The Lord Continues
Can You Catch a Sea Monster?
1 Can you catch a sea monster
by using a fishhook?
Can you tie its mouth shut
with a rope?
2 Can it be led around
by a ring in its nose
or a hook in its jaw?
3 Will it beg for mercy?
4 Will it surrender
as a slave for life?
5 Can it be tied by the leg
like a pet bird
for little girls?
6 Is it ever chopped up
and its pieces bargained for
in the fish-market?
7 Can it be killed
with harpoons or spears?
8 Wrestle it just once—
that will be the end.
9 Merely a glimpse of this monster
makes all courage melt.
10 And if it is too fierce
for anyone to attack,
who would dare oppose me?
11 I am in command of the world
and in debt to no one.
12 What powerful legs,
what a stout body
this monster possesses!
13 Who could strip off its armor
or bring it under control
with a harness?
14 Who would try to open its jaws,
full of fearsome teeth?
* 15 Its back is covered
with shield after shield,
16 firmly bound and closer together
17 than breath to breath.
When This Monster Sneezes
18 When this monster sneezes,
lightning flashes, and its eyes
glow like the dawn.
19 Sparks and fiery flames
explode from its mouth.
20 And smoke spews from its nose
like steam
from a boiling pot,
21 while its blazing breath
scorches everything in sight.
22 Its neck is so tremendous
that everyone trembles,
23 the weakest parts of its body
are harder than iron,
24 and its heart is stone.
25 When this noisy monster appears,
even the most powerful
turn and run in fear.
26 No sword or spear can harm it,
27 and weapons of bronze or iron
are as useless as straw
or rotten wood.
28 Rocks thrown from a sling
cause it no more harm
than husks of grain.
This monster fears no arrows,
29 it simply smiles at spears,
and striking it with a stick
is like slapping it with straw.
30 As it crawls through the mud,
its sharp and spiny hide
tears the ground apart.
31 And when it swims down deep,
the sea starts churning
like boiling oil,
32 and it leaves behind a trail
of shining white foam.
33 No other creature on earth
is so fearless.
34 It is king of all proud creatures,
and it looks upon the others
as nothing.
1 Daafeŋ doo duŋ, Lefiyatani?
Fo i si a muta noo niŋ dooliŋo la baŋ,
waraŋ i ye a neŋo siti niŋ juloo la?
2 Fo i si juloo duŋ noo a nuŋ huwo la baŋ,
waraŋ ka a ŋaaŋaa soo dooliŋo la?
3 Fo a si yamfoo ñini i bulu baŋ?
Fo a si kuma diimaalu fo i ye baŋ?
4 Fo a si soŋ i ma baŋ,
i ye a samba, a ye ke i ye joŋo ti fo fawu?
5 I si a ke noo malayandi feŋo ti baŋ komeŋ kunoo,
ka a siti juloo la,
i la dookuulaa sunkutoolu kali a juubee?
6 Fo ñeemutalaalu si ñoo saba a daa la baŋ,
ì si a suboo saamu laa noo waafirilaalu ye baŋ?
7 I si a balafatoo soo noo niŋ sooroolu la baŋ,
i si a soo noo a kuŋo to ñeemutaraŋ tamboo la baŋ?
8 Niŋ i buloo maata a la, i ye i miira a keloo la,
i te a ke la kotenke!
9 Ka jikoo soto sila-wo-sila to a mutañaa la,
wo bee mu jiki kenseŋo le ti.
Ka a je kensenke doroŋ, i si boyi duuma piram.
10 Moo maŋ wo ñamafatiyaa soto ka a maa,
wo to jumaa le si i loo noo nte Alla fee?
11 Jumaa le la juloo be nte la ka a joo?
Feŋ-wo-feŋ be saŋo muumewo koto,
a bee mu nte Alla le taa ti.
12 M batu ŋa Lefiyatani siŋo keñaa fo i ye,
aniŋ a la sembe waroo,
aniŋ a balajaatoo daakuuta ñaameŋ.
13 Jumaa le si haañi, i ye a balafatoo wura?
Jumaa le si a soo noo?
A be bambandiŋ ne ko newo.
14 Jumaa le si haañi ka a daa yele ñoo bala,
a ñiŋo faŋo doroŋ mu silantaa le ti.
15 A koo fatoo bee koteerimaa* le mu,
a bee be karariŋ ñoo bala,
a bee be laŋ-landiŋ ñoo kaŋ.
16 Ì bee be suuriŋ-suurindiŋ ñoo kono,
hani foñoo faŋo te duŋ noo la ì teema.
17 Ì bee be bambandiŋ ñoo bala,
ì be dundiŋ ñoo kono,
aduŋ ì te bo noo la ñoo bala.
18 Niŋ a tisoota,
a ka dimbaa le fintindi naŋ,
a ñaakesoolu ka mala le ko siiliŋ boo.
19 Dimbaa le ka bo naŋ a daa kono ko pacamoo,
dimbaa feremetoolu ye sari naŋ banta.
20 Siisiyo ka finti naŋ a nuŋ huwo kono le
komeŋ niŋ finjaloo be bo la kaleeroo kono,
meŋ be looriŋ taa to ñansaraŋ dimbaa kaŋ.
21 A la niijiyo ka kemboolu mala,
dimbaa ka bo naŋ a daa kono.
22 A semboo bee be a tonsuŋo le to,
moo-wo-moo ñaa boyita a kaŋ,
a kija le ka bo.
23 A bala suboolu ye ñoo muta le kat,
ì be bambandiŋ ko newo,
aduŋ feŋ te ì bo noo la ñoo bala.
24 A jusoo be jaariŋ ne komeŋ beroo,
a be jaariŋ ne komeŋ tuurilaŋ beroo.
25 Niŋ a wulita, hani sembetii baalu ka sila le,
ì bee ka muru kooma le a silaŋñaa kamma la.
26 Hani niŋ i ye a soo hawusaroo* la,
nafaa te tara la a la.
Sooroo te a duŋ noo la, waraŋ kalabeñoo,
aduŋ tamba kese fanaa te a duŋ noo la.
27 Newo, a ka wo ke le komeŋ ñaama kaloo,
aniŋ jaawaloo komeŋ babara toliriŋo.
28 Kalabeñoo buka a bondi a noo to,
kampuraŋ beroo ka muluŋ a fee le komeŋ fuufulewo.
29 Dokoo ka muluŋ a fee le komeŋ ñaama kaloo,
aduŋ a ka jele le, niŋ i ye a buŋ sooroo la.
30 A konokoto fatoolu ka munta le ko fenkeŋ teleŋolu,
ì ka potoo fara le komeŋ senedaboo.
31 A ka baa kono duundi le komeŋ niŋ jiyo be faji kaŋ,
ka a bulubulundi komeŋ niŋ tulumaa feŋo be faji kaŋ.
32 A kooma ka tara malamalariŋ ne,
baajiyo bee ye kankaŋ fur.
33 A ñoŋo maŋ soto duniyaa kono,
daafeŋo meŋ, a maŋ silaŋo soto.
34 Ate jututa daafeŋolu faŋolu la le
mennu ka taamaayaa ì faŋ na,
daafeŋ-wo-daafeŋ, a ye a faŋ wara ñaa-wo-ñaa,
ì bee la mansa mu ate le ti.
