Qene

Qene also known as Säm əna Wärq is a unique style of poetry from Ethiopia that is rich and deep in meaning, which demands critical thinking and analysis of the poetry to understand its meaning. It demands having not only a strong Amharic, Tigrigna, or Ge’ez vocabulary, but also familiarity with the culture from where the particular poem originates or the background against which it was written.^[1]

History

Yared

It is believed that Saint Yared is the originator of Qəne.^[2] Since most of Saint Yared’s works are based on the Bible, thus it can be assumed that the Bible is the original source of Qəne composition. Some parts of the Bible such as the Psalms and the Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) are written in poetry form. Some books of the Bible such as the Song of Songs and the teachings (sermons) of Jesus use a lot of metaphorical and allegorical language similar to the Säm əna Wärq mode of Qəne. Saint Yared’s non-sparing use of the content and style of the Bible helped in making his compositions acceptable and popular. Some of his compositions are still used as prayers in their original form.

Although Saint Yared was the earliest composer of Qəne, he does not appear to have set the forms and meters for the genre. There are, in fact, several possible candidates deemed responsible. One possibility lies with Qəne scholars during the reign of Emperor Eskender (1478-1494) - Hawira, Menkera, Eskendera, Poeskenedera and Abidira. Another explanation - commonly referred to as the Wadla claim - attributes it to an early 15th century scholar from Wadla named Yohannəs Geblawi. And then there is the Gonj claim - attributing the deed to a certain Täwanäy who flourished after the 15th century. Täwanäy is alleged to have learned his Qəne alongside Wäldä Mariam from a certain Eliab, who in turn learned it from alongside Lehib from Sämrä Ab, who in turn learned it from Yohannəs Geblawi.

Oral traditions also mention a certain Däqä Est’ifa as the scholar responsible for setting the meters for Qəne. Däqä Est’ifa is alleged to have acquired seven crafts from Greece - six having to do with magic, and the seventh Qəne - and returned to Ethiopia during the reign of Emperor Bä'edä Mariam (1468-1478). He is then said to have taught the seventh craft to Prince Eskinder, Hawira, Menkera, Behur, and another Eskinder.

Däqä Est’ifa was quite popular at his former pupil Emperor Eskinder's court. One tradition claims he seduced the Emperor's wife and used one of his other crafts to vanish with her.Shortly thereafter, the Emperor set fire to the house Däqä Est’ifa and the Empress were hiding in. However, Däqä Est’ifa allegedly used another of his crafts to again disappear with his lover - and is said to still roam the island.

Yohannəs Geblawi, in contrast to Däqä Est’ifa's worldly crafts, is said to have acquired his Qəne during a spiritual meditation. Yohannəs was born at Geblon in Wadla (Lasta), and flourished at the time of Emperor Zar'a Yacob (1434-1468). He and is said to have taught near Mount Tabor at Amara Saynt. Yohannes taught Qəne to the monk Aba Wäldä Gabriel, who in turn taught Sämrä Kristos (Sämrä Ab). Sämrä Kristos (Sämrä Ab) is said to have given Emperor Bä'edä Mariam (1468-1478) Qəne lessons. He also taught Lehib and Eliab, the latter of whom taught Qəne to Täwanäy and Dədəq Wäldä Mariam.

Emperor Be'ede Mariam was so taken by the art of Qəne that he is said, on the advice of his teacher Sämrä Kristos, to have gone into a week-long meditation to determine its origin. The answer was revealed to him on the festival of the changing of water unto wine (Qana ZeGelila), when he composed the following Qəne by divine inspiration,

       ድህረ ተሰብረ አጽንኦ ለሰብእናን ንሁክት
       ለብሃዊ ክርስቶስ በማየ ሃዲስ ጥምቀት፡፡

       After man's strength was shattered with grief,
       Christ the potter remade him with baptism.

As Be'ede Mariam's Qəne was composed during a gathering (Gubae) at the festival of Qana ZeGelila, its form and meter has been known as Gubaʾe Qana. Sämrä Kristos was then said to have composed a Zäʾämlakəye Qəne, after which the Emperor composed a Mibäzhu Qəne - the tradition claims.

One tradition also claims Täwanäy as Däqä Est’ifa's student. However, Däqä Est’ifa flourished during the reign of Emperor Eskender - a period when third generation disciples of Yohannes Geblawi also taught. This casts into doubt the alleged role of Däqä Est’ifa as the originator of Qəne - as the line of Yohannes Geblawi would have precedence. Furthermore, the more than fifty years that span between Däqä Est’ifa and Täwanäy would make it hard to take the latter as a disciple. Moreover, other accounts put Täwanäy's time at the early 18th century.

Accordingly, along the Qəne line of Yohannes Geblawi, Sämrä Ab taught Lehib and Eliab. Eliab, in turn, taught Dədəq Wäldä Mariam and Täwanäy. Tradition also holds that due to unfavorable conditions caused by the wars of Ahmad Gragn (mid-16th century), Dədəq Wäldä Mariam and Täwanäy formed two separate Qəne styles - the Wadla and the Gonj schools, respectively.

Another interesting tradition holds that both disciples made the trip to Däq Island to further their knowledge. While Dədəq Wäldä Mariam chanced upon mystical teachers that helped him further his Qəne, Täwanäy had no such luck. Instead, he fell into the carnal snares of mystical women who thwarted his many attempts to escape. When he turned into an eagle and tried to fly away, they would turn into pebbles and stone him. When he turned into a worm to wiggle his way off the island, they would turn into chickens and peck at him. He finally managed to escape by turning into a flea and attaching himself to a sack of Gesho leaves destined for sale on the mainland! Perhaps the notion of Täwanäy as the disciple of Däqä Est’ifa stems from his legendary exploits at Däq Island.

The same tradition claims that by the time Täwanäy escaped from Däq, he had only retained a fraction of what Eliab had taught him. Hence, the Gonj school of Qəne associated with Täwanäy stresses Qəne composition, but only fleetingly covers Ge'ez verb conjugation and syntax - whereas the Wadla school associated with Dədəq Wäldä Mariam teaches all these elements. The Wadla school was led by a succession of seven teachers - all with the title Dədəq - the last of whom was also named Dədəq Wäldä Mariam. He was succeeded by Ma'ibel Wäldä Hiwot (MeCha), who was then succeeded by Aleka Getahun (Gete Amoraw). The other disciple of Sämrä Kristos, Lehib, taught Qəne to Zetre Wengel - who was succeeded by Zikri. He was in turn succeeded by Bekuru, and followed by Yonathan, who taught ZeNebiyat and QaleAwadi. Qale Awadi was succeeded by Aleka Maru of Amhara Sayint, who then taught Aqabe Se'at Kabte of Gonder.

Nevertheless, the multiplicity of Qəne lines of transmission does not imply multiple origins for Qəne. Saint Yared remains to be held as the founder of Qəne. Moreover, the many schools of Qəne can be seen in parallel to the various types of musical notations (such as Bethleheme, Qome, WenChere, AChabre, Wadle and Tegulete schools) that developed out of Saint Yared's Deggwa.

Qəne and Poetry

Traditionally any metrical verse with a rhyming scheme is defined as a poem, and since Qəne fulfills these requirements it can be considered to be a poem. However, while most poems have literal meaning, Qəne has to have a literal as well as a symbolic meaning by using the mode of Säm əna Wärq. One can say that all Qəne are poems, but not all poems can be Qəne. Qəne is different in that a profound idea can be veiled underneath an every-day idea through the mode of Säm əna Wärq (i.e. metaphorical representation). Since Qəne is sung as a hymn at a church service, one has to adhere to a standard metrical pattern. The different types of Qəne have their own metrical pattern. The measure for the types of Qəne is not only numbers of verse but the syllabic metrical pattern as well. Thus, even though a poem uses a mode of Säm əna Wärq, unless it follows a certain metrical pattern it can’t be classified as a Qəne.

    እናንተ ወጣቶች ቀን አለ መስሏችሁ፣
    ከገጠሩ ኑሮ ከተማ ገብታችሁ፣
    መሠረት የሌላት ጎጆ መሥርታችሁ፣
    ዘማለች አደራ እንዳትወድቅባችሁ፡፡

    Oh! Youth thinking it is your time
    You left the countryside to settle in the city
    But your house is without foundation
    So be alert before the leaning house / harlot falls and/destroys you.

The poem has two Wärq phrases, the former is about the harlot and the latter warns about being destroyed by promiscuity. Even with such complex mode of Säm əna Wärq, the author called it a poem and not a Qəne. Thus we can see that Qəne has a much complex character than a poem.

Qəne Language

Most Qənes are composed in Ge’ez, and most students at Qəne school start their education by learning the basics of the Gəʾəz language. Most Qənes are composed in Gəʾəz since Qəne rules regarding the Säm əna Wärq mode and metrical pattern are set up for the Gəʾəz language.^[1] But once we follow the right metrical pattern and rules of metaphor, one can compose Qəne in other languages. For Example in Amharic, Afaan Oromo, English …etc. This is evident in the advent of Guramayle Qəne (a blend of Gəʾəz and Amharic) and Amharic Qənes starting from the Gondarine Period (17th to 19th century) Example of Qene blending Gəʾəz, Amharic and English: 3፡ Mäwädəs

    ኦ ብራዘርስ ውሉደ ጥምቀት፣
    እንተ በጉጓዔ ንትጋባ ውስተ ታዕካ ዘቅድስና፣
    መና ቃለወንጌል ቅዱስ እስመ በዛቲ አለና፣
    ፎር ዘ ሴክ ኦፍ ሳቲስፋይንግ ኢንተረስተ ውሉድ በጥዑም መና፣
    ወይነ ምስጋና ዘመላእከት ውስቴታ ተቀድሃ ከመ ከመ ያስተፍስህ የሰው ልቡና፣
    ኸርትሂ የገበሬ እርሻ እንዳያገኛት ሙስና፣
    ይዝነም ቃለ ወንጌል በፍቅር ወበትህተና፣
    እስመ ዝናመ ጽድቅ ተርዕየ በዘጳውሎስ ደመና፣
    ወደቂቀ ጳውሎስ አእዋም አህመልመሉ በዳኅና፡፡

    Oh Brothers, children of Baptism
    Let us hurry and enter the hall of Holiness
    Because inside there is Manna / words of the Gospel
    And to satisfy the interest of the children with tasty Manna
    The Angels’ gratitude / wine was poured to satisfy man’s conscience.
    And so that the farm/heart is not corrupted
    Let the words of the Gospel trickle with love and humility
    Because the rain of righteousness was seen in the clouds of Paul
    And the children of Paul / trees blossomed well.

Meanings: For the Säm, it is normal for people to rush towards a banquet hall where good food and drinks are being served. Comparatively, the BaläQəne(Qene Poet) advises his brothers (members of the MahəBärä Qədusan(MQ) organization) to rush towards the gates of the church where one can find food for the soul – words from the gospel and angelic voices of gratitude. In the second half, the BaläQəne recounts that without rain the farmer will lose all that he has planted. But observing the presence of rain clouds, the farmer will plant his seeds and when it rains all the plants will blossom. For the Wärq, the BaläQəne advises the MQ members to listen to the words of the gospel with love and humility. And the members are overjoyed because Patriarch Paulos, disregarding those advising him to close down the MQ association, allowed the association to continue doing its work.

Types of Qəne

Most Qənes are differentiated by their metrical pattern and length of verse. There are also different types of Qəne which are differentiated by the particular usage of the Säm əna Wärq mode. Since Qəne is sung as a hymn at a church service, classifying Qənes according to the metrical pattern is commonplace. Accordingly, there are 9 major Qəne types. And since some of them have sub-types, we can say that there are 17 types of Qəne.

The Qəne type is determined by the quantity and length of the verses. Thus there are some Qənes which have the same quantity of verses but are classified as different types of Qəne because of the variation in the length of the verses. A student starts his Qəne education starting from the shorter Qənes and working up to the lengthy Qənes. Each Qəne stage uses the previous stage as a building block. When a student is able to compose all the different types of Qəne, he is said to Bet Molla. When someone presents the full variety of Qənes he is said to have composed Mulu Bet.

Gubaʾe Qana

Gubaʾe Qana consists of two verses and symbolizes the divine and human nature of God. There are four types of Gubaʾe Qana differentiated by length of the verse (Short Gubaʾe Qana and long Gubaʾe Qana) and Zema mode ( Gəʾəz Gubaʾe Qana and ʾəzl Gubaʾe Qana). Some say that Gubaʾe Qana got its name by being presented on Tərr 12 – the commemoration of Qana zägälila (wedding in Cana of Galilee). Others say that it got its name by being presented at an assembly in a place called Qana in Showa. Still others say that the name is given to signify the flavor (Qana) of Qəne. The fact that there are only two verses makes it ideal for beginner students and all Qəne students take their first steps in the world of Qəne with the two verse Gubaʾe Qana.

Zäʾämlakəye

Zäʾämlakəye consists of three verses and the zema mode is ʾəzl . The second verse is called Mändärdärya. According to some Qəne experts, the three verses symbolize the mystery of the Trinity. The name Zäʾämlakəye is derived from the fact that this type of Qəne is composed using the first line of Psalm 62 (“አምላኪየ አምላኪየ እገይስ ሀቤከ).

Mibäzhu

Just like Zäʾämlakəye, Mibäzhu has three verses. The zema mode is ʾəzl and symbolizes the Trinity. The name Mibäzhu is derived from the fact that this type of Qəne is composed using the first line of Psalm 3 (እግዚኦ ሚበዝኁ እለ ይሳቅዩኒ).

Wazema

There are two types of Wazema: Long Wazema (five verses with Araray zema mode) and Short Wazema(two verses). Some say Wazema is named as such because it is composed on the eve (wazema) of a major church holiday. Others say that the name is derived from a line in St. Yared’s chant “ዋይ ዜማ ሰማእኩ እመላእክት ቅዱሳን’’ . The long wazema is always composed on the eve of major church holidays.

Səllase

Səllase has six verses and the zema mode is ʾəzl . This Qəne genre symbolizes the 6 commands of the New Testament. The name is derived from the prayer of the 3 children thanking the god of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ይትባረክ እግዚአብሔር አምላከ አበዊነ አምላከ አብርሃም አምላከ ይስሃቅ አምላከ ያዕቆብ.

Zäyəʾəze

Zäyəʾəze Qəne is usually presented in honor of a sovereign. The name is derived from the Psalm where it says “ይዕዜ ትስእሮ ለገብርከ”. There are two types of Zäyəʾəze: long Zäyəʾəze (five verses with Gəʾəz zema mode) and Short Zäyəʾəze (three verses with Araray zema mode). The Short Zäyəʾəze is also called sahləkä because it is usually presented with the psalm “ተሰሃለኒ እግዚኦ በከመ እበየ ሳህልከ”.

Mäwädəs

The word Mäwädəs is derived from the verb ወደሰ and denotes gratefulness. There are two types of Mäwädəs: fətah litä (eight verses with Araray zema mode) and kuləkəmu (nine verses). Fətah litä is so named because it is performed after Psalm 42 (“ፍታህ ሊተ እግዚኦ ወተበቀል በቀልየ”), while kuləkəmu is performed after Psalm 46 (ኩልክሙ አህዛብ ጥፍሁ እደዊክሙ).

kəbər yəʾəti

This four verse Qəne is usually composed about the subject of the Holy Cross. According to the Zema mode, kəbər yəʾəti is classified into two: Gəʾəz kəbər yəʾəti and ʾəzl kəbər yəʾəti. The name kəbər yəʾəti is derived because it is performed after Psalm 149:9 (“ክብር ይእቲ ዛቲ ለከሉ ፃድቃኑ”).

ʾət’anä mogär

There are two types of ʾət’anä mogär: Gəʾəz ʾət’anä mogär (seven verses) and ʾəzl ʾət’anä mogär (eleven verses). The first 4 verses of Gəʾəz ʾət’anä mogär and the first 6 verses of ʾəzl ʾət’anä mogär usually recount about the day’s festivity. The last 3 verses of Gəʾəz ʾət’anä mogär and the last 5 verses of ʾəzl ʾət’anä mogär are called ʿäsärä nəgus. The ʿäsärä nəgus is composed in honor of a sovereign or to praise or rebuke a public figure.

Traditions of Qəne

There are some well known traditions of Qəne such as Nät’äqa, Gəlbät’a, and Tämäst’o. The mastery of these Qəne traditions is the sign of the BaläQəne’s expertise of the genre and his placement at the summit of the Qəne world.

Nät’äqa

As the meaning of the term attests, this tradition signifies the taking away of verses but does not equate with stealing. Nät’äqa involves finishing off the verses of a Qəne as another person is reciting the beginning verses. This shows that the one who is doing the Nät’äqa already knows what the other composer was going to recite. Example: Emahoy Gälanäsh’s Nät’äqa of her father’s Qəne

When the father was reciting

  “በታቦርሂ አመ ቀነጸ ምልኮትከ ፈረስ፣” - When your divinity / horse galloped

And the daughter finished the Qəne by saying,

  “ኢክሂሉ ስብሖቶሙ ሙሴ ወኤልያስ፡፡” - Moses and Elijah could not restrain it.

The amazed father then said,

  “በከመ ሰማእኩኪ አነ ኢይሰማእኪ ጳውሎስ!” - I hope St Paul does not hear what I have heard.

Meaning: When a strong horse gallops it is hard for the rider to restrain it.

Hidden Meaning: When Jesus took Peter and John with him to the top of Mount Tabor and showed them his transfiguration amongst Moses and Elijah, the disciples were overwhelmed and fell on the ground. The part about St Paul is referring to the Paul’s edict barring women from teaching in public.

Gəlbät’a

Gəlbät’a involves taking someone’s Qəne creating a new Qəne by changing the message and rhyming scheme. For example, it is common to wish newlyweds to have a marriage like Abraham and Sarah. But another person can use Gəlbät’a and overturn the blessing by saying let your marriage be not like Abraham and Sarah. When asked why, one can say may the bride not be mentally anguished as Sarah was when Abraham had a child from Sarah’s Servant Hagar. On the other hand, a fearful Abraham gave away his wife to King Abemelek saying she was his sister – and this is a good reason to overturn the first blessing.

Thus, likewise, one can overturn the message of a Qəne being recited and create a whole new Qəne. Such practice will help open up new viewpoints of things we are accustomed to and help us list the advantages and disadvantages of a particular knowledge system.

Tämäst’o

When composing Qəne, one is usually immersed in deep contemplation (Tämäst’o) and becomes oblivious to one’s surrounding. A well known example of such a deep contemplation is the story of the BaläQəne Kəflä Yohannəs who was active during the reign of Emperor Iyassu I (1674 – 1698). It is said that Kəflä Yohannəs lived a very humble life and was not popular among the luxury-seeking clergy of the court who were constantly at work to put a rift between him and the emperor. On one occasion, Kəflä Yohannəs, deep in contemplation, did not salute as the Emperor entered the Däbrä Bərhan Səllase Church with his entourage. The clergy were quick to point out Kəflä Yohannəs’ faux pas to the Emperor. Knowing that Kəflä Yohannəs meant no malice, the Emperor threw at him a gold nugget to rouse him from his meditation. Kəflä Yohannəs then approached the Emperor and composed the following Qəne:

   በእስጢፋኖስ አእባን እመ የኀልቁ፣
   ዘበጠኒ ኢያሱ በወርቁ፡፡

   Since all the stones were used on (the martyr) Stephen
   Iyassu stoned me with gold.

The clergy were further disgraced when the Emperor rewarded Kəflä Yohannəs the gold nugget. Kəflä Yohannəs donated the gold nugget to the church.

References

1 2 Yigzaw, Mariye. "Qene or Sem enná Werq", kweschn, 2011.
↑ Yigzaw, Mariye. "Origin & Source of Qəne Subject Matter", QeneOnNet, Addis Ababa, 2016.

Bibliography

Levine, Donald J (2007). Wax and Gold: Tradition and Innovation in Ethiopian Culture. Tsehai Publishers & Distributors. ISBN 9781599070032.
Bekerei, Ayele (1997). Ethiopic: An african writing system: Its history and principles. Red Sea Press.