When I was living back in Kent the English Romanies composed their own creed and Pashey put it into song. You can listen to her singing a little of it on the video link on the right. Over here in Luton we have had huge fun translating this into Kalerash Romani. With my elementary Romani and their remedial English this was hugely demanding. But along the way we each got deeper into the meaning of the Gospel. The 14 year Roma boy discovered a gift for language he did not know he has. After two hours hard work, he and his mother were still wanting to crack on. You can find the whole creed in my book. Here's a sample of the translation we are working on. Later that evening we tried it out in our weekly prayer meeting using two voices: English/Romani. Rather than a set of theological statements, it's a free floating meditation on what it means to be a believer in everyday life. Gyspy thought patterns are post-modern in feel; metaphors are woven into a rich tapestry; there is no closure, only invitation to further exploration; punctuation would ruin the flow. Our streams converge...
We believe
Ame pachas
Jesus love is like a running stream
O drago le jesusosko si sar mergertori paiesko
Flowing to all corners of the world
Kai jal ne se koltsuri
It flows high and it flows low
Jal opre hai jal tele
It reaches everywhere
Wo jal pe sakon than
Even to the desert
[chi kai] ande pusta
No comments:
Post a Comment