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The Image of Water in the Poetry of Euphrase Kezilahabi the Image of Water in the Poetry of Euphrase Kezilahabi

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The Image of Water in the Poetry of Euphrase Kezilahabi the Image of Water in the Poetry of Euphrase Kezilahabi THE IMAGE OF WATER IN THE POETRY OF EUPHRASE KEZILAHABI THE IMAGE OF WATER IN THE POETRY OF EUPHRASE KEZILAHABI KATRIINA RANNE Studia Orientalia 118 THE IMAGE OF WATER IN THE POETRY OF EUPHRASE KEZILAHABI KATRIINA RANNE Helsinki 2016 The Image of Water in the Poetry of Euphrase Kezilahabi Katriina Ranne Studia Orientalia, vol. 118 Copyright © 2016 by the Finnish Oriental Society Editor Lotta Aunio Co-Editor Sari Nieminen Advisory Editorial Board Axel Fleisch (African Studies) Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila (Arabic and Islamic Studies) Tapani Harviainen (Semitic Studies) Arvi Hurskainen (African Studies) Juha Janhunen (Altaic and East Asian Studies) Hannu Juusola (Middle Eastern and Semitic Studies) Klaus Karttunen (South Asian Studies) Kaj Öhrnberg (Arabic and Islamic Studies) Heikki Palva (Arabic Linguistics) Asko Parpola (South Asian Studies) Simo Parpola (Assyriology) Rein Raud (Japanese Studies) Saana Svärd (Assyriology) Jaana Toivari-Viitala (Egyptology) Typesetting Lotta Aunio Sari Nieminen ISSN 0039-3282 ISBN 978-951-9380-90-2 Picaset Oy Helsinki 2016 CONTENTS PREFACE ...........................................................................................................ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .....................................................................................xi 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Untouched water ...............................................................................................1 1.2 Kezilahabi and his splash in poetry .................................................................. 4 1.3 Traditional or traditionalist, modern or modernist ......................................... 8 1.4 Kezilahabi’s works ..........................................................................................10 1.5 Dividing waters ............................................................................................... 13 1.6 Flowing lines and memories ...........................................................................16 1.7 Research questions ..........................................................................................21 2. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE ........................................................................ 25 2.1 Image: Reaching to the skies feet on the ground ...........................................25 2.2 Matter, deeper than language ........................................................................ 29 2.3 Infinite shades of experience ..........................................................................34 2.4 Tsur’s continuums of fluidity–coherence .....................................................40 2.5 Listening to the palpable .................................................................................43 2.6 Expressive sound underneath phonemes .......................................................47 2.7 Sensing images and imagining senses .............................................................53 2.8 Conclusions .....................................................................................................57 3. THE IMAGE OF WATER IN TRADITIONAL SWAHILI POETRY ........................ 59 3.1 Water from Allah ...........................................................................................60 3.1.1 Pouring with blessing .................................................................................62 3.1.2 The Purified Prophet .................................................................................68 vi 3.1.3 Rivers that wash sins out ............................................................................72 3.1.4 The World will dry up ...............................................................................76 3.1.5 Streams of fire and blood ........................................................................... 80 3.2 Water of people ...............................................................................................87 3.2.1 Raging waves, vain foam ........................................................................... 90 3.2.2 MajiMaji, ‘WaterWater’ ............................................................................95 3.2.3 Swimming and sailing in love ....................................................................98 3.2.4 Blend of water and erotic ......................................................................... 101 3.3 Conclusions .................................................................................................. 109 4. THE IMAGE OF WATER IN MODERN SWAHILI POETRY .............................. 113 4.1 New streams ................................................................................................. 114 4.1.1 High, fast, strong ...................................................................................... 114 4.1.2 Unswimmable world .................................................................................117 4.1.3 The One above the waters........................................................................ 119 4.1.4 Goodness to bathe in ................................................................................ 122 4.1.5 Currents of life ......................................................................................... 124 4.1.6 Sensual streams ........................................................................................ 129 4.2 Conclusions .................................................................................................. 132 5. THE IMAGE OF WATER IN KEZILAHABI’S WORKS .......................................135 5.1 Water-imbued world view ............................................................................ 135 5.1.1 Drops of goodness .....................................................................................135 5.1.2 Obstacles and dependence ........................................................................ 138 5.1.3 Might that drowns .................................................................................... 141 5.1.4 Over-flooding threat .................................................................................146 5.2 Water as mind ...............................................................................................149 5.2.1 Water as image of creativity .....................................................................149 5.2.2. Immersions in subconsciousness .............................................................153 5.2.3 A Nightmare in water ...............................................................................157 5.2.4 Steamed into hallucination .......................................................................160 vii 5.3 Liquid ethics .................................................................................................. 165 5.3.1 Through water into purity ....................................................................... 165 5.3.2 Washing the past ......................................................................................170 5.3.3 Judges within water .................................................................................. 174 5.3.4 Drowning and destroying ........................................................................ 176 5.3.5 Poisoned purity .........................................................................................180 5.3.6 Watering with blood ................................................................................ 182 5.4 Conclusions ...................................................................................................186 6. THE IMAGE OF WATER IN CONSTRUCTING THE IDEA OF LIFE IN KEZILAHABI’S POETRY .............................................................................. 189 6.1 Concepts of time and life ..............................................................................189 6.2 Concepts of life in Swahili ...........................................................................193 6.3. Maisha: Life-span and the world ................................................................196 6.3.1. Water as life-span ....................................................................................196 6.3.2 Water as life in the world......................................................................... 197 6.4 Uhai: Being alive ......................................................................................... 202 6.4.1 Dew, touch of life .....................................................................................203 6.4.2 Drinking the finite elixir .........................................................................205 6.5 Uzima: Vitality ............................................................................................. 211 6.6 Desire and procreation ................................................................................. 212 6.7 Death .............................................................................................................219 6.7.1 Drying – dying ......................................................................................... 219 6.7.2 Being dead – being dry ............................................................................222 6.8 Conclusions: Catch of the submersion ........................................................224 REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 229 Primary sources .................................................................................................229
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