all I
never see.
WAR-CHANTS. INFLUENCE OF SONGS IN ROUSING THE ANGRY PASSIONS OF THE MEN.
In this chant the old and young women respectively sing "my young son,"
and, "my young brother:" the metre and rhyme are also very carefully
preserved, and the word Kardang is evidently expressly selected for this
purpose; for were they speaking in prose they would use a term denoting
eldest brother, youngest brother, second brother, or some similar one;
whilst I have heard the word Kardang always used in this chant whether
the deceased was the first, second, or third brother.
The men have also certain war-chants or songs; these they sing as they go
walking rapidly to and fro, quivering their spears in order to work
themselves up into a passion. The following is a very common one:
Yu-do dan-na,
Nan-do dan-na,
My-eree dan-na,
Goor-doo dan-na,
Boon-gal-la dan-na,
Gonog-o dan-na,
Dow-al dan-na,
Nar-ra dan-na.
etc. etc. etc.
TRANSLATION.
Spear his forehead,
Spear his breast,
Spear his liver,
Spear his heart,
Spear his loins,
Spear his shoulder,
Spear his thigh,
Spear his ribs,
etc. etc. etc.
Thus rapidly enumerating all the parts in which they intend to strike
their enemies.
It is very rarely that any remarkable circumstance occurs but songs are
composed in order to perpetuate the remembrance of it. For example, when
Miago, the first native who ever quitted Perth, was taken away in H.M.
surveying vessel Beagle in 1838, the following song was composed by a
native and was constantly sung by his mother (at least so she says)
during his absence, and it has ever since been a great favourite:
Ship bal win-jal bat-tar-dal gool-an-een,
Ship bal win-jal bat-tar-dal gool-an-een.
etc. etc. etc. etc.
Whither is that lone ship wandering,
Whither is that lone ship wandering,
etc. etc. etc. etc.
Again, on Miago's safe return, the song given below was composed by a
native after he had heard Miago recount his adventures:
Kan-de maar-o, kan-de maar-a-lo,
Tsail-o mar-ra, tsail-o mar-ra-lo.
etc. etc. etc. etc.
Unsteadily shifts the wind-o, unsteadily shifts the wind-o,
The sails-o handle, the sails-o handle-ho.
I will now add several other songs which are composed in different
dialects; these will serve both as examples of their metre and style of
poetry and as specimens for the purpose of comparison with the songs of
the natives of the other portions of the continent.
Number 1.
One voice:
Djal-lee-lee
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