Amharic Praise Poems Composed in Honor

of Emperor Yohannes IV (1872-1889)1

Getie Gelaye

This paper presents an edited version, translation and analysis of hitherto unpublished
Amharic poems (45 couplets), copied or written ca. 1900 and preserved in the Fondo
Conti Rossini collection at the Bibliotheca Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei in Rome,
Italy. These are Amharic texts, which contain various praise poems and composed in a
style widely known in Ethiopian poetic tradition as fookkära (heroic recitals, praises or
warrior’s songs). The poems glorify Emperor Yohannes IV (1872-1889), referring to his
horse-name, Boressaw Kaía, extolling his bravery as a distinguished warrior, unifiers of
the country, his personality, his religious devotion, the wars he fought against foreign
enemies and regional lords, his followers and soldiers, his achievements and his dramatic
death. Linguistic evidence shows that several Oromo and Tigrinya words were frequently
used in the Amharic language in the 19th century.

ብቻውን ሲሄድ ይመስላል አምሳ He looks like fifty when going alone,
አካሉ የሰው ድምጡ ያንበሳ። His person is human, his voice like a lion.

Introduction
Scholarly studies on the texts of the earliest Amharic poems and songs
began in the last quarter of the 19th century by European writers who edited
and published them with the assistance of Ethiopian church scholars. These
texts contain different praise poems and songs composed in honor of Ethiopian
emperors, who ruled the country between 14th–16th century, namely Amdä
Getie Gelaye received his Ph.D. from Hamburg University, Germany where he currently
teaches at the Department of African and Ethiopian Studies. For over 20 years, Dr. Gelaye
has been collecting, translating, and analyzing various poetic genres, cultural heritages and
important oral documents of events in Ethiopia’s history, including resistance to the Italian
occupation of 1936–41. Dr. Gelaye has published two books, and co-edited two volumes
and several scholarly articles.

The International Journal of Ethiopian Studies (ISSN: 1543-4133) is published two times a year by
Tsehai Publishers | www.tsehaipublishers.com | Copyright © 2012 | Volume VI, Number 1&2
116 International Journal of Ethiopian Studies (VI: 1&2)

Ìéyon (1314-1344), Yéshaq

(1414-1429), Zär‘a Ya‘éqob
(1434-1468), and Gälawdewos
(1540-1559). Over the past
several years, scholars of
Ethiopian studies have studied
these and similar texts, such as the
poems of zämänä mäsafént from
various perspectives.2 This paper
presents an edition, translation
and analysis of hitherto
unpublished praise poems
related to Emperor Yohannes
IV based on texts found in the
collection of Conti Rossini in
Rome during a research visit
in 2003.3 A total of five folios
Emperor Yohannes IV containing interesting aspects
of historical, linguistic, socio-
political and literary themes were found. The texts were written or copied ca.
1900 but the author is unknown. For this paper I selected the praise poems
composed and recited in honour of Emperor Yohannes IV (who was a great
warrior and where several couplets refer to his heroic deeds, battle fields and
great achievements in fookkära).4 The collector, Carlo Conti Rossini (1872-
1949) was a philologist, historian and literary scholar of the Semitic languages
and cultures of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Conti Rossini worked as a civil servant
in the Italian government and between 1899 and 1903, served as Director of
Civil Affairs in the local Italian administration in Eritrea. This provided him
with the opportunity to collect several Ethiopian manuscripts as well as oral
sources.5 As to the author or composer of these poems (folios I–II), Conti
Rossini comments in his postscript, “The author is deemed/supposed to be an
indigenous that I know of an Amhara, even from Shewa… however, a great
value is not given to these songs (poems).”6
From the poems, I prepared a list of unfamiliar words, expressions and
names in Amharic and Oromifa to seek in available dictionaries.7 It was
challenging to correctly identify the names or horse-names mentioned in some
of the praise poems. I consulted additional references and sources about the
historical, cultural and political aspects of the reign of Emperor Yohannes IV.
Then I re-wrote the poems with correct orthography and assigned consecutive
and similar numbers for each couplet. Finally, I attempted to translate 21
couplets and provide commentary and analysis. The translation of the texts is
as close to the original as possible, especially for non-Amharic readers.
AMHARIC PRAISE POEMS COMPOSED IN HONOR OF EMPEROR YOHANNES IV 117

Folios II-IV copies of the original Amharic texts about Emperor Yohannes IV, from Fondo Conti
Rossini, Bibliotheca Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome

The five praise poems about Yohannes IV by Hasän Amanu, from Zékrä Nägär (1948:879)

Text, Orthography and Language of the Poems

The Amharic text was written in four-folios on very thin paper. The poems
are written on the left column and the copyist marked a few brief notes on the
right in Italian.8 The size of the Amharic text is 285x230 mm and it is mentioned
in the catalogued that Conti Rossini9 copied it. However, part of the text on
the third folio differs (in calligraphy) from the remaining text. Folio 1 contains
118 International Journal of Ethiopian Studies (VI: 1&2)

poems related to Emperor Tewodros II and folios 2 and 3 contain poems related
to Emperor Yohannes IV. The text about Yohannes has a title which reads as: ፪ተኛ
ያጼ ዮሐንስ (2nd about Emperor Yohannes) but the text about Tewodros is untitled.10
The author of the texts (poems) is not mentioned. However, it is probable that
priests or Däbtära11 wrote down the texts before they reached Conti Rossini.12
Out of the 41 couplets which praise Emperor Yohannes IV, five were published by
Maòétämä Séllase13 (1948: 879). In these texts, several Oromo words and names
are used in the poems indicating an important linguistic development or feature of
Amharic in the 19th century. These include አባ ቡላ፣ ቡሬ፣ ወ[ሬ]ረኛ፣ ይ[ኢ]ላላ፣
ጨሬ፣ ቱማታ፣ from poems about Tewodros, and the following examples from the
poems related to Yohannes: አኮ[ኰ]ላኰሉ፣ አ[ዐ]ረር፣ ባህ[ሕ]ር፣ አ[ዓ]ድዋ፣ ስ[ሥ]
ረቱ፣ አስ[ሥ]መራ፣ etc. The number of couplets related to Emperor Tewodros is 14,
whereas couplets related to Yohannes are 41. In these texts, several Oromo words
and names are mentioned or employed in the poems, which might be a feature of
Amharic in the 19th century. These include: አባ ቡላ፣ ቡሬ፣ ወሬ[ረ]ኛ፣ ይ[ኢ]ላላ፣
ጨሬ፣ ቱማታ፣ from poems related to Tewodros, and the following examples from
Yohannes: ሁምና፣ ቦሬ፣ ቦሬሳው፣ ጉራቻ፣ ቃንቄ; and Tégrénñña words such as
ዐረር፣ ኰለኰለ፣ [for commentaries and explanations on these words, see pp. 9-13
below].
Unlike the widely known, edited and translated old Amharic royal songs,14
one can read and understand the text of the poems presented here without much
difficulty. However, there are some words and expressions that might be regional
dialects or archaic forms of the Amharic of the time15 when the poems were
composed. The poems are written in a style widely known in the Ethiopian poetic
tradition as fookkära: heroic recitals or warrior’s songs/chants.
Historically, fookkära poems16 are composed, recited, improvised and
performed at major victories, during battles, on hunting expeditions, at
weddings, at important royal banquets, and during the funerals of renowned
figures. Warriors, heroes, braves, horsemen and soldiers recited them before
kings, lords, chiefs and prominent figures, whose “heroic deeds” became
legendary. Fookkära is a distinct genre employed to extol and evoke the imagery
of warriors ambling astride, referring to their favourite horse-name17 or praise
name, imitating their action in galloping into the battle, attacking the enemy,
and finally celebrating the victory. According to Donald Levine (1965:272),
“Perhaps the more prominent in Amhara life has been the glorification of
brave men. The Abyssinian military ethic took the form of a cult hero…. The
guabaz warrior was rewarded by his chief, praised by the minstrel, and esteemed
by the populace. His bravery was ranked according to the fearfulness of the
enemy vanquished.” It was after victory or killing an enemy that the warriors
and brave men performed fookkära and recited a variety of praise poems either
by composing new ones or by improvising others’ on the spot.18
AMHARIC PRAISE POEMS COMPOSED IN HONOR OF EMPEROR YOHANNES IV 119

Historical and Literary Significance of the Praise Poems

Amharic praise poems play a significant role in the literary, historical
and political study of Ethiopian emperors. Some Ethiopian authors such, as
Täklä Sadéq Mäkuriya (1936, 1983), Pawlos Ñoñño (1984), Maòétämä Séllase
Wäldä Mäsqäl (1942, 1969), Gärima Taffärä (1961) and Héruy Wäldä Íéllase
(1910) and chroniclers such as Aläqa Wäldä Maryam (1897), Däbtära Zännäb
(1902), an anonymous author (1959), Afäwärq Gäbrä Iyyäsus (1901), Aläqa
Täklä Iyyäsus Waqjira (or Aläqa Täkle), Aläqa Gebre-Igziabiher Elyas (1994)
and others have attempted to document a variety of Amharic poems, songs
and recitals. These include dirges, lamentations, war songs, heroic recitals
(fookkära) and a variety of poems composed and recited in honor of Ethiopian
emperors, kings, nobles and warriors. These poems and songs were mostly
composed and recited by the Azmari, (minstrels) Alqaš or Asläqqaš (wailers or
dirge singers); by warriors, soldiers, their followers, and the populace at large
on various occasions.
In former days19 fookkära was performed, recited and sung mainly by warriors,
soldiers and sometimes by the Azmari. It has been a common tradition for the
Ethiopian royalty and nobility to observe qärärto (warrior song) and fookkära
performances (mainly by their soldiers, followers and admirers) after lavish
banquets, during war campaigns and important religious, social and political
gatherings whereby the performers would receive a variety of rewards.20 At
such occasions, the kings or nobles would perform fookkära recitals themselves
or would give poems to their favorite singers; the person reciting the fookkära
would praise the rulers by their horse-names.
Captain Tristram Speedy21, a British officer who attended the court of
Emperor Tewodros II and briefly trained the monarch’s army in 1860-62, had
the opportunity to hear soldiers’ songs. Speedy’s description of the performance
is worth noting: “On such occasions the men would utter war cries [qärärto]
calling themselves yetewodros barya (‘slave of Tewodros’) and would boast of
the numbers they had slain. Horsemen who had distinguished themselves in
battle would dash up at full gallop before the king’s tent, suddenly reining in
their horses, while foot-soldiers, brandishing their swords or quivering their
lances go through a war dance [fookkära] and as each time in a turn recounts
his deeds of prowess, his comrades confirm his boast by crying out ewnet, ewnet
(true! true!”).22 Here are two songs that praise Emperor Tewodros:

“የቴዎድሮስ ፈረስ ታላቁ ታጠቅ ትንሹ ጉሎ

ጅራቱ ትግሬ ግምባሩ ወሎ።

Téwodros’s big horse [is] Tatäq, the small one Gullo

Its tail is in Tegré, its forehead [is] in Wällo.
120 International Journal of Ethiopian Studies (VI: 1&2)

እግዜር ያውቃል እርሳቸው ወንድ

ጦሩ ይዘላል አንድ ሺህ ክንድ።

“God knows [that] he [is] a [brave] man,

His spear jumps [flies] one thousand cubits.”23

Richard Pankhurst and Girma-Selassie Asfaw (1985) studied the war

songs of Tewodros’ soldiers based on Captain Speedy’s notebooks and family
archives. The poems presented above and others were “composed at an
important period of Ethiopia in honour of Emperor Tewodros, one of the
country’s most notable rulers”.24 Similarly, Berhanou Abebe (1970, 1985 and
1987) made a major study and published three important articles based on
the collection of Antoine d’Abbadie, who travelled to Goggam and Bägemdér
in 1845-48 and collected several Amharic poems and songs. Berhanou wrote
down the poems in Amharic translated into French with commentaries that
d’Abbadie only transcribed in Latin. Special mention should be made of
Berhanou’s article entitled: በግጥም የተጻፈ ዜና መዋዕል (“A Chronicle Written
in Poetry”), which presents the names of Ethiopian monarchs and rulers
and dates of their reigns from ancient times until the 18th century. Recently,
Molvaer (2005) published an article on historical poems related to Ethiopian
emperors and notables based on Aläqa Täkle’s chronicle. Molvaer mentions
that he hired a certain Bä’édämaryam Dästa in the 1980s to collect Amharic
poems. His study contains nine poems related to Tewodros, two couplets about
Yohannes, and few short anecdotes about Lég Iyyasu, Empress Zäwditu and
Emperor Òaylä Séllase I.25

Analysis26 of Selected Praise Poems

The Amharic poems composed in honor of Emperor Yohannes IV depict
a number of important themes referring to the sovereign, his personality,
his character, his bravery, his victory over regional lords and the major wars
he fought against the Turks, Egyptians and Mahdists of Sudan and finally
about his tragic death. An attempt has been made to translate 21 couplets and
provide analysis and commentary on the major themes depicted in the poems.
In these texts we find important Oromo words used in the praise poems.
Emperor Yohannes’ praise or horse-name: ቦሬሳው itself is of Oromo origin.
Linguistic evidence shows that the root verb of borressaw is borressa,27 and the
agent borressu, which means the disturber, rebel, violent, etc. and probably
incorporated into Tégréñña.28
Yohannes’ official horse-name is አባ በዝብዝ (Abba Bäzbéz),29 but in the
couplets presented here, the Emperor is praised mostly by borressaw, probably
to emphasize Kaía’s rebellious personality before his coronation and later his
AMHARIC PRAISE POEMS COMPOSED IN HONOR OF EMPEROR YOHANNES IV 121

bravery in war. Emperor Yohannes IV has been described as: “a noble by birth,
a cleric by education, a zealot by faith, a moralist by tendency, a monk by
practice, a nationalist by policy, and a soldier and an emperor by profession.”30
Most poems presented here express that Emperor Yohannes was a great
warrior who successfully defeated his internal rivals and foreign enemies. In
the poems presented here, Yohannes is described as the most powerful man
whose deeds, valour, bravery and skill of administration can be compared with
biblical figures such as King David (poem 1), King Solomon (couplet 9) and
even with Jesus Christ (couplet 4).
The poet employs carefully selected imagery and metaphorical expressions
to depict the military career and achievements of the Emperor and how he
defeated the Turks [Egyptians] (see couplets 7, 9, 10). Particularly, couplet
7 praises Yohannes’ victory over the Egyptians in Gura, saying: “he, who
descends down to Gura and threshes the Turks”. The poet also praises the
Emperor saying: he, who is “killer of the English [probably here also Egyptians]
with imported weapons”, etc. Furthermore, Yohannes’ strength, power and
military superiority, as well as his weapons, such as his rifle, his sword, and
his shield; his horses and mules; his officers and servants, are best depicted
in metaphorical expressions in several poems. For example, Yohannes’ grace,
strength and force are praised in couplet 14. Here, the poet employs two figures
of speech: simile and metaphor. In the first line Yohannes’ majestic grace is
described as: “he looks like fifty when going alone”; here the imagery “like
fifty” is a simile. In the second line the poet compares the brave Kaía with
አንበሳ “lion”, a major metaphor, which relates to an important action and
historical event in Kaías’ military career as a youth. Kaía killed a lion before
he was crowned as Emperor, and he was welcomed home warmly by his sister
and the neighbouring girls beating a drum and singing.31 Soon, Kasa became
a powerful man and defeated first his rivals among the notables of Tégre and
later the chiefs and lords of other regions and the central provinces of Ethiopia.
His military achievements over the peoples of Amhara and Galla32 and how
he subdued and ruled them all in unity are praised and depicted in couplets
12, 30, 32, 38. Yohannes is also praised as ያረቡ ዘጊ፣ “he, who fights, faces
the Arabs”33 ያበሻ ባል፣ “he, who is husband34 of Abäša”, አንድ አርጎ አስጓዘው፣
አማራ ጋላን አስጎበደደው፣ etc., to show how he successfully defeated and ruled
the Amharas the Oromos and other people as far as the sea (couplets 5, 18, 19,
28 and 37).
Emperor Yohannes’ dedication to the faith of Christianity is depicted in
couplets 20 and 21. In couplet 20, his ‘sanctity’ and devotion to religious life is
described in the first line of the verse as: አንድ ቀን ከሴት ሳዝጋፈፍ፣ “not even a
day he slept with a woman”, and the poet continues to tell about the Emperor’s
speech, which does not have a defect. Finally the poet mentions the departure
of his soul saying: “what did his flesh say, when his soul departed? Yohannes’
122 International Journal of Ethiopian Studies (VI: 1&2)

chronicles mention the monkish35 life of the Emperor, who built several
churches. Probably the most interesting description of Yohannes’ bravery in
warfare is how he faced Mahdists or Muslims in Mätämma with his officers
and how he later died. Couplets 22-27 all describe this action. For example, in
couplet 22 the poet expresses his sadness and deep grief, and laments about the
poignant death of Emperor Yohannes, who died having “powder in his belly
and sword at his neck” in the hands of the Muslims, whom the poet refers to
as አረመኔ “merciless”. It was at this tragic war that Yohannes’ officers all
perished; and the poet depicts them as those “who always looked down upon
people” (couplet 23).
In Couplet 25, the poet continues to lament the end of Emperor Yohannes’
bravery and heroism referring to him as: “gone are the shield and power
[heroism]” again using an important Oromo word, ሁምና and his favourite
horse-name, Borressaw. Finally couplets 15 and 41 [which have almost similar
verses] raise an interesting relation in the last line of the verse, which says:
የካሣን ካሣ መለሰው ደሙን፣ “Kasa avenged the blood of Kasa”. Perhaps the
poet may refer here to the two Kasas36: Kasa, Tewodros II and Kasa, Yohannes
IV, who were not only rivals, but who were also great warriors, were brave and
heroes, who fought against foreign invaders, etc., and finally who both died
fighting their enemies.

Conclusion
In this paper an attempt has been made to present an edition, translation and
analysis of unknown and hitherto unpublished Amharic praise poems composed
in honor of Emperor Yohannes IV of Ethiopia. These are rich literary and
historical sources, which give us insights into the reign of Yohannes IV. We learn
about his courage and heroic deeds as well as his dramatic death and events in
19th century history. The study opens possibilities for new approaches of scientific
research to compare these poems with contemporary praises of fookkära and
other genres of Amharic oral poetry. Thanks to the many unknown singers and
poets and to Conti Rossini who preserved these poems in his collection, we are
now able to examine the deeds of Emperor Yohannes IV. Other folk poems await
systematic collection, analysis and documentation in other languages, such as
Tégréñña. We are also able to witness how Amharic poems were embroidered
with Oromo and Tégréñña words and expression in the 19th century. A study of
such praise poems on the lives, actions, and achievements of Ethiopian emperors
presents an exciting socio-cultural, historical and literary contribution invaluable
for current and future generations.
AMHARIC PRAISE POEMS COMPOSED IN HONOR OF EMPEROR YOHANNES IV 123

Selected Sample Poems with Translations

፪ተኛ ያጼ ዮሐንስ 2nd [about] Emperor Yohannes

2. ቦሬሳው ካሣን አትነካኩት Stir not Boressaw Kasa,

የተቀባ ነው እንደ ዳዊት። Anointed he is like [king] David.

3. ቦሬሳው ካሣ ምነው ቢኮራ? Why not be proud, Boressaw Kasa?

ቱርክ አይመልሰው እንኳን አማራ። Not even the Turks can resist him, let
alone the Amhara.37

4. ማን ይነካዋል ቦሬስን በፈረስ? Who can challenge Bore38 in a horse

race?
አለ ፈጣሪ አለ ክርስቶስ። Except the Creator, except Christ.

5. ቦሬሳው ቢዘልቅ ባንድያ ፈረስ When Boressaw advanced on a single

horse,
አንድ አርጎ ሳበ ባሕር በመለስ። He united all and advanced as far as the sea.

7. እንግዲህ ጋሻ እንግዲህ ሁምና በካሣ No shield, no bravery after Kaía,

ይብቃ
ገዳይ እንግሊዝ በባሕር ዕቃ The killer of the English39 with oversea
weapons
ጉራ ላይ ወርዶ ቱርክ እሚወቃ። He, who descends down to Gura and
threshes the Turks.

8. ጠጅ በብርሌ ጠላ በጥዋ Tägg with a carafe, tälla with a téwwa (cup)

ያባ ፈንቅል ልጅ ገዳይ ምጥዋ። He, who kills in Massawa, the son of
Abba Fänqél.40

9. አኰላኰሉ እንደማበል His stirring41 like storm,

ቱርክ ገጣሚ ያበሻ ባል። The fighter against Turks, husband of
the Abäša.

11. ሰይፉ ተሰብሮ ካልተንተራሰው Unless his sword breaks and he lies his
head on it,
አይሰጥም ካሣ መንግሥቱን ለሰው። Kasa will never give his kingdom to
others.
124 International Journal of Ethiopian Studies (VI: 1&2)

12. ብራቅ ይመስላል ሲነሰንሰው It looks like lightning when he spreads

[…]
እንደ ሰሎሞን አምላክ ያዋሰው Like Solomon, whom God granted [the
wisdom of ...]42
አንድ አርጎ አስጓዘው የሐበሻ ሰው። He made the people of Abäša travel43 in
unity.

13. የሜዳ ዝሆን የዱር አንበሳ The elephant of the plain, the lion44 of
the forest,
ዐረር ማተቡ ቦሬሳው ካሣ። Boressaw Kaía whose neck-thread is a
bullet.45

14. ብቻውን ሲሄድ ይመስላል አምሳ He looks like fifty when going alone,
አካሉ የሰው ድምጡ ያንበሳ። His person is human, his voice like a lion.

15. እስካሁን ድረስ ሳናውቅ ወንድሙን We did not know his brother until now,

የካሣን ካሣ አፈሰው ደሙን። Kasa46 avenged the blood of Kaía.

20. አንድ ቀን ከሴት ሳይጋፈፍ Not even a day with a woman he slept,
የንግግሩ የለው ጠያፍ His speech without defect,
ሥጋው ምን አለች ነፍሱ ስታልፍ? What did his flesh say when his soul
departed?

22. ዋ! ከንበል ያርገኝ አብረው አይሞቱ Alas! Men die not together
ባሩድ በሆዱ ሰይፍ ባንገቱ። Powder in his belly and sword at his
neck.47

23. የቦሬ አሽከሮች ሰው እንደናቁ% The officers of Bore, who always looked
down upon people
መተማ ወርደው ሁሉም አለቁ። Went down to Mätämma and perished
all.

24. እስላም መዲና እንደሚሐጅ Just as the Muslims make pilgrimage to

Medina
ቦሬሳው ጠፋ ባረመኔ እጅ። So perished Boressaw in the hands of
Pagans.48
AMHARIC PRAISE POEMS COMPOSED IN HONOR OF EMPEROR YOHANNES IV 125

25. ጋሻና ሁምና አለፈች ለዛ Gone are the shield and humna49 (power
heroism]),
ቦሬሳው ካሣ ቀረ እንደዋዛ። Boressaw Kaía is gone just like that.

30. ድንጉላው በፊት የሚለው ዘው ዘው He, whose gelding50 strides in the front
አማራ ጋላን አንድ አርጎ አስጓዘው። Made the Amhara and Galla go forward
in unity.

33. ጭኖቹ ኰልኳይ እጁ ወርዋሪ His thighs [are] stirrer and his hands
throwers,
ጎራዴው ፍለጥ ጋሻው ተፈሪ። His sword [is] a splinter, his shield awe-
some.

38. አሥመራ ሲሉት ዓድዋ ላይ ፈላ When one assumes he is in Asmara, he

appeared in Adwa,

ዓድዋ ላይ ሲሉት ቦሩ ላይ ፈላ When one assumes he is in Adwa, he ap-

peared in Boru,
ቦሬሳው ካሣን ማን ይችላላ? Who can face Boressaw Kasa?

39. እኔ ሚገርመኝ ካሣ እናቱን What astonishes me is the mother of

Kasa,
ሸዋን አርግዛ ዝም ማለቷን። Having conceived Šäwa she keeps quiet

Emperor Yohannis IV with his son

and heir, Ras Araya Selassie
126 International Journal of Ethiopian Studies (VI: 1&2)

Appendix: Amharic Texts (Praise Poems)

፪ተኛ ያጼ ዮሐንስ

1. እውነት መስሏቸው ፈርሶ መሬት 12. ብራቅ ይመስላል ሲነሰንሰው

ቦሬሳው መጣ እሳት በሳት። እንደ ሰሎሞን አምላክ ያዋሰው
አንድ አርጎ አስጓዘው የሐበሻን ሰው።

2. ቦሬሳው ካሣን አትነካኩት 13. የሜዳ ዝሆን የዱር አንበሳ

የተቀባ ነው እንደ ዳዊት። ዐረር ማተቡ ቦሬሳው ካሣ።

3. ቦሬሳው ካሣ ምነው ቢኮራ? 14. ብቻውን ሲሄድ ይመስላል አምሳ

ቱርክ አይመልሰው እንኳን አማራ። አካሉ የሰው ድምጡ ያንበሳ።

4. ማን ይነካዋል ቦሬን በፈረስ? 15. እስካሁን ድረስ ሳናውቅ ወንድሙን

አለ ፈጣሪ አለ ክርስቶስ። የካሣን ካሣ አፈሰው ደሙን።

5. ቦሬሳው ቢዘልቅ ባንድያ ፈረስ 16. ሥረቱ የሰው የእግዚአብሔር ፍጡር

አንድ አርጎ ሳበ ባሕር በመለስ። አይመልሰውም የጥይት አጥር።

6. የቦሬ በቅሎ ዓድዋ ብትሰግር 17. ጠመንጃው እሾህ ዐረሩ ንብ

ፍጥረት ዓለሙ ሳበ ባንድግር። ደንጊያ መንከስ ነው ቦሬን ማሰብ።

7. እግዲህ ጋሻ እንግዲህ ሁምና በካሣ ይብቃ 18. ዓድዋ ላይ ሆኖ ጥርሱን ቢያፏጨው

ገዳይ እንግሊዝ በባሕር ዕቃ ቃንቄው ተሰብሮ ምጥዋ ረጨው።
ጉራ ላይ ወርዶ ቱርክ የሚወቃ።

8. ጠጅ በብርሌ ጠላ በጥዋ 19. ባንዲቱ ተንቤን ባንዲት ከተማ

ያባ ፈንቅል ልጅ ገዳይ ምጥዋ። አራቱን አህጉር መታው በካስማ።

9. አኮላኮሉ እንደማበል 20. አንድ ቀን ከሴት ሳይጋፈፍ

ቱርክ ገጣሚ ያበሻ ባል። የንግግሩ የለው ጠያፍ
ሥጋው ምን አለች ነፍሱ ስታልፍ?

10. እስካሁን ድረስ አልጠፋ አጥንቱ 21. ጠፍ ጠፍ አርጋ ወልዳው እናቱ

ቱርክን እንደ በልግ የቀቃበቱ። የተበጃጀው የሰማይ ቤቱ።

11. ሰይፉ ተሰብሮ ካልተንተራሰው 22. ዋ! ከንበል ያርገኝ አብረው አይሞቱ

አይሰጥም ካሣ መንግሥቱን ለሰው። ባሩድ በሆዱ ሰይፍ ባንገቱ።
AMHARIC PRAISE POEMS COMPOSED IN HONOR OF EMPEROR YOHANNES IV 127

23. የቦሬ አሽከሮች ሰው እንደናቁ 33. ጭኖቹ ኰልኳይ እጁ ወርዋሪ

መተማ ወርደው ሁሉም አለቁ። ጎራዴው ፍለጥ ጋሻው ተፈሪ።

24. እስላም መዲና እንደሚሐጅ 34. ጥይቱ ብዙ ገዝም ወርዋሪ

ቦሬሳው ጠፋ ባረመኔ እጅ። ያባ ፈንቅል ልጅ የባለሱሪ
ሠሪታ ቀዳጅ መልካሳፋሪ።

25. ጋሻና ሁምና አለፈች ዋዛ 35. የጎጃም ብረት የሸዋ ፈረስ ሲተራረድ
ቦሬሳው ካሣ ቀረ እንደዋዛ። ካሣ ዝም አለ የቡዳ ሞረድ
ተጋጭቶ ገባ ዘውድ ለዘውድ።

26. ካሽከሮቹ ጋር አፍኖት ውበት 36. በሽጉራቻ ልብ የሚያበርድ

መተማ ቀረ ጋሻና ጉልበት። ዝቅ አርጎ ታጥቆ ሰጊድ መውለድ።

27. አልሆነም ጃንሆይ ብክብዎት 37. የካሣ ፈረስ ያን የተቀባው

ጉልበት የለዎም የቀኑለት። መድፉን አስጥሎ ባሕር አስገባው
ይኸ አይደለም ወይ ሁሉም ያባባው።

28. ይመስላል ገዴ ፈቶ ሲነሣ 38. አሥመራ ሲሉት ዓድዋ ላይ ፈላ

ከተማው ዞብል መግደያው አውሳ። ዓድዋ ላይ ሲሉት ቦሩ ላይ ፈላ
ቦሬሳው ካሣን ማን ይችላላ?

29. እሆዴ ገብቷል እንደ መጋኛ 39. እኔ ሚገርመኝ ካሣ እናቱን

ያረቡ ዘጊ ያበሻ ዳኛ። ሸዋን አርግዛ ዝም ማለቷን።

30. ድንጉላው በፊት የሚለው ዘው ዘው 40. አምላክ የሰጠው እንዲመቸው

አማራ ጋላን አንድ አርጎ አስጓዘው። የረር ከመስኮብ ደባለቀው።

31. ያረቡ ዘጊ ያበሻ ዋስ 41. ኩል አስመስሎ አምላክ የሰጠው/ ያዋሰው

ያባ ፈንቅል ልጅ [...] ዮሐንስ። የካሣን ደሙን ካሣ መለሰው።

32. በድንጉላ ላይ እሚጓደደው

አማራ ጋላን አስጎበደደው።
128 International Journal of Ethiopian Studies (VI: 1&2)

Notes
1 This is a revised and expanded version of a paper presented at the 2nd International
Research Colloquium on Ethiopian Studies organized at the Institute of Semitic and
Arabic Studies, Free University of Berlin in 18-19 December, 2009. I am very grateful to the
participants of the conference for their constructive feedback, comments and suggestions. I
am greatly indebted to the two anonymous readers of the final version and recommended
it for publication in this Journal.
2 These include Ignazio Guidi (1889), Enrico Cerulli (1916), M. Châine, (1920/21),
Carlo Conti Rossini (1925), Enno Littmann (1914), Marcel Cohen (1924), G.W.B.
Huntingford (1965), Berhanou Abebe (1979, 1985, 1987), Richard Pankhurst and Girma-
Selassie Asfaw (1985), Renate Richter (1997), Yonas Admassu (2005), Gezahegn Getachew
(2005), among others.
3 I am very grateful to the Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente (IsIAO) for awarding
me a fellowship (February – April 2003) to carry out research on historical sources in Rome.
I thank the staff of IsIAO and the staff of the Ethiopian Embassy in Rome for their assistance
during my stay there. I acknowledge with gratitude the kind assistance of Poet and Folklorist
Seifu Metaferia Firew and Professors Bairu Tafla, Alessandro Triulzi and Giorgio Banti for
the fruitful discussions and for their scholarly advice. A preliminary study of the praise poems
related to of Emperors Tewodros II and Yohannes IV was presented at the 16th International
Conference of Ethiopian Studies, 1-6 July, 2007, Trondheim, Norway.
4 I owe this knowledge to insightful prior studies by Richard Pankhurst and
Berhanou Abebe who successfully demonstrated how Amharic war songs and praise
poetry could be used in reconstructing 19th century history. Their works were based on the
private collections of Captain Tristram Speedy and Antoine d’Abbadie, respectively.
5 See Lanfranco Ricci (2003:791-792).
6 See the remark written at the bottom of [P.S.] of Folio II-IV on the poems of
Yohannes IV reproduced below.
7 I made extensive use of Thomas Kane (1990) and others, such as Antoine
d’Abbadie (1881), Abba Yohannes Gäbrä Egziabher (1948/9), Ignazio Guidi (1902) and
Dästa Täklä Wäld (1962).
8 See Stefan Strelcyn (1975:317).
9 Ibid.
10 According to Strelcyn (ibid) originally the text did not have a title. Conti Rossini
also wrote “Senza Titolo” and gave the title [፩ኛ ያጼ ቴዎድሮስ?] with a question mark. See
folio I [in the original].
11 There can be no doubt that the texts of these praise poems were written down by
the clergy mostly by the Däbtära, who were, for many centuries the sole custodians of the
written word in Ethiopia.
12 There are orthographic errors that Conti Rossini made when copying the poems
(that is, if he really copied the text as mentioned by Stefan Strelcyn, although one believes
that he was a scholar of Ge‘ez and Amharic and he edited and published several texts and
royal chronicles. For instance, one can mention such examples as: አይነሳ[ሣ]ም፣ ባህ[ሕ]ር፣
ማሀ[ኻ]ሉን፣ የገሰ[ሠ]ገስ[ሥ]ከው፣ from the text about emperor Tewodros.
13 Maòétämä Séllase Wäldä Mäsqäl published three of the praise poems related to
Tewodros (see couplets 1, 10 and 11), and mentions that they were [composed or recited]
AMHARIC PRAISE POEMS COMPOSED IN HONOR OF EMPEROR YOHANNES IV 129

by Hasän Amanu with slight modifications. See the reproduced page below. According to
Berhanu Gebeyehu (2007:28) Hasän Amanu was a famous Azmari (minstrel) at the court
of Négus Mika’el in Wällo.
14 For a recent study about the old Amharic royal songs, see Richter (1997:543-551),
Yonas (2005:69-86) and Gezahegn (2005:107-129).
15 The dates on which the poems were composed or the place where they were found
or collected are not specified in the texts.
16 According to Mängéstu Lemma (1963:151) the syllabic structure of fookkära poem
is known as sängo mägän” one of the three fundamental rhythmical patterns in Amharic
versification. Similarly Alämayyähu Mogäs (1967:54) writes: “ፍከራ ጉራ ሳይሆን የጀግንነትን
ሙያ መንገሪያ ስለሆነ [ግጥሙ] በአብዛኛው የሰንጎ መገን ሐረግ ነው።”
17 For a detailed description of the tradition of horse-names in Ethiopia see
Maòétämä Séllase Wäldä Mäsqäl (1969:195-209). According to Bairu Tafla (1977:65), “It
was fashionable for the kings, notables and lords of the 19th century to give important
sounding names to their horses. The name was selected to connote or denote the wish,
aspiration, and action of the owner.” The horse-name usually begins with the noun: Abba
“father”, which means ‘father of ’, ‘master of ’, or ‘lord of ’ so-and-so. Kings and notables
were praised by their horse-names by their servants, followers, singers, etc.
18 For a description and performance of fookkära see Getie Gelaye (2006:588-589),
Michael Powne (1968:75-76) and Ashenafi Kebede (1971:69).
19 In the 20th century fookkära poems are colorfully recited and performed by
Ethiopian veterans on important public holidays, such as the Victory of ‘Adwa (March 2)
and Martyrs’ Day (May 5). Over the past years, government officials and authorities use
qärärto songs and fookkära recitals on radio and television, during war times as an important
medium of propaganda to inspire the public and rouse their courage, or to recruit soldiers.
See Getie Gelaye (2004, 2005, 2006, 2009).
20 Ibid.
21 His full name is Tristram Charles Sawyer Speedy; Emperor Tewodrso gave him
a title and an Ethiopian name, Basha Felleke. Speedy admired Ethiopian warriors and the
songs they recited and performed. He memorized the Amharic warriors’ songs [fookkära]
and recited them at public gatherings and during his lectures after he returned back to
England. See Jean Southon and Robert Harper (2004) and Richard Pankhurst and Girma-
Selassie Asfaw (1985).
22 Quoted in Richare Pankhurst and Girma-Selassie Asfaw (1985:51).
23 Ibid, 60. See also Getie Gelaye (2005:585).
24 Ibid, 56. The authors attempted to reconstruct the texts of the songs and provide
linguistic comments.
25 Most of the poems that Molvaer presented criticize Emperor Tewodros II and his
reign.
26 Due time constraints, commentaries and analysis on selected praise poems
are provided here. The reigns of Tewodros II and Yohannes IV are known in Ethiopian
history as periods of political turmoil, regional wars, etc. Most of the poems refer to war
campaigns, battles and historical events, which require extensive consultation of historical
sources. Using these poems as a historical source material, a detailed discussion and a
thorough analysis of the historical events will follow in another study.
130 International Journal of Ethiopian Studies (VI: 1&2)

27 According to Gragg (1982:57) borressa (vt.) means “make muddy, stir up (water); disturb”.
28 See Abba Yohannes Gebre Egziabher (1948/49:403). Abba Yohannes did not
indicate its root in Oromo.
29 This means ‘lord of, master of or father of the exploits’.
30 See Bairu Tafla (1977:15).
31 This is mentioned in the chronicles of Emperor Yohannes IV. See Bairu (ibid:41)
and Mammo Wéddnäh (1985:32), which runs as follows:
የሹም ተንቤን እንቦሳ
ገደለ አንበሳ።
የኔ ወንድም ጀግናው ካሣ
ገደለ አንበሳ።
የሥላስ ልጅ ኮፍታራው
በለስ ቀናው።
የተንቤን ልጅ ጀግናው
በለስ ቀናው።
አንበሳ ገድሎ የኔ ካሣ
መጣ እያገሳ።
አቦይ ምርጫ የምሥራች
አደይ ሥላስ የምሥራች
ወልዳችኋል ተኳሽ ልጅ
ትንታግ እሳት የሚፋጅ።
ይዞ መጣ ዳልጋ አንበሳ
የኔ ወንድም የኔ ካሣ።
32 This refers to the Oromo people as it was used in those days.
33 This relates to how Yohannes counterchecked the Egyptian invasion in the north.
See Zawde Gebre-Selassie (1975), Bairu Tafla (1977), Taddese Beyene (et al eds 1990),
among others.
34 This is actually a similar expression that Tewodros II used to utter while he was
reciting fookkära or when boasting and bragging in fookkära performances.
35 See Bairu Tafla (1977:15), Täklä Sadéq Mäkuriya (1984:548).
36 See the article about the two Kasas in Shiferaw (1990:289-347).
37 This poem is probably composed and recited after Kasa became Emperor
Yohannes, and after he defeated the Egyptians at the battles of Gura and Gundät (1875).
See couplet 7.
38 This is a short form of endearment to address Boressaw [Kasa].
39 This refers to the Egyptians and the Mhadists and not necessarily the English.
40 This is actually the horse-name of Yohannes’ elder brother, Däggazmaó Gugsa
Mérca. See Bairu (1977:41). According to Maòétämä Séllase (1969:215) Abba Fänqél used
to be a common horse-name among the lords of Tégre.
41 The root verb of ኰለኰለ is Tégréñña, which refers to a horseman and how
he stirs with his hands and thighs while riding his horse or mule. See Abba Yohannes
(1948/49:597).
AMHARIC PRAISE POEMS COMPOSED IN HONOR OF EMPEROR YOHANNES IV 131

42 Here the poet compares Yohannes’ knowledge and wisdom of administration

with that of King Solomon, whom God granted, among others knowledge and wisdom of
administration”.
43 This implies that the people of Abäša accepted his rule and traveled to him, or
subdued to him.
44 See the analysis on page 9.
45 Written sources indicate that Kaía was wounded on his neck while fighting against
his rivals before his coronation as king of kings Yohannes IV.
46 It is not clear here which Kaía (exactly avenged the blood of the other Kaía, since
there were at least four lords whose names were Kaía). However, it is probable that the
poet may relate to the two Kasas; Kasa (who later became Emperor Tewodros II) whose
army was defeated by the British army; and Kaía (who, later became Emperor Yohannes
IV), who successfully defeated the Egyptians (foreign invaders/enemies) at two decisive
battles in Gura and Gundät. The two Kaía were great warriors, who fought against foreign
invaders and enemies and both died while fighting their enemies.
47 Emperor Yohannes was wounded first by a bullet while fighting in Mätämma and
died later. Afterwards, the Mhadists cut his neck [head] by sword and they took it to Sudan.
Héruy Wäldä Séllase (1917:16).
48 In the Ethiopian tradition, Muslims are referred as pagans or heathens.
49 This also means ‘force’, ‘might’, etc. See Gragg (1982:218).
50 This is an Arabic origin, “cheval. Arabe de Dongola-jeune etalon”. (d’Abbadie
1881:782).

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