Translation.
"Mantle of comfort! God of love!
The Ancient One on high!
Who guides the firmament above,
The heavens, and starry sky;
Creator, Ruler, Mighty One;
The only Good, All-wise,—
To him, the great eternal God,
Our fervent prayers arise.
Giver of life, we call on him,
On his high throne above,
Our Rock of refuge still to be,
Of safety and of love;
Our trusty shield, our sure defence,
Our leader, still to be:
We call upon our pitying God,
Who makes the blind to see.
We supplicate the Holy Lamb
Whose blood for us was shed,
Whose feet were pierced for guilty man,
Whose hands for us have bled;
Even our God who gave us life,
From heaven, his throne above,
The great Creator of the world,
Father, and God of love."
When any person is sick, the priests and devout people consult their favorite spirits. At Goumbi, in Equatorial Africa, this ceremony is quite frequent. Once upon a time the king fell sick. Quengueza was the name of the afflicted monarch. Ilogo was a favorite spirit who inhabited the moon. The time to invoke the favor of this spirit is during the full moon. The moon, in the language of Equatorial Africa, is Ogouayli. Well, the people gathered in front of the king's house, and began the ceremony, which consisted chiefly in singing the following song:—
"Ilogo, we ask thee!
Tell who has bewitched the king!
Ilogo, we ask thee,
What shall we do to cure the king?