Come my friend! I’ll tell you a story from my living days
O my friend! I’ll tell you a story from lands vast
O my friend! I’ll tell you of glories that didn’t last
It is true, o my friend
It is true what they say
Of Annallja Tu Bari and her beauty
Of Annallja Tu Bari who was melancholy
Of Annallja Tu Bari who refused to marry
It is true, o my friend
It is true what they say
Of Samba Gana, Prince of Faraka
Of Samba Gana in whose land none was bolder
Of Samba the cheerful and honorable victor
Anallja was sad because of her father
Who suffered defeat from which he didn’t recover
And so she demanded of all who would woo her
Her father’s lost honor, many times over
Bring me what he lost, that small town over yonder
To win my heart over and fill me with laughter
Then bring me eighty more towns, to win my heart over
Bring me eighty more towns, to fill me with laughter
But no man was willing to count such a high number
To pay so high a price to win her heart over
So though she was beautiful like no other
Sad she remained, a woman with no lover
Along came Samba Gana, Prince of Faraka
Samba Gana in whose land none was bolder
Samba a hero, Samba a conqueror
Samba a cheerful and honorable victor
He came with his servants, and horses, and bards
Leaving challengers in shame in defeat
But, always, he held them in high regard
Keep your town, he said to each, I have no use for it
Tararafe was a bard who rode with Samba
Tararafe was joyful just like his master
He is the one who sang of Annallja
Of this sad beauty who took no lover
To fill her with laughter, this you must bring her
To win her heart over, this you must offer
Eighty towns you must bring, to fill her with laughter
Eighty towns you must offer, to win her heart over
We must go! Samba Gana said to his followers
We must go to the home of Anallja!
We must see this beauty who takes no lover
We must go to the home of Anallja!
They rode for many days and they rode for many nights
Their horses running like the wind, running with all their might
Finally they arrived, coming in with dawn’s first light
And when they saw the woman, they were dumbstruck by the sight
Radiant like the sun, she sat, surrounded by her maids
But her eyes remained downcast, when to her, homage was paid
And so he decided on the spot, this prince of Faraka
To court this beautiful woman, whose sorrow possessed her
He rode away at once, his set on conquest
It didn’t take him too much time to fulfill her request
You have done all I asked, Anallja said on his return
Eighty towns you’ve won, so my heart you’ve surely have earned
But though she spoke the very words that Samba longed to hear
Her voice was heavy with distress and devoid of good cheer
Why do you not laugh? he asked. What keeps your joy away?
Tell me what you’d have me do to make it come and stay?
At first, she said, I couldn’t laugh due to my father’s shame
His defeat was so crushing, and he thought himself to blame
But now I cannot laugh because I am in so much pain
I feel the pang of hunger, but I have so little grain
We suffer much in this land from terrible droughts, you see
And now I know the reason from what your bard has told me
Issa Beer the Dragon is the one who holds the key
He it is who stops rivers from flowing to the sea
Conquer this dread serpent who causes us so much fear
Conquer this menace who causes drought from year to year
Conquer this dread serpent, and you’ll get your heart’s desire
Conquer this dread serpent, and you’ll fill my heart with laughter
You ask much of me, my dear! Samba Gana said
For in all the land and time, no one had ever dared
And on my part, I will say that I never really cared
For I was the dragon that they all revered and feared
But I should’ve known that someday someone would come
With some love to prove, or some fear to overcome
So when Samba Gana came and found me in my lair
I knew my time had come but I had to play it fair
We fought for eight long years, it was truly a nasty matter
We fought so hard, we changed the course of the great river Niger
We fought so hard, we split the earth and made the mountains scatter
We fought so hard, we stripped the sun of all of its hot fire
But alas, he triumphed, this great Prince of Faraka
Dead, at last, I lay at the feet of Samba Gana
I must say the young man fought with skill like no other
Eighty swords he broke, eight hundred lances he splintered
But when he sent his bloody lance to his love Anallja
Stained with evidence of the battle he’d fought for her
The treacherous woman asked for more, it did not satisfy her
She wanted both my head and my power over water
Then it was that Samba Gana saw what he’d not seen
That Anallja sought not love, but the power of a queen
He laughed one last time, realizing how foolish he had been
And thrust his sword into his chest, piercing his heart and spleen
They say Anallja summoned all the princes he’d conquered
And rode with them to Faraka, preceded by the bards
They say she called Samba Gana the bravest in the land
They say she built a pyramid, the tallest that could stand
They say she used up all the soil and left the land depleted
They say she finally laughed and died the day it was completed
They say Anallja mourned him, but to me it does not matter
She never really loved him, that is why she made him suffer
Source: African Genesis by Leo Frobenius
This is a poetic retelling of a Soninke legend, contributed by Mythological Africans.
It is a part of our series, Folklore Worldwide. We are currently open to submissions from around the world, and you are welcome to send us your stories!
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