negritude poetry

Birago Diop, “Spirits”
Listen toThingsMore often than
Beings,
Hear thevoice of fire,
Hear thevoice of water.
Listen
in thewind,To the sighsof the bush;This is theancestors
breathing.Those who aredead are not ever gone;They are inthe
darkness that grows lighterAnd in thedarkness that grows darker.The
dead arenot down in the earth;They are inthe trembling of the
treesIn thegroaning of the woods,In the waterthat runs,In
the waterthat sleeps,They are inthe hut, they are in the
crowd:The dead arenot dead.Listen tothingsMore
oftenthan beings,Hear thevoice of fire,Hear thevoice of
water.Listen in thewind,To the bushthat is sighing:This is
thebreathing of ancestors,Who have notgone awayWho are
notunder earthWho are notreally dead.Those who aredead
are not ever gone;They are in awoman’s breast,In thewailing of a
child,And theburning of a log,In themoaning rock,In
theweeping grasses,In the forestand the home.The dead arenot
dead.Listen moreoftenTo Thingsthan to Beings,Hear
thevoice of fire,Hear thevoice of water.Listen in thewind
toThe bush thatis sobbing:This is theancestors
breathing.Each day theyrenew ancient bonds,Ancient bondsthat
hold fastBinding ourlot to their law,To the willof the spirits
stronger than weTo the spellof our dead who are not really
dead,Whosecovenant binds us to life,Whoseauthority binds to
their will,The will ofthe spirits that stirIn the bed ofthe
river, on the banks of the river,The breathingof spiritsWho moan
inthe rocks and weep in the grasses.SpiritsinhabitThe
darknessthat lightens, the darkness that darkens,The quiveringtree,
the murmuring wood,The waterthat runs and the water that
sleeps:Spirits muchstronger than we,The breathingof the dead who
are not reallydead,Of the deadwho are not really gone,Of the
deadnow no more in the earth.Listen toThingsMore
oftenthan Beings,Hear thevoice of fire,Hear thevoice of
water.Listen in thewind,To the bushthat is sobbing:This is
theancestors, breathing.Source:The NegritudePoets,
ed. EllenConroy Kennedy. New York:Thunder’s Mouth Press, 1989.