CONTENTS OF ASHANTI BALLADS

1. Fanning the Fire
   
2. The Driver's Lament
   
3. Pride has its Price
   
4. The Barikese Dam
   
5. Beware of a Friend
   
6. Let Love Prevail
   
7. An Old Man Plants Coconut
   
8. Coming to Ghana
   
9. Technology
   
10. The Wise Old Woman
    
11. Buy when Death Sells
    
12. Accept your Lot
    
13. Misfortune Brings its own Reward
    
14. What is Wrong?
    
15. When Friends Interfere
    
16. The Kingdom of the Dead
    
17. Such is Life!
    
18. The Tortoise and the Hare
    
19. Fate is Just
    
20. Bad Luck Spreads Around
    
21. A History of Ashanti
    
22. Overseas Life
    

---

FANNING THE FIRE

(Mesuro wo gya mu fite)

A hunter called Ampon needed a wife.
He did not enjoy his solitary life.
A woman called Mansa, married five years,
Was not blessed with children. Great were her fears.
They both came to a wake-keeping one night.

They met, and then fell in love at first sight.
Now Mansa knew of her husband's affair
With another woman. It made her dare
To try out a wicked murderous plot
In which her hated husband would be shot.
She told Ampon to come and bring his gun
And wait in hiding for the setting sun.

Her husband came late from his farm that night
And sat by the fire. It was not bright.
Mansa fanned the flames as hard as she could;
Soon there was a blaze in the smouldering wood.
The flames lit the scene as though it were day.
The husband sat down. Mansa went away.

Ampon is hidden behind a big tree
With his gun. As soon as he can see
The husband's face lit up by the flames
He picks up his gun and carefully aims.
They take the body and dispose of it,
Throwing it deep in an old mining pit.¹

Mansa told people her husband was lost
Whilst his body rotted where it was tossed.
His funeral was held. Then Mansa said
That she and Ampon planned to be wed.
They were quite happy together at first,
But soon it was plain their marriage was cursed.

She remained barren, and Ampon could tell
That in his new home, all was not well.
He came back quite late from hunting one night,
And seated himself in the fire light.
Mansa fanned the fire, to make the flames blaze
And Ampon remembered her cunning ways.

He cried: "Is someone hiding behind the big tree?
Is your lover hoping he can kill me?
I suspect you, Mansa, when you fan the flames
For then I remember your devilish games.
The threat of vengeance hangs over my head.
I shall not have peace until I am dead."

THE DRIVER'S LAMENT

(Owusu se m'amma)

Owusu quarrelled with a friend
About a boundary's location.
So to the Chief he had to send,
Demanding sheep in compensation.¹

Owusu drove a mammy truck. ²
He gained the sheep, but lost his luck.

His friend tapped palm wine and his pot
Solaced those with cares to drown.
Owusu stopped there quite a lot
And stole wine on the way to town. ³

Beside the pot, his wallet dropped;
It held his licence and his cash.
Police checks meant he soon was stopped,
And had no money for a dash. ⁴

His friend found what Owusu dropped.
The driver's wallet held ten pounds.
The cash he took, but there he stopped,
And went on with his daily rounds.
He took the wallet to the Chief;
He was no mean or common thief.

Owusu reported his loss to the Chief,
And learned that his wallet was found with relief.
But as only the licence had been left
He loudly accused the finder of theft.

He demanded with wrath the finder's name.
It was his enemy. Great was his shame.

A wise old man came up and said
"Be calm, Owusu, bow your head.
"Whenever a driver's licence is lost.
He must search all around, whatever the cost.
At home, in the lorry park, search the lot.
But should it be found at the wine tapper's pot?"

If you are offended in quarrels with a friend,
Although revenge is splendid, be moderate to the end.

---

PRIDE HAS ITS PRICE

(Ahantan Nye)

There was a man who was very proud.
He had no time for the common crowd.
His wife and children were also aloof;
Friends never sought refuge under his roof.

He had to attend a function one day.
In which an important role he would play.
His very best cloth was to be worn,
But to his horror, he found it was torn.

There was in the house no needle or thread,
So another plan came into his head.
An itinerant tailor¹ lived next door:
An ordinary man, the father of four.

The proud man sent out his little boy,
To play at the tailor's house with a toy.
The boy was instructed to make a tear
And borrow a needle for the repair.

The boy ripped his cloth, and asked for the loan
Of needle and thread for him to take home.
But the tailor, not knowing of the plot,
Insisted on mending the tear on the spot.

The tailor was very surprised to find
He received no thanks for being so kind.
"My father told me", the little boy said,
"That I must come home with needle and thread."

"My boy," said the tailor, "go home and say
No man can keep to himself in this way.
At times we all need the help of our friends.
It does not pay to pursue selfish ends."

To live in peace we must try all we can,
To fear our Gods and respect every man.
Avoiding your friends is almost a vice.
Man can live alone, but pride has its price.

THE BARIKESE DAM¹

Will water still be here for us to drink
When dry harmattan² dust begins to fall?
The engineers have heard our urgent call.
With sweating men and bulldozers they sink
Concrete foundations and lay plans to link
Kumasi to the dam. The rock-fill wall
And concrete towers make dwarfs of us all.
Yet they exist because the brain can think.


There where the Offin flows are blown up trees.
A wilderness to be changed to a lake,
Stretching away as far as the eye sees.
From it our daily water we will take.
Yes, fifty million gallons every day.
Hard to achieve, but very quick to say.

BEWARE OF A FRIEND

(Suro Wo Yonko)

A small Bird needed some money one day.
He asked his friend Bushbuck: "How can I pay?"
"Go to the Lion", suggested his friend,
"For he has plenty of money to lend".

"When will you repay me?", the Lion cried.
"When I'm grown up", the young Bird replied.
So each year the Lion set out to see
If the Bird had grown to maturity.

Whenever the Lion spoke of the debt
The small Bird would say: "I'm not grown up yet."
The Lion was puzzled by the small Bird,
But knew that he had to keep to his word.

The Bushbuck then promised he would reveal
The Bird's cunning trick for part of the deal.
The Lion used a tape to find the size
Of all the small Birds. He got a surprise.

His measurements showed that the Birds did not grow.
The Bushbuck knew all the time this was so!
The Lion in anger declared a war
If the debt was not paid next year or before.

Relations, in panic, gave the Bird cash,
So the Lion gave the Bushbuck his dash.
The Bird saw the Lion, to offer thanks
And was tempted to play one of his pranks.

He knew that the Bushbuck had no teeth on top
So food that was hard was awkward to chop.
The Bird took cola nuts and made his call.
The Bushbuck could not enjoy them at all.¹

We all have secrets that others don't know.
To live a good life, bad points must not show.
A friend knows your weaknesses, though they be few.
Beware of a friend who has turned against you.

LET LOVE PREVAIL

(Odonson)

There was a young man who found that his wife
Was tempted by gossips to lead a bad life.
He asked her in earnest to mend her ways.
Marriage is taken too lightly these days.

"Because you receive chop money ¹ each day,
(Which is not for you to fritter away)
When I bring bush ² meat or fruit home to you
You should return all the balance that's due.

"You must find life's an easy affair
As I meet all bills; so please do your share.
Then I can put cash away for the day
When school fees are due and I have to pay.

"Before I was married, my friends would come in
For whisky, but now it's illicit gin.
Pay no attention when your friends advise
A divorce - for they are telling you lies.

"With patience and time, our wounds can all mend.
Life need not be bitter up to the end.
We should not fear Death. He comes without fail.
Be honest, my wife, and let love prevail."

AN OLD MAN PLANTS COCONUT

(Akora Dua Kube)

An old, old man dug in his garden,
Working hard to plant a tree.
His grandson said: "I beg your pardon.
What you're doing puzzles me.

"You're ninety now. Have you no fears
Of dying while your tree takes root?
A coconut takes many years
Before it ripens and bears fruit."

"My boy, I'm thinking of tomorrow,
And you must learn to do the same.
This land of ours is what we borrow
From those to come, who bear our name.

"I leave a legacy behind me
From which, myself, I will not gain.
There should be no need to remind me
My labour may have been in vain."

If a man of ninety's growing
Trees that he will never see,
The Youth should work to be sowing
The seeds of our prosperity.

---

COMING TO GHANA¹

I came to Ghana from the winter snows
Of cold but festive England in December.
Yet now it seems I hardly can remember
The touch of frost that bites at ears and toes;
The scarf and hat and muffler when one goes
Into the street. No need here to worry
About the time, or if one should hurry.
Here is the quiet peace the mystic knows.

Far from the diesel fumes, the warming sun
Makes gorgeous flowers bloom amongst the trees.
Here I can see a gentle lizard run
And sometimes feel a welcome cooling breeze.
Life is unhurried. As day turns into night
The crickets chirp and drive away the light

TECHNOLOGY

(Sua Hunu)

Lagos to Accra in less than an hour.
This shows us all the jet engine's power.
Dreaded malaria need never kill,
If you remember to swallow your pill.

Great buildings rise up where once there was bush,
With cranes lifting loads as bulldozers push.
Telephone wires bring your friends near
Telling you news that its urgent to hear.

Many diseases we need not endure.
Water for drinking can all be made pure.
We can now banish the darkness of night,
Since we can switch on the electric light.

Technology can give us the power,
So we can make new industries flower.
Come then and join me in singing this tune,
Now men in a rocket have been to the moon.

THE WISE OLD WOMAN

(Moma Yen Kobisa Aberewa)

There was a proud Chief whose slightest desire
Was dealt with whatever it might require.
The Omens were bad; the Oracles said
That Fate would be hard till old women were dead.

"Kill all old women. Let no one be spared"
Was the Chief's order. A young man despaired.
He could not kill his own Mother. That night,
They fled to the bush and hid out of sight.

On one festive day, the Chief was obsessed
With how a great man was properly dressed.
"Capture a lion and skin it alive."
Many men died, but the beast did arrive.

The fresh lion skin was wrapped round the Chief,
Whose pride in the garment was to be brief.
The skin set hard with the heat of the day.
The Chief was trapped and could not get away.

The skin get getting harder and stronger.
The Chief could not endure it much longer.
"Whoever saves me will get a reward."
Many men failed and were put to the sword.

The young man went to his Mother that night.
She told him at once how to set things right.
"Pour water over the skin and the Chief.
The skin will become as soft as a leaf."

The man told the Chief: "My Mother lives;
Now listen to the advise that she gives.
For no one else knows just what to do.
She says "pour water", which will release you.

The Chief escaped from the trap he had made,
Because his order had been disobeyed.
Because the old woman still lived in the wood
She was able to save him when no one else could.

Arrogant pride can soon lead to grief,
But a wise old woman can save a great Chief.
When disputes are deadocked, do not think twice.
Consult an old woman¹and heed her advice.

BUY WHEN DEATH SELLS

(Owuo Ton Adee a to Bi)

Look! Here comes Death, on his fearful round.
See the tree's tangled roots ¹ rise from the ground.
See the moon's halo ² around every man,
Bringing the kiss of Death to all it can.

Death took away my Father and Mother.
If children talked of Death to each other
The old folk stopped them, for it brought to mind
The cruel blows Death had dealt to mankind.

When Death comes selling his wares down your way,
Pluck up your courage and buy some today.
Whatever may happen Death comes to us all.
In the end no one is spared his dread call.

The tadpole ³ complained people had no wish
To keep him after they caught their first fish.
The Lion killed the Cock, despite a warning
And grumbled at waking up late next morning.

A woman marries the job that you do,
But if you are sacked she soon mocks at you.
If a young man is killed it is not by chance. ⁴
Somewhere involved is a broken romance.

I am resolved not to die in my bed.
A death in action is no cause of dread,
Protected by the god of my river⁵
To whose charge my soul I will deliver.

To serve our gods we were created,
But evil spirits have dominated.
Whatever man cherishes most of all
Is first on the list when Death comes to call.

A woman lamented her barren state ⁶
The mocking of others made her irate.
A friend came by to console her one day.
"I had children, but Death took half away."⁷

ACCEPT YOUR LOT

(So Dee Wowo Mu Yie)

A wealthy man lived in the city.
An all-night watch he had to keep.
Thieves were always robbing houses
And so at night he dared not sleep¹.

His house had a large verandah;
A shady spot with lots of air.
A passing tinker asked the rich man
If he could do his work out there.

The wealthy man gave his permission,
But wished he had not very soon.
Because he missed his sleep at night time,
He rested in the afternoon.

The banging of the tinker's hammer,
He found too terrible to bear.
He lent some money to the tinker
To start a business up elsewhere.

The tinker went off to his village
And bought some chickens and a truck.
As trade was good, he soon was wealthy.
He then began to curse his luck.

His poultry farm was often raided.
He had to buy himself a gun
To keep vigil with his watchmen.
He found that riches were not fun.

Missing all his sleep at night-time
Destroyed his peace of mind and health.
He always thought that cheats and robbers
Would try to steal his new-gained wealth.

So he resolved to pay the loan back
And soon he sold the poultry farm.
He returned the rich man's money
For it had only brought him harm.

He wanted to be just a tinker.
He had been happier before.
He asked the rich man one small favour -
That he might use the yard once more!

It does not help to envy others
However little you have got.
If you want to be contented
It pays you to accept your lot.

MISFORTUNE BRINGS ITS OWN REWARD

(Amma Saa a Ankye Nye)

There lived in a village a wise old Chief
Who strongly adhered to a strange belief.
Bad luck is something we all can afford,
For misfortune brings us its own reward.

A rich man died in the village one day.
His wealth was shared the traditional way.
Each nephew, but one, had a good cocoa farm.
The odd one out had been left some oil palm!

This nephew had helped the uncle a lot,
Yet a palm-wine farm was all that he got.
He took his complaint to the wise old Chief
Who, as always, told him to welcome his grief.

But the nephew, still feeling very upset,
Instructed a palm-wine tapper he met
To fell all the trees and collect all the wine.
But then he found out his uncle's design.

The cutlass blade broke a jar which was found
To have been buried just under the ground.
The nephew recalled what the Chief had told
When they found nine more pots - all filled with gold!

The Chief lived happily until one day
Misfortune happened to come his own way.
He lost the friendship of some whom he ruled
When a local Chief had to be de-stooled.¹

The day had arrived for celebrations.
The Chief was about to pour libations.²
Palm-wine, as usual, was being passed round.
The pot dropped and broke. Wine spilt on the ground.

A dog lapped the wine, then fell as though shot.
So the Chief was saved from a poisoner's plot.
He looked at the dog and gave thanks to the Lord.
Misfortune had brought him its own reward.

---

WHAT IS WRONG?

(Eden Asem Aba Na)

What makes you want to run away?
What has happened to you today?
Remember Satan can destroy,
Only your flesh, so there is joy
Your soul is quite beyond his reach.
Fd? Have you the faith the Gospels preach?
To keep Gethsemane in mind
Is good advice for all mankind.
Christ told Peter: "Thou shalt deny me thrice,
This very night, ere the cock crows twice."

WHEN FRIENDS INTERFERE

(Obi Awaresem)

There was a man with a quarrelsome wife;
Their slightest argument led them to strife.
He despaired of leading a normal life.

Whenever one of their brawls occurred
Violent shouting and screaming was heard
Which could start from one unfortunate word.

The tenants found the noise too much to bear.
They made up a plan to solve the affair.

The tenants said that the man's proper course
Was to send his wife home and seek a divorce¹
And so stop the trouble right at its source.

The man did not want to do this at first
But his friends advice was too well rehearsed
In telling him that his marriage was cursed.

After a quarrel, the man had some drink
And said he would sever the marriage link.

With friends to support him, he drove in a car
Towards his wife's village, but stopped at a bar.
He realised he was going too far.

So he relented and would not proceed,
But friends urged him on to finish the deed.
A peaceful house was their urgent need.

The wife's father asked them why they had come.
Shamed by his mission, the husband was dumb.

His friends' accusations made his heart sink.
He realised he'd had too much to drink.
He just did not care what his friends would think.

He was going to spoil their spiteful game.
His wife should not bear the whole of the blame.
He wanted to speak and to clear her name.

The husband arose and addressed his friends:
"You have abused me for your selfish ends.

I swear to you all that I love my wife.
So it shall be for the rest of my life.
I must admit there has been some strife.

But friends should learn they must not interfere
In marital problems outside their sphere.
So leave us alone and get out of here."

The moral is plain. Never intervene
If husband and wife create a bad scene.

THE KINGDOM OF THE DEAD

Asamando Wonko

If there exists a Kingdom after death,
Where my soul will live after my last breath,
Then let me die. I know I would rather
Remain there with my mother and father
Than endure pain and torment on this Earth.
Friends, seek my doom¹, because it is not worth
Living amidst this sin and greed and pain.
Send me to the Kingdom. There I shall remain.

---

SUCH IS LIFE

(Abrabo)

It is experience that makes
Us wiser from our past mistakes.

A friend of mine was deep in debt.
He asked my help so he could get
Post-ponement of the time to pay,
Enabling him to run away.
I had no cash to meet his bail,
So I was led off into jail!

It is experience that makes
Us wiser from our past mistakes.

Two friends, by trading, had grown rich.
The elder had eye trouble which
Led the young friend some herbs to find
To treat the eyes - and make them blind.
The young friend acted in this way
To take the cash and run away.

It is experience that makes
Us wiser from our past mistakes.

A friend called at my house one day
And asked me for a place to stay.
But he had come for wicked ends.
At night, he woke and let in friends
Who stole my clothes and goods from me.
In fighting them, I sprained my knee.

It is experience that makes
Us wiser from our past mistakes.

THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE

(Akyekyedee ne Adanko Ammirikatuo)

The Tortoise challenged the Hare to a race.
The proud Hare refused and laughed in his face.
The angry Tortoise then said he would let
The Hare try to win all his goods in a bet.

A Tortoise was sent to a hiding place,
Near each of the staging posts used in the race.
Each of the Tortoises was told to run
To his post as soon as the race had begun.

When the race started - away went the Hare.
But at the first post, the Tortoise was there!
The Hare rushed off to the mext staging post
Feeling a little ashamed of his boast.

The plan that the Tortoises had rehearsed
Worked well, and a Tortoises always was first.
The race went on in this wisely planned way.
The Hare lost his bet and he had to pay.

The Hare asked the Tortoise how he had won.
The Tortoise then told him how it was done.
"Wisdom and planning, and the help of friends.
These are my tools in achieving my ends."

FATE IS JUST

(Nkrabea nni Kwatibea)

An old man and his only nephew¹ dwellled
In a region where cocoa farms excelled.
The uncle supplied all the nephew's needs.
His nephew responded with evil deeds.

The nephew was lazy and gambled a lot.
He passed all his time at the wine tapper's pot.
He spent lots of money and got into debt
Which the uncle could neither forgive nor forget.

With such provocations, the uncle complained.
The nephew got mad and could not be restrained.
He beat the old man and caused him great harm²
Yet he never would work on the cocoa farm!

The old man fell ill and and left to be cured
For life on the farm could not be endured.
When he felt sure Death was on his track
He sent for his nephew to fetch him back.

The nephew ordered a coffin and drink
For the funeral. He rejoiced to think
That his uncle's farm would soon be his own
(Though the cocoa trees were now overgrown).

The nephew tried to keep callers away,
But by chance he was out gambling one day
When an old woman came to bring some good news
Of a herbalist. There was nothing to lose.

The uncle took treatment and found at length
He slowly recovered his former strength.
The next year the nephew was very sick.
He rapidly worsened. His death was quick.

The uncle suggested how they could save
The cost of a coffin for the new grave.
They had the one that the nephew had bought,
Whose selfish plans had thus come to nought.

The nephew who thought of nothing but wealth
Now lay in a coffin bought by himself.
It will pay a man not to put his trust
In the fruits of evil, for fate is just.

---

BAD LUCK SPREADS AROUND

(Obi Amane San Obi)

A Bird was singing in a tree
And quite close by a Tortoise lay.
Some footprints let the Tortoise see
A Hunter had just passed that way.

"Be quiet Bird", the Tortoise called.
But it was all to no avail.
The noisy shouting quite appalled
The senses of a far-off Snail.

The Snail crawled up to warn the Bird,
But he arrived there just too late.
For then the Hunter's shot was heard.
The three all met the same sad fate.

The wounded Bird dropped to the ground,
Near to where the Tortoise lay
Beside the Snail. All three were found.
The Hunter carried them away.

The poor Snail knew his life would end
When by the Hunter he was found.
He died because he helped a friend.
So bad luck spreads to all around.

---

A HISTORY OF ASHANTI¹

(Asante Abakosem Bi)

When Osei Tutu came to rule
Down from heaven came the Golden Stool.
There was planted a mighty tree.
It grew, and so did Kumasi.

Think of Okomfo Anokye,
He who planted the mighty tree.
With passing years, the tree has died.
See the hospital, Ghana's pride.

The omen's were bad, the oracles said,
The spirits need a warrior's head.
Tweneboa said: "My life is done."
The battle was fought. Ashanti won.

Ashanti strength grew from day to day.
None could stand in their warriors way.
The Ashanti's found they could refute
The Denkyiras' claim for their tribute.

Anokye drove his sword in the ground.
There to this day it can be found.
He sought to cure death, but did not succeed.
His served the state in time of need.

Opoku Ware was the next to rule.
(To honour him there is a famous school.)
In thirty three battles he fought and won.
The fame of Ashanti had now begaun.

The Ashanti soldier said with his last breath,
Better go on to face certain death
Than run away and face disgrace
And dishonour the Ashanti race.

The British came. They did not last.
In one man's life their rule has passed.
Yaa Asantewaa rallied the nation
In its time of tribulation.

Otumfuo returned. Let us rejoice.
The Ashanti people have a voice.
Let us pause to pour libation
To the spirit of the Ashanti nation.

OVERSEAS LIFE

(Aburokyire Abrabo)

Mother, Oh Mother, your son has made a terrible journey.
Now I am stranded overseas.
Darkness has encircled me.
There can be no witness to what I endure alone.

An unsuccesful mission is a disgrace,
So how can we come hone?
If you fail, no child is named after you.
Death is preferable to shame.

Everyone has reasons for leaving his native land.
Some travel to study, or to marry.
Some go as tourists, some look for jobs.
Some seek medical treatment.

Some return, but others die overseas.
What a tragedy that is.
Why should this be?
It is our individual destiny.
Life has its bad times we have to pass through.

The cold weather gets so bitter men lose their senses.
Poverty, family problems, illness and accidents
All aggravate the stranger's sad state.
Married or single, life is not pleasant in a foreign land.

Bad company, gossip, rumours, misunderstandings,
So many troubles could be settled by speaking to the family.
There is but one consolation:
Namely that travel brings wisdom to men.

Spirits of our Ancestors,
Gods of our Ancestors,
Watch over our brothers abroad.
Let them return home safely.
To live in Europe is to understand this lament.