I'm learning a lot reading and reflecting on Ethiopian extempore qene poems. Here's one that I found particularly inspiring. It has a story behind it having been given to prove the divine inspiration of the tradition.

ድኅረ ተሰብረ አጽንዖ ለሰብእናነ ልሕኵት ለብሐዊ ክርስቶስ በማየ ሐዲስ ጥምቀት

Däḫǝrä täsäbrä aṣǝnʿo läsäbʾenanä leḥekwǝt Läbǝḥawi Krestos bämayä ḥadis ṭǝmqät.

After he/it was broken, he strengthened our formed humanity The potter, Christ, with the water of new baptism.

Typical of many qene this one is deeply christological. The account of its origin is intriguing, as it affirms a strong understanding from the Ethiopian tradition that qǝne are inspired, so they require a strong spiritual element to their composition. This understanding lies behind this qǝne, which has an intriguing set of Wax and Gold meanings.

·       The subject of the verb ‘he/it was broken’ is unclear, so what was ‘broken’ may be either our humanity (from the Fall) or Christ’s (through him offering himself in human form as a sacrifice).

·       The referent of the adjective ‘formed’ is also unclear: is it our humanity formed in the image of God at creation, or indeed the Potter himself, ‘formed’ as a human in the Incarnation.

·       The new baptism may be that of the Holy Spirit for believers, or indeed the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, in which he is understood to have lifted humanity from its fallen condition.

With the approach of qǝne in both cases where the sense is unclear, it is both sense that are intended and the ambiguity is for the listener’s mind to wrestle with. Furthermore, in this specific context, we are not to understand qǝne as something created and developed by humans alone, but by humans united with their creator, with Christ, so able to explore and worship God. It is through the new baptism, that is the Holy Spirit, that qǝne are inspired. It is very much in the way of the qǝne tradition that they are themselves to be explained through qǝne!