ME NANA PԐN SO

ME NANA PԐN SO

Wo se dԑn?

Na wo se dԑn koraa na womma mani nkↄ adwabↄ yi?

Abrekyire katawere a wasↄ tswaaaan, osiden te kassa bi?

Me nim sԑ me nana nkansoa de amoansene na yԑ bra

Nanso nkantanhuruye yareԑ biara anhunahuna ne bra

Afei aden na wopԑ sԑ wo de abrabↄ mmra nkantannkantan kyekyere me bra?

Aduane a mepԑ ne bankye atwerԑm ne mmako shraka

Nea ԑye me fԑ ne sԑ mredi na nfroto kↄbↄn eesan me hwenemu

Mpa a mepԑ ne afrↄtↄ mu srԑ a yԑde ahoma akeka asi ani, a enfui ne nnduee asԑpԑ wↄn adwabↄ mframa agum

Dede a mepԑ ne ntontom, sonkronsuo ne aketekyire nnwom

Mfoni a mepԑ ne sԑ meda onini- brane sie so rehwԑ wiemu nsroma ne ↄsrane a apae weseee

Ntaadeԑ a mepԑ ne nnwuramu mmoahwuma a yede krokrokoko ntakra a senasena mu kiteee

Edan a mani sa ne nnↄte dan a yede nantweye bin a emu apie asie

Aanne, kanea wopԑ, kanea wopԑ nagyae masum dede

Hunu sԑ anibiye yi nnyinaa mennkyiri

Nanso sԑ kↄntoa antwe ne kↄn tenteeeentene a, anka ahoma ankↄ sↄ ne kↄn

Me dwene baabi a mefire

Me nana Aduse Pokua, aduse ahweneԑ kaa sԑ

Kyenkyenee wↄhↄ yi; ԑde nsԑm pↄↄlↄ nsԑm piili na ԑba

Ne mmrԑ mu no, na amanfoↄ nkum nnipa nfa nkↄ daadaa abrↄfo

Me nana pԑn so no, na Nyarewa bekyene adwene kԑseԑ biara nni hↄ

Me nana pԑn so no na ↄshiwo koono a emuyԑden sԑԑ mmↄ wiase

Afei, na matiwo, makawo, makuwo, efirisԑ wo wↄ ade a mani bere biara nni hↄ

ԑnԑ yi, mmbrekyie ne nntwea bↄ duku twa mpowa akԑseԑ

Aane, wↄn ne nnipa momoa bebree yԑ yԑn nnipa mmpanyinfoↄ, ahunyade nti

Wↄka ne sԑn? Nsakↄ na nsa aba,

Enti amanfoↄ di nkatabranesԑm de pԑ ahonyadeԑ

Daabi, Daabi ooo, daabi!

Aboa ofiam wↄ hↄ yi, ne hu wↄ nka,

Obiara nim sԑ ofiam ho wↄ nka

Dwene nia wopԑ biara, naanso ne ho nka na ԑgye ne nkwa

Enti mame ntena me nkurasesԑm mu na maankↄtↄ afidee biara mu

Na mmredwen me ho yԑ sene sԑ mԑ dane adwene ada nsuo dԑԑdԑ mu ama huhuↄ bi abԑ yi me akↄ we.

 

MEANING OF THE POEM

It is in the Akan language of Ghana. The title means, ‘in the time of my grandmother’. It starts with a rhetorical question, what are you saying?

The persona talks about the local foods, sounds and things he/she likes and will not trade for anything, like the cooked cassava and raw grounded pepper, sounds of mosquitoes, and crickets and rooms built with clay and cow dung, lying on an anthill of a python watching the stars and the moon etc.

The persona explains that during the time of his/her grandmother, there were no complications in life.

There were no serious illnesses and living was simple, this much hate was not in this world. The persona tells the audience that he/she is heeding to the advice of his/her grandmother to live a simple life. He/she says there is a type of rat that has a terrible odour. This rat mostly lives long thanks to the odour so he/she will live quietly instead of turning into the mud-fish that chooses to bathe in enjoyable waters only to be caught, killed and eaten by a stranger.