Myron Eells’s hymn book (Part 9: Untitled, to the tune of “Happy Land”)
Song #9 from Myron Eells’s little book, “Hymns in the Chinook Jargon Language“, 2nd (expanded!) edition (Portland, OR: David Steel, 1889):
(Here’s a link to all installments in this mini-series.)
image credit: Wikipedia
It’s untitled, set to the tune of “Happy Land”.
Most of Reverend Myron Eells’s Chinuk Wawa religious songs aren’t necessarily translated from any English-language original. That’s probably the case here — otherwise, Eells would probably have supplied a title.
Also standard for his strategy, it’s to the tune of an existing well-known song among Settlers. In today’s case, “(There is a) Happy Land” by Scottish schoolmaster Andrew Young is so famous that it was parodied by Mark Twain, Krazy Kat, and the J. Geils Band.
The lyrics here, as usual for Eells, are tailored for his audience…
1. Nika mitlite yakwa alta
‘I am here now’
Kopa illahee.
‘on the ground.’
Wake Iala nika halo
‘Soon I won’t exist’
Kopa illahee.
‘on the ground.’
Kah nika klatawa,
‘Where am I going,’
Nika lala halo kumtuks ;-
‘For a long time I haven’t known;’
Klale nika tumtum kopa
‘My heart is black for’
Siah illahee.
‘a far-away place.’2. Saghalie Tyee mitlite siah
‘God is far away’
Kopa Saghalie.
‘in the sky.’
Yaka tikegh nika klatawa
‘He wants me going’
Kopa Saghalie.
‘to heaven.’
Spose nika kloshe yakwa
‘If I’m good here,’
Halo mamook cultus ikta,
‘not disrespecting anything,’
Yaka tikegh nika klatawa
‘he wants me going’
Kopa Saghalie.
‘to heaven.’3. Kloshe tillikums mitlite siah
‘Good people are far away’
Kopa Saghalie.
‘in heaven.’
Cultus tillicums mitlite keekwilee
‘No-good people are below’
Kopa hias piah.
‘in the big fire.’
Kopet, spose nika kloshe,
‘Only(,) if I’m good,’
Mash mesachie konoway,
‘rejecting evil of al kinds,’
Delate okoke Tyee
‘will that chief really’
Lolo nika yahwa.
‘bring me there.’
Those lyrics come off sounding oddly negative, and they resonate in what I hope is an unintentional coincidence with Indigenous ideas of the much-feared Polaklie Illahee…
Now Eells’s own suggested translation of these Jargon lyrics into English — showing that his intended meaning wasn’t entirely achieved with his Chinuk Wawa:
I. I live here now,
On the earth.
Not long shall I be gone
From the earth.
Where I shall go,
For a long time I did not know ;-
Dark was my mind about
The far off land.2. God lives far off
In Heaven.
Ile wishes me to go
To Heaven.
If I am good here,
And do nothing wrong,
He will wish me to go
To Heaven.3. Good people live far off
In Heaven.
Bad people live below
In the great fire.
Only if I am good,
Throw away everything bad,
Truly this God
Will carry me there.
Unlike some of Eells’s lyrics that we’ve looked at previously, these aren’t of the highest fluency, and therefore they’re not as expressive.
The reason? Here, Eells is trying to actually mentally translate existing English lyrics. Those other songs of his are new creations, made purely from his own fluent knowledge of Chinook Jargon.
You can compare this with the original lyrics of “Happy Land”, which have at best a vague connection with Eells’s lyrics:
1 There is a happy land,
Far, far away,
Where saints in glory stand,
Bright, bright as day.
O how they sweetly sing:
Worthy is our Saviour-King!
Loud let his praises ring,
Praise, praise for aye.2 Come to this happy land,
Come, come away;
Why will you doubting stand,
Why still delay?
O we shall happy be
When, from sin and sorrow free,
Lord, we shall live with thee,
Blest, blest for aye.3 Bright in that happy land
Beams every eye;
Kept by a Father’s hand,
Love cannot die.
On, then, to glory run;
Be a crown and kingdom won,
And bright above the sun
Reign, reign for aye.
