... exciting me like a wife with her husband
                                                  like lovers forever
 
I'm not used to this joyfulness and passion
      that leads me day and night
      to sing along with the chorus
      ... to follow the pleasures of the world
 
So I decided...
      to cut off the words of joy and belief
            of love or religion
words that would temper the slave's revenge
       words that would win the war with hearts within
       as well as the wars within borders
 
My only word is suffering
So I prefer the old way...
      thoughts not written
 

A poem that could only have been written by a poet who has dedicated his life to political activity, ‘The Word Cutter’ gives a fascinating insight to the dilemma faced by those intent on political change who feel challenged or uneasy at the deleterious effects they worry that joy can have on the serious endeavour of political struggle. Whether the conflict articulated in ‘The Word Cutter’ is something the poet himself has struggled with, or whether he’s commenting (perhaps with a degree of irony?) on what he’s witnessed others experiencing, the poem (of course) cannot reveal….

Decider/Interrupter/The one (who) cut off of words

They laugh with me my laughters
            they laugh they enjoy
I don't have thoughts    in my head today
            They have not yet woken up [got up early in the morning] ...
 
I think it is morning
            it has started to dawn
And that exactly is the reason
            for the heart to become calm
and this sweet beat
            good [beat] that spreads
 
I laugh with myself... for I know well
that I have not become accustomed to this smile
that walks itself around through a poem and a dance
laughing with me ... exiting me like a wife with the husband
                                                    like lovers forever/eternally/always
 
I know I have not become accustomed to this state of joy and
eagerness/passion/enthusiasm
            that encourages by day and night
            to follow the style/way/manner of the leader of singing every day
            ... to follow the pleasures of the world
 
So I decided ...
            to cut off of words of joy and belief  (or: I interrupted / the words of joy
etc. Or: I was cut off / of words)
                           of love and religion
words to make the revenge of the servant fade away
            from the life in the world
            words to win the wars in the hearts
            as well as the wars within / civil wars.
 
My word is just suffering, [it] is worries   (My only word is suffering, worries)
So I prefer the old way ...
            thoughts not to be written.
 

Kukata maneno = to make a decision, or, to interrupt someone’s speech. Literally: to cut words. From this this compound verb Mazrui has created a compound noun mkata maneno, referring to a person in an ambiguous way; later in the poem it becomes apparent that the literal meaning, which normally would be overriden by the phrasal meaning, is crucial in this case.

Original Poem by

Alamin Mazrui

Translated by

Katriina Ranne with The Poetry Translation Workshop Language

Swahili

Country

Kenya