Features
Elegy to a Muse
In a cool freezing frigid, silent night
When heels are out of the terrain tarmac
Bei ni naji eje b ↄ nↄ
I gushed out of bed and with captivating mind
Focused the horizons and azure sky above
And there behold
There unfolds, the dancer of words
Atukwei Okai Atukwei Oshaimiaku
I hear in the silent night
The Traditional Talking Drums
The Acoustic sound of Obonu
Randomly rattling, and rhythmically raining
Like pebbles falling and throbbing down
Kpԑtԑ kpԑtԑ kpԑtԑ !
And in transient trance
Behold, the dancer of words in gorgeous, ma jestic movement and strides
And the utterance of audible words
Ravishing on the eardrums
Pouring of an Army or words
‘It is over for the labour ’s beckoned to rest’
Misa su, misa mi naa
Aayalolo, mitsu migbε fan nↄ
Mi shi misεε – Nyεmↄamli koo…
Tswa nni Omanye Aba koo !
The talking drums and sounding cymbals Si lence the night-day !
Oooh! Hush!
SILENCE THE MUSIC !
Let the traffic light show red
And let them show green
Let them amber the Long Bow
Atukwei is gone!
Atukwei has bowed
And our hearts ache
The dance of words are stilled
The rhythm is numbed
Let the gong gong beat lorgoligi logarithm
And search for the Professor, Atukwei Okai
The literary Giant of the Arts.
Whilst we gaze the west
Atukwei passed by the East
And while we looked up,
He slipped in silence
We did not see it coming
You feigned, you feigned, you feigned
While we gazed the East
Atukwei slipped through the West
We did not see it coming
Okεwↄ miifee kwaani-kwaani
Hide and Seek Game.
Oh, Atukwei is gone !
Doff the hats for the Professor, Atukwei Okai.
Who once paced this terrain,
A bosom brother and friend
To the Venerable Ayitey-Adjin Okai
Atukwei, who played his part well
On stage in the Arts – A Literary Giant
At the apex of African Writers Association
President of Ghana Writers Association
A great star has fallen !
A royal scepter is bro-ken !
A regal tower has fallen !
A great tree has been up-rooted
The dancer of words is gone !
Atukwei Okai, Oshaiamiaku
Ogbεi kε sabla ji enε
Son of the land of Gold
Ablade Shika Nshↄnaa fↄ mli bi
Colossus of the Art
At whose inked sticks
Laid an Army of words
Like swarm of bees – in flight
That titled the pendulum of men
Inflame, inspire, and impart to imbibe
My muse and mentor and my friend
Pour out dirges for the Professor, Atukwei Okai – The Literary Giant
Let a thousand words pour out
And a million rhyme a Rosimaya
But let infinite words hold you dear
And keep your undying words
That danced on the pages
And frolicked your grace like Shakespeare in
inky pages
Chronicled for posterity
As memorial edifice to generations yet unborn
Requiescat in pace, professor
To the abyss-beyond where your shadow lingers
And your soul rest after the labour ’s toils
In reminiscence we recall
Redementis de opportutatem
Ars longa, vita Brevis
Dominus Vobiscum Professor.
Wↄ ojobann Tsulↄ kpakpa
Ghana and the world at large
Has lost an icon – a legendary icon
Till we meet in the Heavenly mansion of Oboↄade again.
Kpo – Proff
Rest peace – fully
By: Ebenezer Nii-Bi Ayitey-Adjin Ayi-Bonte
Prince Poet, Son of the late
Nii Okai Pesemaku III, Gbese Mantse
And Adontenhene of the Ga State
(1959 – 1978)
Email: ebenbonte12@gmail.com