Sundiata

In an epic with the title Sundiata,
Deriving the title from the significant character; Sundiata,
Also referred to as Lion of Mali or Sogolon Djata,
Though, others referred to him as Mandinka Diara (D.T Niane, 3).
A story is told of the famous Konate,
Full name being Nare Maghan Konate,
Konate ruled Mandinka as a king,
A kingdom where a king was a compelling being (D.T Niane, 6).
One day Konate got a visitor,
The visitor was a hunter and also a seer,
And from him came forth a prophecy,
Regarding the king’s heir (D.T Niane, 8).
King Konate was to marry an ugly woman,
And from the ugly woman, Konate would father a son,
The baby could rise one day to be a mighty king,
A mighty king that will rule over kings (D.T Niane, 14).
King Konate already had a wife,
Sassouma Berete was the king’s wife,
And with Berete the king already had a son,
Dankaran Toumani was the son (D.T Niane, 16).
One day king Konate was visited by hunters,
The hunters were two in number,
They came from the kingdom of Do,
With them was a woman called Sogolon, also from Do (D.T Niane, 20).
The ugliest woman,
A hunchbacked woman,
Reminded the king of the prophecy,
Yes, the hunter’s prophecy (D.T Niane, 22).
King Konate married Sogolon,
Of her, a son was born,
They got a child and named him Sundiata,
Or as in the first stanza, Sunjata, Diara, or Djata (D.T Niane, 24).
Sundiata had a problem that caught the eyes of the neighborhood
He could not walk throughout his childhood,
Not even on a walking stick,
He used his four limbs like a tick (D.

T Niane, 25).
Sassouma developed jealousy for no matter,
Showing it to both Sogolon and Sundiata,
She started mocking them,
Sassouma could make abusive remarks at them (D.T Niane, 28).
Sundiata was mocked for not walking,
And the ugly look of the boy of his mother’s making,
What could one expect, the mother was unattractive,
Mockery was done in the manner most abusive (D.T Niane, 30).
In spite of the physical weakness with Sondiata,
The king made sure to grant the young Sondiata all that matter,
He nurtured the son,
And provided regular custom consultation (D.T Niane, 31).
Upon the death of king,
Dankaran went against wishes of the king,
He disregarded the old prophecy,
He assumed the father’s throne with illegitimacy (D.T Niane, 32).
Sundiata tried to walk with an iron rod,
Though with a lot of sweat and blood,
In front of the shocked Sogolon and dismayed Sassouma,
Sundiata miraculously walked, giving haters trauma (D.T Niane, 33).
Sundiata started taking care of his mother,
Grew into a capable hunter,
But this did not mark the end of his woes,
As Sassouma’s and Sankaran’s hatred grows (D.T Niane, 35).
Sundiata, his mother, his siblings sought to be exiled,
Their security no longer being upheld,
The insecurity itself coming from one thing;
Jealousy by the new king’s mother and the new king (D.T Niane, 35).
While seeking for a place to go into exile for protection,
The Sogolon and her family encountered rejection,
Only Mema kingdom took them,
All others feared inviting war by Sassouma and the new king onto them (D.T Niane, 36).
Being exiled was a blessing in disguise,
Sundiata could finish a fight without a bruise,
He could be compared to a lion when it came to a fight,
He even engaged Mema’s toughest general in a fight (D.T Niane, 38).
Sundiata grew into a warrior so great while there,
That he’s declared to be the Mema throne heir,
His mother encouraged him differently; to hold on,
That he has a leadership role in Mali to carry on (D.T Niane, 40).

In the meantime, calamity strikes the Mandinka Kingdom,
Soumaoro Kante, the Sosso king, attacks the kingdom,
With the nine other kingdoms already trampled upon his feet,
Fleeing was the only thing that Dankara saw fit (D.T Niane, 40).
So merciless was king Soumaoro to all alike,
The people of Mandinka sent for Sundiata who was now God-like.
They needed someone to save them,
Feeling the responsibility, Sundiata couldn’t ignore them (D.T Niane, 45).
Sundiata united all the kingdoms in the neighborhoods into one,
And fighting with common front, they won,
He was consequently crowned as King of Kings
Thus, ruling over all former Mali kingdoms’ kings (D.T Niane, 46).

Works Cited
D.T Niane. ‘Sundiata.’ An Epic of Old Mali. (1960): 2-47