And so they go on, entering the gateway formed by the two tall ones, and when the least come up to them then these two turn round also.
Sóamìditra No. 2.
The second variation of the above game has more singing in it but the children arrange themselves in the same way, the two tallest ones and the rest singing alternately as follows:—
Manasa, relahy, manasa e?
Tsy ho any, relahy, tsy ho any e!
Nahoana, relahy, nahoana e?
Tsy ho vary, relahy, tsy ho vary e!
Ho vary, relahy, ho vary e!
Tsy ho hena, relahy, tsy ho hena é!
Ho hena, relahy, ho hena é!
Tsy ho akoho, relahy, tsy ho akoho e!
Ho akoho, relahy, ho akoho e I
We bid (you), friends, we bid you?
We won't go there, friends, we won't go there!
Why not then, friends, why not?
Not for rice, friends, not for rice!
For rice, friends, for rice!
Not for meat, friends, not for meat!
For meat, friends, for meat!
Not for fowls, friends, not for fowls!
For fowls, friends, for fowls!
And so they go on, mentioning other kinds of food, and then all the different fruits. When this is finished, the little ones go forward to enter, making at the same time a loud noise and singing:
Varavaran’ Andriambolamena,
Ka intelo miditra toy ny akanjo,
Mpandrafitra arivo toy ny fantanana.
Doorway of Golden Prince,
Entering three times like the dress,
Carpenters a thousand like the weaving staff.[1]
Another "variant" of this song is given by my friend, the Rev. J. Richardson, Principal of the L.M S. Normal School at Antanànarìvo, who has done much for the musical progress of the Malagasy by instructing them in the Tonic Sol-fa system, and has also written numerous excellent hymns as well as some capital school songs. As he also supplies the Sol-fa notation of the tune, I venture to extract
- ↑ This is the literal translation, but the allusions are obscure.
