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What Happens When A Mother’s Song Transcends The Ages?
Exploring a traditional African poem and its messages for us today
Mothers’ Song
When a son leaves our womb,
We are joyously glad;
The gladness heals us.
When he leaves our larger womb,
The village, we lie torn, bleeding:
There is no healing, no healing
until a son returns to us,
There is no healing;
Only when he returns
Can there be healing.
Oh, oh, our sons,
Stay with us now
Until we come together
In the town of the dead. ~Loma[Translated by Esther Warner]*
The first time I read this poem, it carried with it the feeling of great joy and great loss, all at once.
How can I feel these things at the same time?
I discovered that this poem may be ancient, I’m not sure, but it is a traditional African poem. Meaning it was chanted or sung at some point by a chorus of people.
In this case, the women of a village.
Anatomy of Mothers’ Song
I highlighted certain words. Words that we all understand that transcends time.
When a son leaves our womb,
We are joyously glad;
The gladness heals us.
