Gungu Dance Song

Give me a chair, that I may sit down, And soothe my Mananazi, That I may soothe my wife, Who takes away my grief and heaviness. She stands under the door, When I go out to walk, When I go out on business, She tells her servants, And says to them, "Sada and Rehema, "Cook, and do not delay, "Cook, and make haste, "Cook rice and curry." If she finds I stay long, She sends her slave girl, "Look for him in the Sultan's way, "Or there with the sovereign prince, "Look for him on the seats at his brother's, "Or at his mother's, his aunt's, "And take him, come with him quickly, "(What are you doing till this time?) "And tell him, 'Master, you are called, Let us go quickly, do not be slow, "Your delay makes her weary of standing, And tears come from her eyes.' "And tell him, 'Let us go, go before, I am coming, And comfort her that she may leave grieving.' "And follow him behind, walking elegantly, "As he smells of musk and ambergris." When he goes and salutes her, The child of Hejaz replies to him, At once she rises and stands, And puts her hand on his shoulder. And he prays for her to God the Lord of all, "O mother, may God supply your needs." And the mistress lifts up her hand, And puts it up to the bamboo, And takes down a large cloth of ancient work With a beautiful border woven into it. And he puts a handkerchief to her eyes. The child of his father and child of his aunt. And she says to him, "Master, let us sit down "Do not stand over much, and make yourself tired, "Call that Timé, let her come "Quickly, and leave off sleeping, "Let her dish up an Indian pillaw, "With raisins without curry. "Bring a fine European chair, "And a good Persian tray "Engraved with engravings, "And a dish shining like the moon." And she says, "Let the slaves come too, "Why are you not singing?" Immediately it is laid for him. And Timé has taken the water bottle, In it has been put the juice of raisins, And she makes him drink it like a drinker of wine. And she feeds him, putting morsels in his mouth, And shows him a good place for lying down. Giving him to chew betel leaf from Siwi, Soft and smooth from Ozi. She folds it and puts it into his mouth, With cardamoms and almonds. I have finished praising the girl, My choice one, Mananazi.

Mother take me that I may see, may see Beauty and ornaments at Ungama, That I may see the tower adorned, adorned. And dressed up for honour. And those adorned children, children, They have put on bracelets and collars. They have put on gold frontlets and turbans, turbans With fringes before and behind. They wear clothes most choice, most choice, With slaves before and behind, They hold up swords and shields, and shields, One is astonished to see them. There is come a Comoro man with a pot, a pot, He has come wanting strife, There is come a Galla with a low, a bow, He has come wanting to fight. We will build against them a wall, a wall, That they may not come to us into the town.