Sirta Nolosha Life’s Essence

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Sirta Nolosha

Saaxiibkayow heedhe

Safar baan ka imi dheere

Marka hore salaan diirrran

Marka xiga samow heedhe

Ha ka nixin si-dalagtayda

Sacab fara-madhnaantayda

Suugaanta yaabkeeda

Salka iyo fadhaa keena

Marka xiga sugnaanteeda

Socodkiyo falkaa sheega

Xeerkeedu waa saase.

Saaxiibkayow heedhe

Anba saaka qaybteeda

Sirsirraan ka joogaaye

Xadhiggiyo bal eeg suunka

Iyo sabarka gaadiidey

Iyo salabka ii qaaran

Iyo suudha guudkayga

Hilaygiyo waxaan saabka

U gilgiley Samaw haanta

Subag inay ku dhiiqdaaye

Saasay ku badisaaye

Sannad weliba xeeshiiye

Kol hadday silloonaato

Samaheedu waa dhiige

Sumuc talada loo dhiibye

Sida sida sidaas weeye

Si la yeeli jirey weeye

Marka xiga Samaw heedhe

Talo sibiq dhaqaaqeeda

Soof-daran habawgeeda

Sal-fudaydka hooggiisa

Bal sallaankan fuul laalan

Iyo sagabtan heensaysan

Dhulka saas u jeedaali

Sidan iyo sidaas fiiri

Sidan iyo gadaal dheeho

Raqda solan lafaa soogan

Bal su’aal u celi meydkan

Sababtuu u go’ay raadi

Bal dhegeyso saylaanka

Iyo salowga beer-qaadka

Iyo sebiga yeedhiisa

Waxaad aragtay oo saasa

Waxaad maqashayoo saasa

Maxaad odhan lahayd Suudi?

Samalaho furfuriddooda

Godka seer-ma weydaanka

Marka ay sabbuux gaadho

Si kalaan u dhigi taase

Saaxiibkay Waayaale

Suurtuu dhalaay heedhe

Heedhee Sahraay heedhe.

Waxaan adiga kuu saantay

Dadka kaaga soo soocay

Sahra kuugu yeedh-yeedhay

Siduu aabbahaa heedhe

Samo ii faraan heedhe

Kuu siinayaa heedhe

Sooyaalka taariikhdu

Iyadaan salguurayne

Murtidaan Sahraay heedhe

Sadar kuugu qorayaaye

Heedhee Sahraay heedhe

Curad suubbaneey heedhe

Summadii Rashiid yeelo

Iyo weynidii Saado

Iyo sawracii hooyo

Sinjigii hablaa geeska

Subaxdii indhaa kuulo

Tintu saqafta yay waayin

Iyo diibka loo saaro

Subko oo xayaabayso

Korka siigo yey taaban

Ku illaali saabuunta

Dharku siifad yuu yeelan

Suyac iyo bar gaasheysan

Ku ilaali saahoodka

Garashadu Sahraay ruuxa

Sed u gaara weeyaane

Hadduu saamigaas yeeshay

Qurux ma leh saluuggeedu

Dadku siigga dida maaha

Sogob iyo ri’weyn maaha

Sumal iyo laxdiis maaha

Rati iyo sabeen maaha

Falka iyo sugnaantiisa

Socodkiyo abbaaartiisa

Dhaqan sida xishoodkiisa

Dabar iyo silsilad haysa

Iyo suun ma dhaafaan ah

Wuxuu soofka xoolaaba

Kaga soocan yahay weeye

Waxan uga socdaa heedhe

Naftu seeto yey waayin

Hana falin sidaad doonto

Hadalkana sar weedhiisa

Una saaf qofkii waaya

Ha ka tegin sarbeebtiisa

Hana gelin sursuur oodan

Hana lumin sargoyntiisa

Hana liqin sangaabtiisa

Ha ku saxan badheedhkiisa

Runta sogordoh haw yeelin

Ha suldaarin dooddiisa

Sisibaa wadaaggiisa

Sababee abbaartaada

Hana badin su’aashiisa

Sarrifkiyo tilmaantiisa

Saddex erey halkii dooni

Soddon yaanay kaa qaadan

Siddi-qabaxi yay raacin

Sare haw dhig-dhigin luuqda

Gacantana ha saydh-saydhin

Hana odhan wax sawliila

Heedhee Sahraay heedhe

Sarta hilibka dheehaaga

Samaydaada dhererkaaga

Sarajooga muuqaaga

Sanqaroorka jaahaaga

Dahab iyo xariir saran

Uma baahna saantaadu

Hadda silis ha xidhan maaha

Luquntana ha sudhin mahaa

Waxan uga socdaa heedhe

Marka aad sunuud hayso

Waxa suuq mug-weyn yaalla

Ha la simin kitaab weeye

Hurdo iyo Sahraay jiifka

Marka hore sariir raadi

Salli iyo furaash dayday

Saddexdaba hadaad weydo

Lama seexan kari waayo

Hadda saantu qodox maaha

Suugaantu gogol weeye.

Ninku qaday Sahraay tiisa

Hadduu seed liqliqiddeeda

Ku saruurad goyn waayo

Subag iyo baruur doono

Sidu jecelyahaa been ah

Dhadhan iyo sibraar kayda

Sidig caanaheedaa leh

Badar iy sarreen shiidan

Iyo sixin ku iidaaman

Wax la cuno sabiib baa ah

Nin samaystay baa faan leh

Waxaad haysataa saasa ah

Ka sokow intaan sheegay

Hadda soortu dacar maaha

Dharku Saadhi qudha maaha

Saylooni garan maaha

Iyo sabarandaa giiran

Mana aha surwaal biid ah

Haddaan saarku kuu diidin

Saddex-qaydu ceeb maaha.

Heedhee Sahraay heedhe

Sar daruuran oo maasa

Mar Abu Sarmaantiiya

Dhacle baarka loo seesay

Boqor wada xiyaakhaysan

Sildiyaal jiljila dhiibsan

Tusbax dhawr sagaal laaba

Iyo qool sunaar dheehan

Subeciyad xiddiyo laaf leh

Adigoo siddeeddaas hal

Iyo timaha oo soohan

Ku darsaday sifaa guudka

Garashiyo sarriig sheegtay

Ma qofkaa sitaa jooga.

Hadda salamadhlow gaabi

Ha ku jabin saqlaa waalan

Sallow ololka hoy jooji

Ha saloolan xayndaabka

Ha ku bixin saloognaanta

Ha sarriiran waayeelka

Sakatiga ka daa beesha

Saha iyo af kala qaadka

Ha ka nixin hiddaa suubban.

Gabdhayahow sidee waaye

Ilbaxnimadu saas maaha

Hadba suf karkaro maaha

Sararaha bannee maaha

Qorqor suunniyaa maaha

Dhabanada sibbaaq maaha

Sanka oo la mudo maaha

Sakhrad iyo xashiish maaha

Sawir iyo riyaaq maaha

Filin iyo sarcaad maaha

Saxan reer galbeed maaha

Kabo sookal dheer maaha

Suuriyo durduro maaha

Salsalaw cid kale maaha

Qof silloon ku dayo maaha

Wax sawaaban noqo maaha

Sinta iyo lafaa duudka

Saddex goor jejebi maaha

Dhaqankaaga saydh maaha

Soomaali diid maaha

Sidaad doonto yeel maaha

Dhulka oon ku sidi waayin

Samadoo la koro maaha

Xilliyada wax saareenka

Iyo saacadaa reebban

Sabbadiyo rugtay joogtey

Gabadh timi ma saalloona

Ku salliya Rasuulkiina (C.S.W)

Salka dhiga guryaa seexda.

Sunsun falan siddaha feyda

Sati fudud salaan sheegan

Indha suhub af geed saarrey

Hadba surin ka sheekeeya

Sidan iyo sibaas yeela

Ereyada saluuuggoo dhan

Kuma lihid Sahraay meella.

Sunbo iyo maraadaa leh

Inta sibiq dhaqaaqdaa leh

Sagan daaqa jiitaa leh

Inta marinka seegtaa leh

Waxba aan sugeyn baa leh

Inta sharafta saydhaa leh

Suuraafta maqan baa leh

Xadhig lama sitaan baa leh

Saca Faarsa nacay baa leh

Barni sumal xadkeedaa leh

Heedhe Sahraay heedhe

Suugaantu iib maaha

Erey iyo sunnee maaha

Hugun iyo sitaad maaha

Siddi iyo I daya maaha

Sadho iyo xajiin maaha

Laba saaq ku gado maaha

Waxan seylad gelin weeye

Sahdi iyo dareen weeye

Bulsho saaasaheed weeye

Samaheeda mudan weeye

Sawdkeeda diga weeye

Sacabkeeda kulul weeeye

Marna baadi sooc weeye

Sahan iyo tilmaan weeye

Dhaxal soo jireen weeye

Wax ku saabsan meel weeye

So’da iyo ka guro dhuuxa.

Heedhee Sahraay heedhe

Sirta noloshu xoog maaha

Dhagar iyo suryee mahaa

Surma seegto dedan maaha

Sibqi iyo hunguri maaha

Sacab iyo ka leef maaha

Sukhrad iyo fal xumo maaha

Hadba seeb u rogo maaha

Salfo iyo ku faan maaha

Damac iyo sandaho maaha

Derejiyo saldano maaha

Saro io dhalaal maaha

Sidan iyo sidaas maaha

Hadda sadadu lacag maaha

Heedhee Sahraay heedhe

Bulsho saami loo tuurtay

Shan siyood wax loo yeelay

Samir inay xigtaan maaha

Surka inay dhigtaan maaha

Sas inay didaan maaha

Inay suudalaan maaha

Sardho inay galaan maaha

Sixir inay dirtaan maaha

Inay kala saftaan maaha

Nin I sugayayow heedhe

Anigoo ku sugey heedhe

Maxaad ii sugtaa heedhe?

Heedhee Sahraay heedhe

Marka haaddu socod deyso

Dhirta sare tukuu fuulo

Gorayadu sanqadha reebto

Adna soonka xidho maaha

Mugdi talada sii maaha

Berri iyo siday doonto

Sug cadceedda maqan maaha

Saqda dhexe habeen soocan

Gudcur simay adduunkeenna

Wax siraata noqo weeye

Heedhee Sahraay heedhe

Saran seerka jiilaalka

Surbacaadka jaahweynta

Sumal-haadka roob waaga

Iyo solanka daaduunka

Cirka oo sabaad guurey

Dhulka oo huwadey siigo

Iyo dogobbo soogsoogan

Marka beladu sooyaanto

Saadaashu beenowdo

Saca nuguli kaa leexdo

Adna sebenka raac maaha

Inan sabadu duugoobin

Sayax iyo ugbaad waayin

Sudda iyo degaankaagu

Surmi iyo harraad leeyan

Ama saacu guur-guurin

Sohda ceelku dheeraannin

Adaa yeeli kara saasba.

Heedhee Sahraay heedhe

Saxariirka aafaadka

Saxallada kal-meerkooda

Sambabkuba col weeyaane

Marka saymo loo iisho

Ama soofku jaan qaado

Ushu way sabooshaaye

Ha ku dagan sidsidadkeeda

Qalinkaa wax suureeya

Kugu sima halkaad doonto

Saaxiib kal furan weeye

Sunto fara ku hayntiisa

Weligaa ha sii deynin.

Sisin iyo ku beer muufo

Iyo laanta saytuunka

Ku qotomi sungaan waarta

Iyo nabadda seeskeeda

Samo iyo ku doon heedhe

Dunidiyo sinnaanteeda

Ku dawee sawaaceenka

Iyo siica daacuunka

Ku burburi sarbaa mooska

Iyo soohdimaa meersan

Ku midee samuud raaca

Midabada la sooc soocay

Dadkan tobanka saamood leh

Weligaa ha tumin seefo

Iyo sabaradaha mowdka

Dar samaysan baa yaalla

Sancayahan gaboobaa leh

Sahankaynu diranaa leh

Nin sokeeyeheenaa leh

Ninka sida xilkeennaa leh

Ka sarjara heddeennaa leh

Salab ciiddu hayn weydey

Ninka sudhay xiddigahaa leh

Nin sabuul la aayaysto

Dhulka siib ku ridin baa leh

Nin Sahraay adduunkeenna

Sacad gubi karaa haysta

Ninka sigay kun jeer baa leh

Waxa nolosha saameeya

Sako nimaan ka bixin baa leh

Nafta saawa-saawaysan

Santi nimaan ku furan baa leh

Nin aqoonta soorkeeda

Sida kale u rogey baa leh

Ninka sulubka maadhiinka

Ugu roon saboolkaa leh

Nin samaa ku adag baa leh

Sannadkaynu caydhowney

Kaynu suus ka weynaa leh

Naftu waa sir xeel dheere

Nimaan suubin Karin baa leh

Wedka qudha sameeyaa leh

Sulda iyo xanuunkeeda

Shalay iyo sadaaddeeda

Iyo saawihii hoogga

Naxdintii badh baa suuxsan

Selelkii badh baa waashay

Dad sawaaban baa buuxa

Dumar waayey saygooda

Hengashii sidaa muuqda

Ololkii badh baan seexan

Sarihii dumaa jiifa

Qabrigii sinmaa jeexan

Waxa saaka joogow ah

Surrad baa I guud taalla

Salabkii horaa tuuran

Samadiyo dhulkaa buuxa

Baddu waa sakalo miidhan

Qalab suruc leh baa laalan

Sanqadhuhu hub kacay weeye

Sabarkii dadkaa baahan

Saantii dadkaa qaawan

Weli talo ma saalloona

Waxa soo socdaa yaab leh

Wershed suufiyaa daaran

Waxay soo siddaa geeri

Midhaheedu waa saymo

Belo aan fan seeraarka

Saxar loo mar-maran weeye

Waxan ahay qof cayn saaban

Deldelaad u sudhan jeebka!

Allow yaa wax suureeya

Salka dunida yaa dhawra

Iyo seeska jiriddeeda

Wacanaa sansaankeedu

Badanaa sudaaddeedu

Saxanaa hannaankeedu

Allow yaan sugnaanteeda

Saymiyo u rogin duullan

Subax noolba dhiig daata

Xadhig iyo silsilad shiilan

Allow yaan sinnaanteeda

Ku beddelin saraar oodan

Iyo seere wiil qaytey

Dadka saran guudkeeda

Yaan ka dhigin sabool qaawan

Iyo soobir caydh jooga

Erey sami wuxuu gooyo

Allow yaan ku jarin soodhka

Garashada ka dhigan seefo.

Allow yaa su’aashaasi

Sida ay u tahay yeela.

Heedhee Sahraay heedhe

Dhulka iyo wixii saran

Sare iyo wixii laalan

Inta sudan intii seemman

Waxa jira sir iyo caadba

Rabbi qudha sax weedhiisa

Sida uu ku yidhi buuxi

Waxa hadhay salka iyo baarka

Inta sool qarsoon joogta

Inta seel xidhxidhan jiifta

Inta saydha waabayda

Maroodiga siddaa dheer leh

Wiyil iyo sahboodkeeda

Inta laga subxaanaysto

Kolay tahay libaax sayn leh

Marka aad Sahraay meel fog

Uga suul-dhabaaleyso

Deg-deg inay sujuuddaada

Suxullada dhigtaan weeye!

Sidashada awooddaasi

Sahal io wax fudud maaha

Qofba waa si garadkiisa.

Heedhee Sahraay heedhe

Badda iyo sulaaqeeda

Iyo buurta saysaaban

Onkodkiyo sawaxankiisa

Salowgiyo jibaadkiisa

Danabkiyo salsalihiisa

Sarka dhabanka duufaanka

Ha ka didin sawaxankooda

Duni kuu sakhiran weeye

Sayid baad u tahay caana

Suubaali oo layli

Ku sasabo aqoontaada

Senge iyo ka dhigo doonni

Sallo iyo ka dhigo oori

Gabadh weeye caad saran

Badi saayiraadeeda

Iyo laab salaaxeeda

Guro saadka guudkeeda

Iyo sahayda uurkeeda

Kordhi noole soorkeeda

Iyo baahi saarkeeda

Hubi nabad sugnaanteeda

Iyo sabo negaanteeda

Ha ku deyin xannun saaqa

Ha ku badin saqaaf ciiddan

Suluf iyo colaad waarta

Ha ku saaxin naabaalka

Iyo sulubka baaruudda

Ha ku didin sabbeeyaanka

Sabareynka boodbooda

Iyo sukhula naareedka

Ha la dhicin sawaariikhda

Iyo saanadaa miiggan

Ha sumayn macaankeeda

Salabaha ha marin doogga

Ha burburin sansaankeeda

Quruxdiyo sureerkeeda

Ha sadhayn hagoogteeda

Sagalkiyo daruurteeda

Ha sukuumin uunkeeda

Saryankiyo ugaadheeda

Ha furfurin sin-dadabkeeda

Ha ka rogin dul saarkeeda

Udubbada ha siibsiibin

Ha afuufin suurkeeda

Subax qudha ha duuduubin

Sakaraadka taaheeda

Uga xilo samaanteeda

Sacabkiyo mashxaraddeeda

Garashadu mid soofaysa

Ha ka dhign sadqaynteeda

Ha ku solo wanaaggeedu

Ku sin inan-dumaalkeeda

Kuwa saadanbee laalan.

Heedhee Sahraay heedhe

Seben tegey xusuustiisa

Raad raaca Siinleyda

Socod barashadii doodad

Saxarliyo abbaarteeda

Anigaan wax saaraynin

Sannad iyo garaadkiisa

Saadaashu been weeye

Waxba samir ma liileeyo

Ha sarwicin qof kaa jeeda

Hana sugin nin kaa maarmay

Hana sigan mar mooyaane.

Nin ku siray ha faallaynin

Sababana ha weydiinnin

Ha u seeta dheeraynin

Hana sidin culayskiisa

Siriq iyo ku qabo baydo

Hana falin siduu yeelay.

Nin ku yidhi anaa saasa

Ha ku odhan sidaas weeye

Sida uu ku yidhi heedhe

Haddii ay siniin weydo

Ama sarin sanaan weydo

Waxa furan sidaas maaha

Qof saluugey maankiisa

Ama suufay muuqiisa

Ka sal kacay xaqiiqdiisa

Qabku saami ladha maaha

Nin sitaba bar baa saran

Ninka sii sitaa jooga

Raggannimada sooceeda

Adigoo sagaal buuxshey

Hal ku seegay baa yaalla.

Sogotiga qof tegayaa leh

Si hadday u dhici weydo

Si kalaa u waan waan ah

Dunidaa sidaas yeesha.

Sooryana qof yimi baa leh

Si hadday u noqo weydo

Si kalaa u waaceen ah

Dad horaa sidaad yeelay.

Nin salaad u kacay oogan

Sahwi galay xalaaleeye

Adna sahankan beel loogan

Ha ka dhigin socdaal baada

In halkii sal hayn waayo

Laga saba rogtaa doora

In su’aal jawaabteeda leh

Lala sara kacaa fiican

Nin ku yidhi sinnaan mayno

Adna buri sarrayntiisa

Sidka waa wadaagtaane

Ma sagaashan baa tiisu.

Selelkaba hurdaa keenta

Haba seexan goor baas leh

Han sareedo loo waayey

In saraayo loo daayo

Sida aan u idhi weeye

Bela saacaddeed joogta

Sabti nabada haw riixin

Subax dhalatay caadkeeda

Ha ka bogan wax saarkeeda

Adiguba samee maanta

Berritona sargoo heedhe

Noloshaba inaad saafto

Qaabayso saabkeeda

Waxaan suura gelin maaha

Garashiyo sugnaan hoyso

Falka sami ha kuu raaco

Mana jiro sed kaa baaqday

Ilbaxnimadu saas weeye

Sirta noloshu taas weeye.

Life’s Essence

Life's Essence

Say you'll pay heed, my friend,

now I'm back from that journey.

First things first, warm greetings,

but second, Rashid, listen to me:

don't look perplexed that I rush in

empty handed, lacking a poem,

poetry delivers its wonders

when we're seated and settled,

its full perfection follows

walking and watchfulness -

such are its laws.

So say you'll pay heed, my friend,

to the part I played this morning

on the battlefield at Sirsirraan:

see my weariness from the road

and the dirt on my body,

my uniform and bandolier

and the weapon I shoulder.

For the ghee to flow smoothly,

dear friend, the churn requires

its wadding well-fitted, its lid to be tight:

so too the poem yields.

But each year has its own luck

and once things go this badly

we can only expect blood.

When guns take charge

that's the way it is,

that's the way it always is.

Mark me, Rashid, and listen:

decisions made rashly, in haste,

that take us in the wrong direction,

such lack of wisdom leads to destruction.

Take a look from my mind's ladder

and see the catastrophe unfold;

look this way and that,

before us and behind:

survey the whole land.

Try to ask the slaughtered bodies,

drying corpses and scattered bones

the reason for their deaths;

listen to the screams that answer,

the heart-piercing groans

and the children's wails:

if that's what you saw,

if that's what you heard,

Rashid, what would you do?

If I could have composed in the summer

or beneath the star that brings in Spring

or the month thereafter,

I would have written differently.

Now pay heed, eldest daughter

of my oldest, wisest friend,

hear me, Sahra, and pay heed:

here's why I've chosen you

apart from all the others

and call to you, Sahra, calling

as your father calls me

to impart his advice - listen,

I'll give you mine. Hear me:

history's happenings

are constant in their contents,

so listen to their wisdom, Sahra,

I write it here in lines for you:

hear me, Sahra, and pay heed,

wise eldest daughter, listen:

match Rashid's mark,

take after your mother's brilliance,

Saado's loftiness - that sign

of the women of the Horn.

So each morning frame your eyes with kohl,

ensure your hair shan't miss the comb:

set it in the finest style.

Let no smutch fall on your body,

apply fine cream to it

and take care of it with soap.

Your clothes should have neither bad smells

nor mustiness nor careless spots:

infuse them with frankincense.

Sapience is a gift, Sahra,

given uniquely to people,

and once its value is seen

there are no grounds to grumble.

We are other than the running antelope,

the billy-goat and the nanny-goat,

the tupping ram and the ewe;

other than the camel and the lamb.

Our form and its perfections,

our walk and its purpose,

the courtesies that guide our behaviour,

are protected by checks and restraints,

by limits that should not be passed:

that's what divides us

from any beast that treads the earth.

My emphasise here is

life should not be without limits,

we can't just do as we please.

Always weigh your words well;

make things clear to the uncomprehending.

Don't forget your similes and figures,

nor get into confusion's cul-de-sacs

losing your argument's thread;

don't swallow its essence.

Avoid hesitation - the clarity

of your facts should not sit in the shade.

Your argument must be plain,

so take care of its coherence.

Your approach must be reasoned;

so limit your questions

whenever making key points.

If three words suffice

don't stretch things to thirty.

Leave boastfulness behind:

don't speak haughtily

or wave your arms dismissively -

never utter an unbecoming speech.

Hear me, Sahra, and pay heed:

the skin that covers your flesh,

your body's well-formed frame,

your goodly constitution

and the beauty of your countenance -

your lovely skin does not require

covering in silk and gold.

This doesn't mean never to place

a necklace over your head:

All I want to emphasise is

should you only possess pennies

everything they display in the market

doesn't compare with the Book.

Similarly with sleep, Sahra:

the first thing may well be to get a bed,

to seek out mat and mattress,

but if you can't get all three,

you still needn't go without rest:

an animal hide is not strewn with thorns

and virtue is sufficient to furnish you with sleep.

Sahra, if someone goes without food,

then swallows tough meat

and isn't satisfied,

wishing for ghee and lamb's fat,

that desire is for the unobtainable.

The taste of the full milk vessel

from the milk-bearing camel,

the millet and ground maize,

fine ghee for flavour and fat raisins -

those are best to eat, and he

whose work produces all this is worthy of pride.

What you produce like this is also worthy,

but should you have less, still,

sorghum is not as bitter as aloes.

Hear me, Sahra, and pay heed:

leatherwear from cured hides,

cloth of Abu Samaanta,

the well-woven girdle

and the finely embroidered shawl,

beautifully-trimmed material from Sind,

beads that can be wound

around the neck nine times

and a delicately coloured coat -

though you are clad in all this finery

and your hair is braided,

if we add to these your fine looks,

your wisdom and good manners

the elegance of your confident gait,

is there anyone who could compare?

Don't be like that show-off, the secretary bird,

which can't slow down for recklessness:

bird, stop trumpeting so loud;

don't climb the unsafe fence,

driven by conceit and impatience;

don't shout at your elders

or sow discord in the community

till mouths gape with bewilderment;

don't shun your upright tradition.

Young women, call this what you will,

it is neither seemly nor civil -

culture is not swatches of rags,

not the bearing of breasts;

it is not the plucking of eyebrows,

nor the thickly painted cheek,

nor the piercing and piercing of noses;

it is not drunkenness nor hashish.

Seemliness is not the chasing of chimeras

nor the camera's stunning spectacle,

not the disk filled with foreign songs.

It's not high heel shoes,

nor whims and fecklessness;

not the defaming of others

nor imitating the shallow-minded;

Civility is not making yourself a mockery.

It's not the deliberate swinging of hips

to attract attention;

it's not the slinging away of culture,

of what makes you Somali;

it's not a matter of do as you will -

when the earth is still content to hold you,

why try to leap into the heavens?

That woman who in the wrong season

and at the unwise hour

heads back to her home

has put herself in harm's way:

praise your Prophet,

act calmly, be timely.

Some may rush headlong with skirts raised

ramble heedlessly and greet anyone,

gape thoughtlessly while gabbling away,

gossip at the end of every alley,

do any and everything without restraint -

but none of these deplorable categories

describe you in any way, Sahra.

You and those self-possessed like you

who are careful in their restraint:

all young women of your character,

my words are not for you.

But the witless and the wandered,

those who drift aimlessly

cut off from the crowd;

those who lose the right path,

unable to wait for anything;

those who have discarded decency,

given themselves to loitering,

useless as an untied rope, they are like

the cow that rejects the unsweet well

who two days later will die of thirst.

Hear me, Sahra, and pay heed:

the well-made poem has no price,

it's no jumble of words,

not just drums and empty songs,

nor shaking hips and showing off;

it's not some itch or an insomnia -

it isn't bought for tuppence.

It is that which can't be bought at mart,

that anxiety, those emotions,

it mirrors the people's needs

and bears their well-being worthily;

it is the warning cry,

the hand that wards off danger,

it never picks one over another,

but points out the correct path;

it is the past's inheritor,

it is always to the point - select from it

the essential flesh and marrow.

Hear me, Sahra, and pay heed:

life's essence is not got by force,

it is not aggression and persecution,

nor setting deceitful traps;

it is not gulping and gluttony

and greedy licking of the fingers;

it is not sottish or sinful deeds,

shiftlessly shifting between things;

it is not an empty arrogance,

not overreaching nor baseless pride;

it is not pretending to a title,

not grand houses and glamour,

neither this foolishness not that folly -

benevolence is not a currency.

Hear me, Sahra, and pay heed:

where the people are purposefully exploited

and persecuted in every possible way,

they should not cling to patience,

nor stretch out their necks on the block;

they should neither start at shadows

nor let themselves scatter;

they should neither sleep too deeply

nor expect deliverance by magic;

they should not set one against another.

Those who wait for deliverance from me

when I waited for you for so long:

what is it you are really waiting for?

Hear me, Sahra, and pay heed:

when the birds stop flying,

when the crow climbs to the top of the tree

and the ostrich stops pounding the earth,

you needn't stop too - don't trust

to blind instinct for your decisions,

leaving tomorrow to do as it may;

don't wait dumbly for the sunrise -

when the earth is engulfed in darkness,

in the middle of that night,

you must be the beacon.

Hear me, Sahra, and pay heed:

when winter's bitterness bites home

and the whole country tastes dryness;

when rainlessness troubles the people

and scorched grass is rampant;

when the sky won't yield a cloud

and the earth is walked by whirlwind;

when trees become naked posts

and bad luck haunts us all;

when our hopes come to nothing,

and even the docile cow grows restive -

you needn't do as these do.

So that the land isn't worn out,

lacking moisture and fresh rain,

or your locality and neighbourhood

experience famine and drought,

don't wait for rain's wandering season

or set the wells at too far a trek

you are capable of solving this.

Hear me, Sahra, and pay heed:

when calamities prevail

and prospects are upturned;

when diseases become fatal

and you succumb to hardship;

when herds lack direction

and the crook is just a stick - don't be

disheartened by these dreadful sights.

The pen will give wise counsel

and direct you to your goal;

it is your unfailing friend,

so always keep it to hand

and never let it go. As though

you planted sesame and cereal with it,

and the stalk of the guava,

let it set down lasting good sense

and encompassing peace;

let it seek out well-being,

equality across the entire world,

let it heal all sicknesses,

that old killer cholera;

let it flatten all fences

and the boundaries that hedge us in;

let it gather the misguided,

divided by the colour of their skins,

people who follow many flags.

Never attempt the forging of swords

and implements of death -

there are plenty of those already,

welded by experienced smiths,

wielded by those explorers we chose

from amongst our own ranks

whom we trusted with our fates,

who plan out our paths.

Those weapons the earth can't bear,

who took them into the heavens

but someone who doesn't sow a seed

or nurture a single sheaf?

Sahra, the one who owns arms

and can set the world in flames within an hour

has put it at risk a thousand times.

Serious crises that threaten life itself

are in the keeping of one who contributes least;

life, sorrowful and suffering,

belongs to the man who doesn't give a cent.

The full fruitfulness of knowledge

he has turned to other ends;

he who gives the weapons of destruction

so generously to the poor,

who finds it difficult to do good,

has the power to turn nature on its head.

And in the year of our destitution

he wouldn't give us a bowl of millet.

Life's essence is so profound, yet it belongs

to someone who cannot pierce its surface

and is only capable of killing.

The unbearable suffering of Sula,

that havoc the battle has left us in

yesterday and for many days to come,

half of us traumatised with fear,

half out of their wits with the horror;

some cast into unaccustomed states

like the widowed women I saw

wearing their mourning dresses;

others sleepless among

the burning flames, buildings flattened,

the mass graves still gaping -

all this I left behind this morning,

but carry its burden in my brain.

Used weapons lie in heaps,

shells hit the ground, fill the heavens,

sow the seas with danger;

the alarum of armaments looms,

we listen as they discharge lead -

the people have no provisions,

their bodies go bare;

no command can comfort them,

they are barraged with bewilderment;

the mad factory keeps manufacturing

though all it can deliver is death;

it churns out devastation and tragedy,

which, in order to occur

requires only the slightest excuse -

I come to you like a condemned man

who carries his death warrant in his wallet.

How good it would be to reason clearly,

to settle the world into peace,

preserve it within its proper bounds;

how beautiful is its body,

how bountiful its gifts,

how correct all its ways:

may its great perfection not

be turned to turmoil and chaotic din,

the shedding of blood with every dawn,

to checking ropes and iron chains;

may its unlimited expanses not

be exchanged for a hot, fenced-in desert,

restricted and ruled by a wanton boy;

may the people who live on its face

not be stricken by poverty,

always in need of succour

without a word of worthy advice;

may it not be defiled by the falling of blades

nor knowledge swopped for the sword.

How good it would be if such wishes

could ever come true.

Hear me, Sahra, and pay heed:

the earth and all it carries,

what's above and all that hangs there,

those with and those without shapes,

everything between clear and secret

only have being through God's word

and come and go as He commands.

All else between earth and sky -

denizens of the dense woods,

those which lie in winding valleys -

all who spit venom, or

the elephant with his supple trunk,

the rhino and its surging charge,

the lion with its shocking mane -

those from which we seek God's shield,

when such as you, Sahra, direct them

with distant gestures, see

how quickly they must bow,

throwing themselves prone.

This gift of dominance

is not easy or light to bear:

it depends on each person's perception.

Hear me, Sahra, and pay heed:

the sea and the rush of its surf,

the towering contours of the mountains;

the thunder's rumble and roar,

that deafening loudness;

the thunderbolt and its terror,

the howling approach of the storm -

don't be scared of these:

this world is made to obey you

so treat it kindly,

coax it with your awareness

as though it were your horse,

make it your helpmate;

this mist-shrouded world is a maiden,

so treat her with tender patience,

let your touch be light and gentle

as you collect the fruit she bears,

the wealth beneath her surface:

let her yield increase

and rescue her children from need;

ensure she is always at peace

and remains in serenity;

let her suffer no harm.

Don't tread this earth thoughtlessly,

free it from constant conflict,

never awaken the napalm,

the cannon choked with shells;

don't summon the warship,

the hum of the submarine,

and all such dischargers of death.

Don't use missiles against her,

or the mad sophistication of arms;

don't poison her sweetness.

Don't cut the green places with blades,

disfiguring her form,

its beauty and its freshness;

don't tear her veil,

the twilight and its clouds;

don't harm the creatures living upon her,

the oryx and other wild things;

don't disturb their interwovenness,

removing Earth's outermost layer

or destabilising its foundations.

Don't blow the last trump,

finishing it off in a single day -

when you hear its utmost groan

rather rush to comfort it

with clapping and ululation:

science should not be used

to further its victimisation.

Let its benignity mature you,

then pass it to a trustworthy successor

who will follow in your path.

Hear me, Sahra, and pay heed:

when I remember time past,

retrace the links of the Siinley, our collaboration

composed as novices at rhetoric,

addressing our country as 'Saxarla'

without assigning blame to her,

our consciousness was constrained by our time,

our expectations didn't come to pass,

and such patience never pays off -

don't depend on those who turn their backs,

don't wait for someone with no need of you,

don't risk yourself after the first betrayal.

If someone deceives you, don't waste more time;

don't ask him for his motives,

or make further excuses for him:

he's a burden you can stop bearing -

be firm, keep him at arm's length,

and never fall into making his mistakes.

If someone brags he's such and such,

don't just nod at nonsense -

if what he says lacks substance,

if his words are weightless

and don't tally with the truth,

you have the right to rebut him.

If someone lacks contentment at how

his looks or his abilities are perceived,

if he doesn't know his limits,

such hubris is hardly an asset.

Anyone who claims perfection lacks it -

there's always someone worthier;

manliness is not measured like this -

if he fulfils nine points

he'll still fail on the tenth.

That man who prays at the proper hour

though his mind drifts still thinks it's good -

if society is suffering don't suppose

the trek not worth starting.

If you sit somewhere unsafe

it's better to move than settle,

and if you have a burning question,

it's better to stand up and ask.

Anyone who refuses to see you as equal -

refute his superiority:

you were born in the selfsame way

or was he carried for ninety months instead?

If you fear to be suddenly awoken from sleep

don't live in interesting times.

When ambition isn't matched by achievement

entrust that task to an incisive hand -

this is the right way as I see it:

if an accident needs prompt treatment

don't wait for an auspicious time.

Each morning brings its own misfortunes

so don't waste the day bewailing it:

to be plain, it's your duty to solve them

then plan for tomorrow -

life requires your clarity,

fit rules, sound methods,

and none of this is impossible.

Treasure knowledge which is seemly,

combine it with apt action

and you'll lack no asset -

this is what it is to be civilised

and that alone is life's essence.

Life's Essence

Coming soon!

‘Life’s Essence’ is a continuation of the themes raised and developed in Hadraawi’s poem, ‘Clarity’ (‘Daalacan’), his contribution to the ‘Deelley’ chain inaugurated by the late Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac ‘Gaarriye’ in the late 1970s in protest against the corruption and brutality of the Siad Barre regime.* Here, in this long and epic poem, Hadraawi expands on his political philosophy, elucidating the true meaning of freedom though staying close to the traditional values of Somali society, a historical legacy he is determined to pass onto younger Somalis.

A more recent addition to the prestigious ‘Deelley’ chain of poems is Caasha Lul Mohamud Yusuf’s ‘The Sea Migrations’.

Original Poem by

Maxamed Ibraahin Warsame ‘Hadraawi’

Translated by

Said Jama Hussein with W N Herbert Language

Somali

Country

Somalia/Somaliland

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Sirta Nolosha Life’s Essence

Sirta Nolosha

Life’s Essence

Life's Essence

Original Poem by

Translated by