Wasiyya Sipikiyya Spikin’s Letter

Wasiyya Sipikiyya

Ta'ala ina rokonka ranar da zan cika
Kasa in cika Allah cikin daki na
 
Gaban duk iyali na da 'ya'ya da 'yan'uwa
Allah ina rokon ka sai a gidana
 
Idan na cika yan'uwa na gaya muku
Da kun ji cikawata ku taru gidana
 
Idan har da rana abin yazo ko cikin dare
Batun jinkiri kar dai ya faru wurina
 
Idan anyi sallah an gama kar a dakata
A dauka kawai hanyar zuwa kabarina
 
Idan anka je da zuwa a sani ciki kawai
Cikin hankali domin tuno lamarina
 
Kasar kabarin kuma kar a ware daban-daban
A turo gaba daya duk ta watsu a kaina
 
Idan aka kare gini da an tashi an gama
Ku koma wajen harkarku ya jama'ata
 
Batun sadakar Uku, ko Bakwai, ko ta Arba'in
Kaza shekara wallahi babu ruwana
 
Irin masu kukan nan da ihu da razana
Don Allah na roke ku kar kuyi kaina
 
Ina tausayin ku kwarai zuwa gun jana'iza
Kaza wahalar tafiya hakan kabarina
 
Kaza wahalar wanka da dauko ni don zuwa
Cikin makara tafiya zuwa karshe na
 
Hakika a rannan da da ikon da zan iya
Ya sa tausayin a wajen dukan jama'ana
 
Anan zan tsaya domin wasiyarmu ta tsaya
Mudi Spikin ne uba ga Amina
 

Spikin’s Letter

When my day is done, dear Lord
I pray it happens in my own room
 
In front of all my loved ones, sisters and brothers,
I beg you, Lord, let it be in my compound
 
When I draw my last breath, my people, I tell you
Gather at my place without delay
 
Whether it’s at noon or at midnight
Just come right over
 
After the farewell prayers, waste no time
Take me to my grave
 
When you get there, set me in the earth
Kindly, remembering my good deeds
 
Don’t make my grave different from the rest
Cover it with dust
 
When all this is over, let everyone
Return to their daily occupations
 
As for third, seventh and fortieth-day prayers
I really don’t care
 
As for those people who weep and wail for show
For God’s sake, don’t do this in my name
 
I’m sorry for the mourners
For the trouble they will take to bury me
 
From bathing me to carrying my casket
And the trouble this will cause them
 
Indeed, if I could do these things myself
I would spare you, brothers and sisters
 
Here I end my letter, signed
Mudi Spikin, father of Amina
 

The translation discussion was broken into two sessions. In the first, we introduced the poet and poem, and looked mainly at the first six lines. The other twenty-two lines were looked at in the second session. In the first, we spent a lot of time trying to unpick the ideas underlying the start of the poem, in particular the first line, where the euphemism for death in the Hausa refers to fulfillment; the idea of life having been “filled” rather than just “finished”. We tried out many different lines and ideas in its place, but, in the end, and running out of time, we came full circle and chose a very simple line, familiar to English readers, to communicate death. This was an attempt ultimately to try and capture the straightforward language and working naturalistic expression of the original poem, which guided us throughout. Another significant point was to use the word “compound” up top rather than “home” or “house”, to ensure that the African sense of home as an extended family’s collection of houses was retained, rather than translating this idea into a Western notion implying a nuclear family. We decided to work through the translation for meaning first, and to address the Ghazal structure at the end, deprioritizing form as the original is not in itself formally very strict. But, in the end, we ran out of time. The poem is deceptively simple. We could have discussed it for much longer.

Chrissy Williams

Workshop Facilitator

Spikin’s Epistle

Dear God, I pray on the day my life comes to an end
That it should happen in my own room
 
In the presence of my family, sisters and brothers
Lord, I pray this happens in my house
 
When I complete my days, brethren, I implore you
 
When you hear the news, gather at my house
 
Whether this happens in daytime or the middle of the night
Please do not hesitate when you hear of my passing
 
And when the funeral prayers are done, waste no time
In conveying me to my grave site
 
And when you arrive there, lay me down
With kindness in memory of my good deeds
 
Do not make my grave site distinct from others
Spread earth on my coffin
 
And when this is done and all have left
Let all persons return to their daily occupations
 
As for third, seventh and fortieth-day prayers
I do not care very much for these
 
As for those who weep and yell and make a show
I pray God prevents this for my sake
 
I feel great compassion for those who attend my funeral
For the trouble they will take to bury me
 
From bathing me to taking me
With the troubles these entail at my end
 
Indeed, on that day that If I could do these myself
I would have spared my brethren this trouble
 
I’ll stop at this so my letter can come to an end
Amina’s father, Mudi Spikin, signs off now.
 

Original Poem by

Alhaji Mudi Sipikin

Translated by

Richard Ali with The Poetry Translation Workshop Language

Hausa

Country

Nigeria