Stray Truths is a stirring introduction to the poetry of Euphrase Kezilahabi, one of Africa’s major living authors, published here for the first time in English. Born in 1944 on Ukerewe Island in Tanzania (then the Territory of Tanganyika), Kezilahabi came of age in the newly independent nation. His poetry confronts the task of postcolonial nation building and its conundrums, and explores personal loss in parallel with nationwide disappointments. Kezilahabi sparked controversy when he published his first poetry collection in 1974, introducing free verse into Swahili. His next two volumes of poetry (published in 1988 and 2008) confirmed his status as a pioneering and modernizing literary force. Stray Truths draws on each of those landmark collections, allowing readers to encounter the myriad forms and themes significant to this poet over a span of more than three decades. Even as these poems jettison the constraints of traditional Swahili forms, their use of metaphor connects them to traditional Swahili poetics, and their representational strategies link them to indigenous African arts more broadly. To date, translations of Swahili poetry have been focused on scholarly interpretations. This literary translation, in contrast, invites a wide audience of readers to appreciate the verbal art of this seminal modernist writer.
ContentsAcknowledgmentsTranslator’s IntroductionFrom Kichomi (1974)UtanguliziIntroductionUvuaji wa Samaki VictoriaFishing at Lake VictoriaUkweliTruthNamagondoNamagondoWimbo wa MleviThe Drunk’s SongMto NiliThe Nile RiverMgombaBanana TreeKuchambua McheleSorting the RiceDhamiri YanguConsciousnessTatizoProblemWimbo wa KunguniThe Bedbug’s SongKumbukumbu 1Remembrance 1Kumbukumbu 2Remembrance 2Kisu MkononiKnife in HandFungueni MlangoOpen the DoorFrom Karibu Ndani (1988)Chai ya JioniEvening MealAzimioResolutionNgoma ya KimyaSilent DanceKaribu NdaniWelcome InsideWao Pia WalichezaThey Too DancedMbeguThe SeedNondoMothWaliozaliwaThose Who Were BornKifo cha Mende WekunduThe Death of Red CockroachesKilio KijijiniA Cry in the VillageMatumainiHopeNamagondo IINamagondo IIKuishiLivingNenoThe WordFrom Dhifa (2008)MafurikoFloodJibwaDogKuwakoBeing HereMarahabaReceptionNani na Nani ni Nani?Who Plus Who Is Who?Wimbo wa UnyagoInitiation SongNani Kaua!Look at the Killer!Kupatwa kwa JuaSolar EclipseNamagondo IIINamagondo IIIKuishi KwajitembezaLiving Walks Itself AroundHatima ya WatuAn Ending for the PeopleTena na TenaAgain and AgainMlokoleChristian RevivalistUziThreadUkweli-KokoStray TruthEmbe-RohoMango-SpiritUpole wa MkiziGentleness of the CuttlefishMuunganoUnionHojaStatementPa!Pa!
