poetry is written was ever generally understood. It certainly is not so now, and the story of Liongo turns upon the fact that it was not so in his time, though the drift of the particular verses about the files (p.443) would now I should suppose be clear enough to most people. Some of the words used are Arabic, but many of the words and inflexions are borrowed from other negro languages. Some verses, of which a copy was given me by their author, introduced amongst others a Galla word which happened to suit the metre. All these verses are intended to be sung, not read, and they have their proper melodies, which resemble those of Gregorian hymns and antiphons more than any other European music. The first impression which all negro singing makes is that it is a mere discordant jangle; but when the ear is accustomed to it, it is found to be music, and even to have its beauties and some very artificial constructions, though the modes and progressions of sound are so unlike ours that no European can at all successfully imitate them.
Swahili verse is generally marked by a sort of anapæstic accent, as in a couplet directed against the people of Kilindi, a suburb of Mombas, who sided with Seyed Sa'eed when he attacked that town.
Wakilindíni si wátu ni púnda milía,
Walikúza nti yáo kwa reále mía.
The people of Kilindi are not men, they are zebras,
They sold their country for a hundred dollars.
A poem was written on the struggle between the present Sultan and his brother for the dominion of Zanzibar, of which I tried in vain to procure a copy. I could only get the first line; it is this:—
Kushíndwa ná mashujáa si unyónge.
To be beaten by heroes is no mean thing.
