Part I: 25 Sonnets of Ancient Nigerian Cities
Image of Ife
Ife
City in Nigeria
Ile-Ife: The First Footfall
Where Oduduwa stepped upon the clay,
And cast the earth upon the endless deep;
The gods descended in a golden ray,
While mortal souls in silence lay asleep.
The cradle of the world began right here,
In forest shadows where the spirit thrives;
Where terra-cotta faces, calm and clear,
Preserved the glory of a thousand lives.
Oh, spiritual heart of all our race,
The Ooni guards the staff of ancient stone;
In every lineament of a bronze-cast face,
A lineage of kings remains well-known.
Before the sun of foreign flags arose,
The Ife spirit found its long repose.
Image of Kano
Kano
City in Nigeria
Kano: The Walls of Dala Hill
The red-mud walls that guard the northern plain,
Rose up from Dala’s peak in days of old;
They sheltered caravans from desert rain,
And merchants trading leather, salt, and gold.
Within the gate, the Kurmi market hums,
A labyrinth of spice and indigo;
The beating of the Hausa royal drums,
Announces what the Emir’s children know.
A thousand years of trade and desert lore,
Are written in the dust of every street;
Where scholars knocked at every open door,
And camels rested on their weary feet.
The walls may crumble under desert sky,
But Kano’s ancient pulse will never die.
Image of Benin City
Benin City
City in Nigeria
Benin City: The Bronze Domain
In Igodomigodo, the Ogiso reigned,
Before the Obas wore the coral crest;
With earthworks deep, the city was sustained,
A forest fortress, greater than the rest.
The guild of brass-smiths poured the molten fire,
To capture wars and triumphs in a plaque;
A courtly art that spoke of high desire,
Looted by those who left no treasure back.
The moats were dug to keep the world at bay,
A marvel of the mind and human hand;
Where ivory tusks in royal chambers lay,
Across the breadth of this green, humid land.
The kingdom fell, but in the molten glow,
The spirit of the Bini continues to grow.
Image of Old Oyo.
No comments:
Post a Comment