Chapter 44 "Ghana is Calling"

Dedicated to Kwame Nkrumah (USA) by William Edward Berghard Du Bois I love my playmates and know well where their parents came from; from England Germany, Scotland, and royal France come from Germany, and often people come from poor and humble Ireland. But with my tan skin and tightly curled hair, some people try to explain, some people question or show hesitation; some people just laugh out loud and stare. And so this happened: I had a dream.I put everything I know together and all the innuendo and contempt grow together. I had a dream. I made a picture that looked like nothing I trembled in dumb horror and wailed in silence because I seemed to dream this:

A land jumped out of hell Covered with ashes, bound with pain and blood running, crawling in terror Its whole atmosphere was the scream of death and the sorrow of injury. Immediately I wake up, but in a corner of my soul I cannot forget, but neither do I recall the slavery and tormented ghost that came out of hell. I survived and grew up, I labored, I hoped for all doubts, but there was one that was asleep and writhed trying to wake up. I'm old, old, feeble, gray-haired; I've rolled through war, pestilence, another war on my hard way; I've seen poverty and filthy disease and I've walked with death But I know my heart beats With a question: Are all dreams real?

What is the real Africa like? One day the clouds cleared, and a prophet appeared, and bade me go three trips into the world to find the endless riddles of the Sphinx from the long links. I went to Moscow; the fool who became wise taught me wisdom; showed me the wealth of labor. I came to Accra. Finally, here, I review my dream; ①In Greek mythology, the sphinx, a winged monster, often poses riddles to passers-by, and those who cannot solve the riddles are all killed. ——The voice released from the dungeon where the translator has been imprisoned for a long time I feel that Africa does not come from hell, but from the glory of heaven.I lift my eyes to Ghana and I look beyond the sun to the top of the light I see red, green, and gold falling on the land and roaring with colors, drums, and songs.

Be encouraged by dreams and great achievements that are more meaningful than reality.Faces blackened with the love-kiss of the eternal sun Under the glorious great stars of the night the jungle dances, the leaves sing: the lilies sing their hymns and perform rituals on golden thrones, offering wine to the sun and dancing to the gods. Bright red blood rushes under the tight curls, the air is filled with a subtle fragrance, and the thin curls on the crowned head swirl and swirl. But Garner shows its strength and might not in the marvelous majesty of its soul, in the joy of its life, in its unselfishly given tasks.Schools and hospitals, homes and synagogues Socialism blossomed bravely on old Communism.I raise my last voice to call, and join me in the golden crowd that calls all the nations of the west to the rising sun.From that stinks in dung and staggers to Africa, China, and the Indian Ocean where Mount Kenya and the Himalayas stand and the Nile and the Yangtze torrent:

Turn every wistful face away. Come with us, black America: drown a dream take refuge in the fetid mire: Black people were enslaved, red people were slaughtered, Christ was lynched by whores who adored Hollywood where the Virgin Mary stood. Wake up, wake up, oh, the sleeping world worships the stars, the greater sun that rules the night where black equals light all selfless labor is righteous and greed is a sin.Africa, lead the way forward; postscript This song "Garner is Calling" was published in the Winter 1962 issue of the African-American magazine "Freedom Road" edited by Mrs. Du Bois.This poem reminds us of the encouraging memories of Dr. Du Bois's two visits to China in 1959 and 1962, and what he said to the Chinese people that "the black continent can be Get the most friendship and sympathy from China" Such warm words.To commemorate this great black poet, I have translated this poem for readers.

(The translated poem was published in the September 1963 issue of World Literature.)