Out
of this
bright
sun, this
white plaque
of heaven,
this leaven-
ing heat
of the seven
kingdoms:
Songhai, Mali,
Chad, Ghana,
Tim-
buctu, Volta,
and the bitter
waste
that was
Ben-
in, comes
this shout
comes
this song.


EDWARD BRATHWAITE, BARBADOS,
in "Libation", 1979




Deste
sol
brilhante, desta
placa branca
do firmamento,
deste calor
transforma-
dor
dos sete
reinos:
Songai, Mali,
Chade, Gana,
Tim-
buctu, Volta,
e a perda
amarga
que foi
Be-
nim, sai
este grito
sai
este
canto.