Eghe! Koloka Moho napa ma! Eghe!
12 November 2023
AG SATORI
| Noveba 2023
AG Satori’s poem in Goroka Tok Pisin dialect has been kindly translated into English by the great man for the enjoyment of all our readers - KJ
Stephanie Alois, Apoya, naispla meri Koloka ya, AG Satori tok sorre olsem em i no nap rait olsem yu or Maikol long raitim gutpela singsing lo sandin blo leva. Tasol em laik givim tok lukaut long yu long despela taim bihain taim leva bilong yu bai tru tru bruk.
Stephanie Alois, lovely Goroka lass, AG Satori apologises that he is not as good as Stephanie or Michael [Dom] to pen odes as good for all things about the heart. But he wants to caution you now for that future time when that heart will surely break.
Na ol Koloka pekim na tok lukaut! - lo si'sing leva puluk plo bel plo ju long ‘The love that love made for me’.
And here is a reply from the Koloka’s to your heart-breaking ode in ‘The Love That Love Made For Me’.
Eghe! Koloka Moho napa ma! Eghe!
Ju lak tok wonem yja!
Apo, nais wan yja,
Ju kalaki Oh!
Ju laik pulukim mauten - koh lo we,
Koh lo siwaka, mona yja, lusim!
Ju painim haus – ah?
Siwaka wel palaua peles,
Fli kantli ol kolim.
Marit andab lo marit andab lo marit
Em yja, pel plo ju bai puluk
Tumolo - tumolo tasol yja!
Apo, nais wan yja.
Ju kalaki pinis.
Ju painim haus oh, mona, lusim!
Meli koloka, ol sa maus pas yja
Ol siwaka wel palaua kantri
Fili kantili ol kolim.
Sikaut plo ol, wa’pla
Sikaut plo ol, tu’pla
Sikaut plo ol, tri’pla
Meli Koloka, sikin kalas pai sanap.
Meli Koloka, maus plo ju pai pas
Bai yu holi pel na kalai, kalai.
Apo nais wan yja
Ju kalaki na kalaki tulu tulu pinis.
Apo, mona, ju les lo simel tais kopi.
Tais wara lo Asalo, ron yjet,
Kepamo tilip sore lo ol kunai klas.
Sokosoi kalarim kopi sta
Mena Mena ron apanigaseh yjet.
Ol het plo pipit sikaut -we-ho we-ho ista'.
Yu pai tikim na pel plo ju yja pai tilip sorre, nais wan yja.
Apo, nais wan yja.
Taim ju holim bel na kalai kalai
Pai ju painim palata na papa mama,
Mauten pulukim na husat pai sahnaa' paksait?
Sorre, nais wan ya, sorreh O!
Pai ju tikim waitpla kilaun tais blo Asalo.
Pai ju tikim kepamo ston blo ju.
Pai ju tikim kopi lo sokosoi blo ju.
Na em yja, mena mena sta sitolong yjet,
Ju pai save olse wala ino puluk lausim ol igo.
Apo, nais wan yja.
Noken kalaki, nau yjet nau yjet.
Apo, nais wan yja, senisim het,
Luluk lo lek plo ju,
Haus n’ leva ol koloka tu sa gat,
ol Koloka tu sa' lo' si'sing lo pulukim leva plo ju, - igat.
Sans nau blo ju. Wokabaut bek, lusim krai plo bihai tai.
Koloka yja sitau kolotu kolotu lo lek plo ju yja, leva em plo ju yjet
Apo, pel tasol yja ju kivim.
____________
Egghe, girl Koloka! egghe!
In English Translation
Darling, dear, what - just are you trying to say!
You’ve gone out of your mind?
You want to cross mountains – to where,
Going to Siwaka, my gosh, rethink it!
You - looking for a house?
Siwaka, t’is a wild place of flowers,
Free country, it’s called,
Marriage upon a marriage upon a marriage.
There, there your heart will break.
Tomorrow, just tomorrow only!
Darling, lovely one,
You lost your mind already.
You’re looking for a house my gosh, forget it!
Girl Koloka are mouth shut,
Siwaka’s wildflower country!
Free country t’is called,
They ululate once.
They call out twice.
They thrash you thrice.
Girl Koloka, your hairs’ll stand on its end,
Girl Koloka, your mouth’ll close.
You’ll hold your stomach and weep.
Darling, dear,
You’ve really, really lost all reasoning.
Dear, my gosh, you don’t like the aroma of the muddy coffee?
Asaro waters murky flow still,
Kefamo lies calm amid kunai grasses.
Zokozoi still a colouring creamy coffee,
Bena Bena rolls darling still.
The soft pitpit flowers scream a waving we-ho-we-ho!
You will think of these, and your stomach will hurt, my dear.
Darling, lovely one
When your heart is breaking,
You will look for your brothers and parents.
The mountains stand asunder and who will stand at your back?
Sorry, lovely dear – sorry!
You will think of the white mud of Asaro.
You will remember the boulders at Kefamo.
You will think of your Zokozoi coffee.
And you know what, Bena Bena is still steady,
You will know they have not been flooded away.
Dear, lovely one,
Do not stray, ahem, ahem,
Darling dear, change your mind,
Look near to your feet,
Houses n love, the Koloka’s too do have,
Koloka’s too know how to sing love songs to your heart –
Chance it now. Walk back from the future cry,
Koroka sits near your feet, keep your heart,
Dear, give him only your stomach!
Upon such ventures in language, encapsulated in words for folk to see - upon here, the written form of communication - is vindication of the platform and the hopes of its supporters.
Me applauding too.
Posted by: Lindsay F Bond | 17 November 2023 at 07:09 PM
Maikol, kupala man, ju putim lo Sising Peles blo ju em kupala.
Meli Apo yja em sising lo pel leva plo ken na em ol Koloka maki ya ol bel kirap.
Ol tu ol sta na was lo lek plo en. Em ken luluk na luluk kut lo ol.
Lo Sising Peles, ju tokaut tret lo dipala a?
Posted by: AG Satori | 17 November 2023 at 05:47 PM
Brillig! I can see the slithy toves, gyre and gimble in the wabe.
I am stealing this poem.
It will re-appear on Ples Singsing, where it belongs.
And your poems too, Stephanie.
Posted by: Michael Dom | 16 November 2023 at 08:37 PM