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Monday, 10 April 2023

A Sea Shanty on Day Ten #NaPoWriMo 2023

Dear Readers,

Day Ten of #Na/GloWriPoMo has been the hardest prompt thus far for it challenges the poet to write a sea shanty.

I'm of the mountains. I do love the sea but to write a sea shanty! Well, that's another story or poetry.

In order to connect to my inner-being, I closed my eyes to conjure up seascapes or sea songs that would gently tide me over to 'lets-give-it-a-go' port.

I live in Qatar--a nation proud of its pearl-diving heritage. Suddenly, an idea flashed. Why not look at some of the pearl-diving-sea-songs for inspiration. 

Going down rabbit holes of discovery is a favourite and fabulous thing. I found out that the lead singer of sea-songs is called the nahhām.

According to this article on QDL, "The nahhām was a paid professional singer, regarded foremost important on every boat and ship."

The following is an attempt ...


Doha, Qatar


nahhām nahhām nahhām 

The song you sing of love

is the kohl, her eyes

becomes the night

They ask me when 

the tide will turn


The hearth and the fire

have just one desire


nahhām nahhām nahhām 

The song you sing of longing

is the jasmine, her hair

O! the mighty waves

She un-braids just for me

The debts are not yet paid

She says, but come home anyway


nahhām nahhām nahhām

The song you sing of pearls

is the promise, her embrace

The salt I taste makes me thirsty

May Allah have mercy

Pray and sing His praises

She's seeing the same moon as me.


nahhām nahhām nahhām....

*******

"Generally, lyrics are derived from literary and colloquial Arabic poetry." states the article. 

"While the lengthy rhythm cycles remind the listener of the temple music in Kerala (south India), the communal bourdon singing recreates an atmosphere similar to the music of Tibetan monks or Sattya Hindu monks in Assam (north-east India)."

Like a true sea-voyage, I ended up finding pearls of wisdom from the songs of the sea. I hadn't set out to find any of this. 

Here's a sample of  Sea Music from Qatar: 


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12 comments:

  1. Romana Iorga10 April 2023 at 18:22

    Lovely song, Arti. The longing for the beloved is palpable--and that last line!😍

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yamini MacLean10 April 2023 at 19:16

    Hari OM
    Well, that's nothing like any sea shanty I have ever heard! Once the drum and clapping got going there was something closer to the metronomic quality of the worksongs of sailors with which I am familiar.

    That aside, I love your words! I even had a go at singing it... (you do not want to hear that...) YAM xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Arti11 April 2023 at 18:12

      I'd love to hear you sing Yamini--I reckon you're better at it than you give yourself credit. Maybe, one day when you and I meet:)

      Delete
  3. Kristin10 April 2023 at 21:53

    I'm glad you included the video.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Donna M Day10 April 2023 at 22:40

    Beautiful. Love it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tomichan Matheikal11 April 2023 at 05:03

    A beautiful blend of many strands and traditions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Arti11 April 2023 at 18:13

      Thank you Tomichan. It's the inter-connectivity of traditions that surprised me when I read the article.

      Delete
  6. Ira Mishra16 April 2023 at 21:59

    Wow loved the free flowing poem just like the waves of the sea as much as the research on the songs of the sea. Inspirational 👏. I am a person of the mountains too 😁.

    ReplyDelete

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