I Give You Thanks My God / I Thank You God - Bernard Dadie

Here are two versions of translations Bernard Dadie's poem with similar titles  I Thank You God / I Give You Thanks My God  --- read and enjoy.

 I THANK YOU GOD – BERNARD DADIE

I thank you God for creating me black,

For making of me 

Porter of all sorrows,

Setting on my head

The world.

 

I wear the Centaur’s hide

And I have carried the World since the first morning.

 

White is a colour for special occasions

Black the colour for every day

And I have carried the World since the first evening. 

 

I am glad 

Of the shape of my head

Made to carry the World,

Content

With the shape of my nose

That must snuff every wind of the World

Pleased

With the shape of my legs

Ready to run all the heats of the World.

 

I thank you God for creating me black

For making of me

Porter of all sorrows.

 

Thirty-six swords have pierced my heart,

Thirty-six fires have burnt my body.

And my blood on all calvaries has reddened the snow,

And my blood at every dawn has reddened all nature.

 

Still, I am 

Glad to carry the World,

Glad of my short arms

of my long legs

of the thickness of my lips.

 

I thank you God for creating me black.

White is a colour for special occasions

Black the colour for every day

And I have carried the World since the dawn of time.

And my laugh over the World, through the night, creates

The Day.

 

I thank you God for creating me black.

 

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I GIVE YOU THANKS MY GOD – BERNARD DADIE

(translated by La Ronde des Jours)

 

I Give you thanks my God for having created me black

For having made of 

The total of all sorrows,

and set upon my head

the World.

 

I wear the livery of the Centaur

And I carry the World since the first morning.

 

 

White is colour improvised for an occasion

Black, the colour of all days

And I carry the World since the first night.

 

I am happy

With the shape of my head

fashioned to carry the World,

satisfied with the shape of my nose,

Which should breathe all the air of the World,

happy

with the form of my legs

prepared to run through all the stages of the World.

 

I give you my thanks my God, for having created me black,

for having made of 

the total of all sorrows.

Thirty-six swords have pierced my heart.

Thirty-six brands have burned my body,

And my blood on all the calvaries had reddened the snow

And my blood from all the east has reddened all nature.

And yet I am

Happy to carry the World,

Content with my short arms,

with my long legs,

with the thickness of my lips.

 

I give you thanks my God for having created me black,

White is colour for an occasion,

Black the colour of all days

And I carry the World since the morning of time.

And my laughter in the night brought forth day over

the world.

I give you thanks my God for having created me black.

 

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I Give You Thanks My God / I Thank You God -- Bernard Dadie

 

Bernard Dadie’s poem “I Give You Thanks My God” / “I Thank You God” is a beautiful and thought-provoking anthem for black pride and their sufferings. The poem allegorically weaves around biblical, historical, and mythical tales.

 

Bernard Dadie is representing the entire black race to give his thanks to God for having made black men the bearers of the world’s sorrow. The poem is a symbolic assertion of the history of forced service / slavery and suppression that the black race has endured since “the first morning” and “the first night” of creation. 

 

“God called the light “day”, and the darkness He called “night”. And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day (Genesis 1:3)

 

From the origin of human race, the black men are made “the total of all sorrows” reveals that the biblical allusion to Jesus Christ as a man of all sufferings. 

 

“He was despised, and rejected by others; a man of suffering, and familiar with pain, like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him in low esteem”. (Isaiah 53:3)

 

The poem “I Give You Thanks My God”/ “I Thank You god” is an apt and right way in comparing the black man to Jesus Christ bearing the weight of “The World” on his head in the livery of a Centaur, a mythological living being half-man, half-horse.

 

I am happy

with the shape of my head 

fashioned to carry the World,

satisfied with the shape of my nose,

which should breathe all the air of the world,

happy

with the form of my legs 

prepared to run through all the stages of the World

 

Bernard Dadie is pleased and proud to be a black man that they have been so formed to help him bear the total of all sorrows and sufferings and prepared to run through all the stages of the world. In all generations of human evolution, the black man has been a crucial role-player, leaving his footprints in the entire human history.

 

Thirty-six swords have pierced my heart.

Thirty-six brands have burned my body,

And my blood on all the calvaries has reddened the snow

And my blood from all the east has reddened nature. 

And yet I am

Happy to carry the World,

Content with my short arms, 

with my long legs,

with the thickness of my lips.

 

 Thirty-six swords have pierced my heart is very similar to the Christ on the cross where a spear thrust into his side. 

 

“But he was pierced for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5)

 

Thirty-six brands have burnt my body proved that he is a victim of all types of exploitations, a slave of more than one owner, eligible to be trampled by all. Like Christ whose blood reddened the snow of all calvary, the hill outside Jerusalem on which Christ was crucified, similarly the Blackman’s blood reddened the snow of the foreign lands in ruthless crimes of slavery and colonialism.  

 

Yet, Dadie is thankful to God for creating his race black because the white is only colour for an occasion but black is the colour of all days. He laughs in the night with his heart content hopefully that this laughter brings the strength to defeat the burden of his oppression.

 

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comments written by mastanappa puletipalli 

 

The Supreme Essence of Bhagavad Gita

 The Supreme Essence of Bhagavad Gita

 

The Bhagavad Gita is the most revered religious book in Hinduism, widely accepted by people of different religious sentiments for its philosophical and moral relevance. It is considered to be the ‘divine voice of God’ for it is said that one can be spiritually uplifted by contemplating and meditating on the Gita’s text. Having influenced many great thinkers over the years, the Gita is understood to be the ultimate guide with practical instructions, with its relevance understood even in these modern times.

 

The verses in Bhagavad Gita represent Lord Krishna’s speech to Arjuna was the best archer and a Pandava, fighting against the injustice caused by his evil relatives who had taken away his kingdom. Krishna’s words had inspired him as he prepared for the battle. It originally occurred in the Bhisma Parva of the Mahabharata, comprising ancient knowledge, it was first transferred from Surya to King Ishvaku, before disappearing from the sands of time. It later resurfaced in this speech by Lord Krishna 

 

The Gita, or the ‘Song of the God’, is a true scripture of the human race, with wisdom applicable across generations and races. It has inspired millions with its frankly mystical and emotional content and offers something of value to every seeker. It is considered to be a handbook for self-realization and a guide to action. Presented here is a summary of the speech, with the central messages that are universal in nature and touch everyone with their depth of meaning. 

 

When we started off  with the concept of this book, we began with acknowledging the Gita as the greatest speech ever. The lessons in context to its sheer significance in the awakening of humankind compelled us to begin from this speech. Including the entire text would have generated a huge volume, so we have collated the ten summarized teachings that are relevant in all times. Krishna, we believe, is our most revered orator, followed by the wonderful twenty who we have attempted to bring together. We hope each of you would find inspiration in these enriching words.

 

 

THE ESSENCE OF BHAGAVAD GITA

 

·      Why do you worry without cause? Whom do you fear without reason? Who can kill you? The soul is neither born, nor does it die. 

 

·      Whatever happened, happened for the good; whatever is happening, is happening for the good; whatever will happen, will also happen for the good only, You need not have any regrets for the past. You need not worry for the future. The present is happening. 

 

·      What did you lose that you cry about? What did you bring with you, which you think have lost? What did you produce, which you think got destroyed? You did not bring anything. Whatever you have, you received from here. Whatever you have given, you have given only here. Whatever you took, you took from God. Whatever you gave, you gave to him. You came empty handed, you will leave empty handed. What is yours today, belonged to someone else yesterday, and will belong to someone else the after tomorrow. You are mistakenly enjoying the thought that his is yours. It is this false happiness that is the cause of your sorrows.  

 

·      Change is the law of the universe. What you think of as death, is indeed life. In one instance you can be a millionaire, and in the other instance you can be steeped in poverty. Yours and mine, big and small – erse these ideas from your mind. Then everything is yours and you belong to everyone.

 

·      This body is not yours, neither are you of the body. The body is made of fire, water, air, earth and ether, and will disappear into these elements. But the soul is permanent – so who are you?

 

·      Dedicate your being to God. He is the one to be ultimately relied upon. Those who know of his support are forever free from fear, worry and sorrow.

 

·      Whatever you do, do it as a dedication to God. This will bring you the tremendous experience of joy and life-freedom forever. 

 

·      Whenever there will be evil, God will take over.

 

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