Caashaqa Iska Illow Forget About Love

Caashaqa Iska Illow

Cishaduu Ilaahay
Cirka taagay udubli’i
Ciiddana ka dhigey gogol
 
Webiyadaa cartama iyo
Cidhifyada bad kaga xidhey
Iyo buurahaa culus
 
Cimrigeed adduunyada
Waxaa jira col iyo nabade
Caydh iyo nin xoolo leh
 
Iyo laba is-caashaqay
Caawana kama ay tegin
Caynkaynnu ku ogeyn
 
Adna calafka kuu qoran
Cunaa seegi maayee,
Caashaqa ha baayicin!
_____________________________________
 
Caddadkuu Ilaahay
Carradeenna joojee
Aadan ciidda ka alkumay
 
Xaawana cadkiisiyo
Feedh-calaanta laga dhigey
Cishadaa ma uunneyd?
 
Caawana ma nooshahay?
Caqlaa diidey hadalkoo
Carrabdalab la sheegee
 
Ceeryaamo iyo boodh
Ciiro haysku qarinnine
Noloshayda caydh iyo
 
Cilmi guur aan ku fadhiyin
Ku carcaarin maayee,
Caashaqa iska illow!
 
Xalaytaba caweyskii
Canabey daruuruhu
Cimidh bay ahaayeen.
Caawana laguma oga
Waqtigii ku ciiliyo
Cisigiyo wanaagguna.
Ways daba carraabaan
Waxaana kuu caddeyn kara
Caamiyaha indhahali’iyo.
Ma ogtahay curyaankaba
Cago looma waayine
Caynkaa wax loo yidhi.
Kuwa cararayee ladan
Inay ku cibraqaataan
Caashaqa ha baayicin!
_____________________________________
 
Badda caarid maalmo ah
Cawaddaranta fiidkiyo
Caddadaa walaalo ah.
 
Cadceeddii timaaddana
Dadka ruux caddibanoo
Waayuhu ku ciiriyo.
 
Mid caruus ah ayaa jiroo
Caad igama saarree
Cilmiyadaa Ilaahay.
 
Anigoo an caasiyin
Cabsi haygu gelinnine
Adigoo aan cuud dhaqan.
 
Caashaqaan ku taabtaan
Cudurdaar u yeelee
Ceeb kale miyaan dhimay?
 

Forget About Love

Xasan:
 
Since the day Allah created the world
and held the sky up without pillars
and spread out the soil
 
and those gushing rivers and their banks
and enclosed the Earth with seas
and heavy mountains,
 
since the universe was created
there has been war and peace,
the rich and the poor,
 
and lovers in pairs.
It’s still the same as ever.
It’s still the same as it was.
 
You will receive
what is destined for you.
Love has no price.
 
Xalima:
 
On the day Allah created the world,
and created Adam
from the soil,
 
and created Eve
from Adam’s crooked rib,
were you alive?
 
Are you alive tonight too?
The mind cannot accept
words from a deceitful tongue.
 
Don’t hide behind the fog and dust.
Show me your true colours.
Don’t drag me into poverty
 
when you’re not ready for marriage.
I don’t want a hard life.
Forget about love.
 

Guided by expert translator Alto, we managed to make our way through half of this four-part popular Somali song, performed by Xasan Aadan Samatar and Xaliima Khaliif “Magool”, written by Xasan Xaaji Cabdillaahi “Xasan Ganey” and composed by Axmed Nuur “Jaangow”. In the song, Xasan and Xalima take it in turns to sing from different perspectives. Xasan’s character is trying to woo Xalima’s character: he says it’s what Allah intended. But in her reply in the second section, she doubts he has the money or the serious intentions that she’s looking for – hence the title ‘Forget About Love’, her rebuttal. Interestingly, while this is the official registered title of this song, fans know it by a different name, Xasan’s final line above: ‘Love has no price’. Or, in other words, ‘even though I’m poor, you should be with me’. Whose side are you on?

There were some great discussions and comments throughout this workshop, which was conducted mostly in Somali (with me summarising and noting down lines once everyone had figured out what each stanza meant). We had fun debating levels of fog (is it fog? Mist? Haze?) and picking through different interpretations of ambiguous Somali words. One of my favourite comments was Rashiid Gadhweyne’s beautifully phrased remark near the start of the workshop: ‘The first thing to be lost in translation is the poem.’ I hope we returned some of the poem back to our translation.

-Helen Bowell

Original Poem by

Xasan Ganey

Translated by

Maxamed Xasan ‘Alto’ with The Poetry Translation Workshop Language

Somali

Country

Somalia/Somaliland