REMEMBER THE ONE ABOUT THE GUEST WHO OVERSTAYED HIS WELCOME?

 Assuming you went through a primary school in Kenya, you will no doubt be familiar with certain characters like Mr.  Kamau, Mrs. Kamau, Tom and Mary in that text  book Hallo children. You may also remember of a certain clown who appeared somewhere in class 3 called Mwalimu Jini and I am sure you did not pass that opportunity to nickname the classmate with the most pointed ears after him!  Assuming also that you survived Mr. Kitosyo's  "six of the best" landing on your posterior (my friend Pete calls it gluteus maximus) and against your most sound judgment, you decided to hang in there, probably rationalizing that even if the beatings never stopped, you will at least get "maziwa ya nyayo" to sooth the pain. If all the above describes you, then you will agree with me that the poem below  was the most memorable that you ever recited back in the day. I pulled it off with two translations, one in English for readers  not familiar with Swahili, and the second in Kikamba- dedicated to my grandmother who never stopped to remind me my Kamba stinks. Enjoy.

 THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Mgeni siku ya kwanza         For the guest his first day             

Mpe mchele na panza           rice with flying fish provide          

mtilie kifuani                        embrace him, welcome him inside   

mkaribishe mgeni                Stranger who has come to stay.     

Mgeni siku ya pili                 On the guest's second day             

mpe ziwa na samli                 give him milk and butter too.          

mahaba yakizidia                   If love can greatly grow in you     

mzidie mgeni.                        give more to the guest come to stay.   

  

Mgeni siku ya tatu               Guest now on his third day           

jumbani hamuna kitu          Three cups rice is all we've got     

Mna zibaba zitatu                  left to eat. Boil and eat the lot       

 pika ule na mgeni                with the guest come to stay.          

Mgeni siku ya 'ne                 Guest now on the fourth day          

mpe jembe akalime               To farm send him off with a hoe.     

Akirudi muagane                  When he comes back bid him go      

ende kwao mgeni                    and be gone, dear stranger come to stay.

Mgeni siku ya tano                   Look at guest the fifth day              

mwembamba kama sindano     Needle thin the guest has gone  

Hauishi musengenyano           Gossip now goes on and on          

asengenyao mgeni                    'bout the guest come to stay.          

Mgeni siku ya sita                     Guest on the sixth long day                 

mkila mkajificha                        when you eat he mustn't know                               

mwingie vipembeni                     while you eat in corners go                   

afichwaye yeye mgeni                 Hide from guest come to stay.              

Mgeni siku ya sabaa                   Guest on the seventh day-                  

si mgeni a na baa                          someone set the roof alight!                   

Hata moto mapaani                       Guilty man is known alright,                   

akatia yeye mgeni.                        It's the monster come to stay.               

 Mgeni siku ya nane                    Tell the stranger his eighth day,            

  njo ndani tuonane                       just come inside a moment, then           

 Atapotokea nje                             when he comes out again,                       

tuagane mgeni                               Goodbye, guest come to stay.              

Mgeni siku ya kenda                    Tell the guest ninth day                       

enenda mwana kwenenda!            go in peace, son, but go                       

Usirudi nyuma                                and don't come back, O                         

usirudi mgeni                                 guest come to stay.                             

 Mgeni siku ya kumi                       Guest now on his tenth day tenth day           

kwa mateke na magumi                  with kicks and blows chase away.                 

Hapana afukuzwaye,                          There is no other who is chased away          

fukuzwaye fukuzwaye yeye mgeni!     But the guest come to stay.         

I know of two people who would be glad to see a kikamba poem on print. One is my grandmother, who despite my best efforts to prove otherwise still maintains that my kikamba is horrible. I admit I have a few problems with the "tenses". I  knew that the German I learned in high school would mess up my kamba! (You can relax, I won't do a German translation.) But I detour. The second person who would be particularly proud to see more vernacular on print is none other than Ngugi wa Thiongo, the long time lone howling voice against "linguistic" imperialism. So, to both, I dedicate arguably the first kamba poem to be put down on paper/word processor.

THE KIKAMBA TRANSLATION- THE UNABRIDGED VERSION

Mgeni siku ya kwanza           Mueni muthenya wa mbee

Mpe mchele na panza             munenge isyo na nthooko

mtilie kifuani                          muthokye nthini thome

mkaribishe mgeni                  Mueni ula waemeeie kwene

Mgeni siku ya pili                  Mueni sua wa keli

mpe ziwa na samli                  mukamie kalila ka n'gombe

mahaba yakizidia                    na wakiitwa ni wendo mwike nesa

mzidie mgeni.                          mueni uu waemeeie kwene

  

Mgeni siku ya tatu                 Mueni sua wa katatu

jumbani hamuna kitu            Vatiele kasuku kamwe ka mboso

Mna zibaba zitatu                   Tinisya mbisu iko aye

 pika ule na mgeni                 Mueni uu waemeeie kwene

Mgeni siku ya 'ne                  Mueni sua wa kana

mpe jembe akalime        .       Yiembe kituo muundani

Akirudi muagane                   Asyoka umwisuve athi

ende kwao mgeni           .        Mueni uu waemeeie kwene

Mgeni siku ya tano                 Mueni muthenya wa ndunyu

mwembamba kama sindano   Amosie ekala tuvindi

Hauishi musengenyano         Andu yu nimeumuneenea

asengenyao mgeni            .     Mueni uu waemeeie kwene

Mgeni siku ya sita                  Mueni   sua wa thandatu

mkila mkajificha                    Twivithe twambe kuya                      

mwingie vipembeni                 Na matialyo ungu wa kitanda

afichwaye yeye mgeni            Mueni uu waemeeie kwene

Mgeni siku ya sabaa              Mueni sua wa muonza

si mgeni a na baa                    Nuu ula avivya kiala?

Hata moto mapaani                 Ti ungi no ula mueni

akatia yeye mgeni.                  Mueni uu waemeeie kwene

 Mgeni siku ya nane               Muthenya wa nyanya

  njo ndani tuonane                  ita  mueni wii muneenanye

 Atapotokea nje                        Alika umwie "kyalo kiseo"

tuagane mgeni                          Mueni uu waemeeie kwene

Mgeni siku ya kenda                  Muthenya wa kenda

enenda mwana kwenenda!           "savali nzeo, mwana, indino thi

Usirudi nyuma                                      na ndukasyoke ingi nongi "

usirudi mgeni                                            Mueni uu waemeeie kwene

 Mgeni siku ya kumi                            Muthenya wa ikumi

kwa mateke na magumi                        ni ngundi na nthele

Hapana afukuzwaye,                              vayi ungi ukulungwa

fukuzwaye fukuzwaye yeye mgeni!      no ula mueni waemeeie kwene!