Habeenkii Maqnaanshaha The Night of Absence

Habeenkii Maqnaanshaha

Laba ruux mataana ah
Mataanaah lammaanaa
Lammaanaa midoobaa
Midoobaa kalgacallada
Mahad eebbe garaa
Waysu miir dillaacaan
Mabda’ bay jideystaan
Meertada ayaamaha
Maqanaanta iyo kulannada
Meertada ayaamaha
Maqnaanta iyo kulannada
Ballannay muddeystaan
Maqnaanta iyo kulannada
Mid hadday is waayaan
Maya haa is dhaafaan
Waligoodba maalmaha
Tan xun baa u muuq dheer
 
Anigiyo mataantey
Xilliyada macaanka leh
Dhaaxaan mushaaxnee
Waxa wali igu mudan
Habeenkii maqnaanshaha
 
Habeenkii maqnaanshaha
Maqnaanshaha habeenkaa
Mad-habtii kalgacallada
Xilligii murgacashada
Maansadatan gocashada
Bal aan mariyo sheekada
 
Maalin bay ahayd koow
Maalmaha todobada ah
Ka mid bay ahayd garo
Ballantii middeennii
Meesheennii fiidkii
 
Maryac hurdada dheer
Ma riyooday galabtii
Ma is moodaey inaan tegay
Meeshii kalgacallada
 
Caadada magaalada
Maqribkii carraabada
Ma sii arartay socodkii
Hadba guri ma sii maray!
 
Ma abbaaray fiidkii
Goobtii muraadkoo
Maba joogto iyadii
Habeenkii maqnaanshaha
Maqnaanshaha habeenkaa
Mad-habtii kalgacallada
Xilligii murgacashada
Maansadatan gocashada
Bal aan mariyo sheekada
 
Dhaaxaan ka maagee
Isu tuuray mininkii
Weydiiyay magacii
Lay sheeg maqnaantii
 
Markey joogto gurigii
Muuqaalka fiicnaa
Ma ahayn sidiisii
Caawa waa madoobaa
 
Miiskii cashada tegay
Kursi madhan daraaddiis
Ma maceyn dhadhamadii
Marbaan qaatay oo kacay
 
Waxaan qaaday marinkii
Raadadkii mulaaqnaa
Ma sanuunshey keedii
Ma lahayn astaantii
 
Dayaxaan la miran jiray
Ma ifayn habeenkaa
Malkadii caweyskuna
Meeshiiba kuma ool
 
Meehannoow rugteedii
Ku ag meeray socodkii
Ma anigaa haweenkii
Igu maararoobeen
Habeenkii maqnaanshaha!
 
Laantii magoolkiyo
Caleemuhu marriimeen
Manku uu ku jookhnaa
Ma ka waayey beertii
Mirta layl dhexaadkii
Mucurtida hamuuntii
Hadba sii minqaadoo
Murugada la dheelmaday
 
Waxaan mala-awaalaa
Warka mahdin maysee
Kolkey maqasho waa yimi
Mana joogo waa tegay
Muran iyi is-weyddiin
Sababaha maqnaanshaha
Ma ahayn xiriirkii
Na dhex yiil maqaar-saar
Milgadii kalgacallada
Mid kalaa la yaab lehe
Amba waa maqnaan jiray
Magansaday habeenkaa
Maxaa wacay xusuustaa?
Sannad-guuraadii mudan
Saddexaad na soo maray
Soow macdii hal koowaad
Ma ahayn xuskeedii
 
Habeenkii maqnaanshaha
Haddii aadan maqnaateen
Heestaa ma mariyeen
Masallaha jacaylka ah
 
Habeenkii maqanaanshaha
Haddii aadan maqnaateen
Maansada ma tiryeen
Suugaanta madhaxa leh
 
Habeenkii maqnaanshaha
Haddii aadan maqnaateen
Murtidaa ma reebeen
Mahaddana adays ka leh.
 
 

Unfortunately we’ve not been able to fully replicate the special formatting of the original poem on our website. The stanzas that we’ve italicised, in the original, are centred and unitalicised.

The Night of Absence

The coupled two
The pair of two
The pair united as one
The matched and amorous
Blissful with God’s blessing
Communicating wordlessly
They make an agreement
Within the cycle of days
In each-other’s absence
They appointed a day
But then there was absence
They failed to meet that day
There was no yes or no
Within the cycling days
That awful day recurs 
 
My beloved and I were one
Through our sweetest days
We ambled in joy
But what I remember
Is the night of absence
 
The night of absence
The absence of that night
The belief of awed love
The pain’s bitter taste
In this sad song
I will let the story loose   
 
It was a single night
Within the week’s seven days
The one night that
We were appointed to meet
A yearned-for evening
 
As my siesta drifted
To an afternoon dream
I sensed she had arrived
At the planned place 
 
 It was a city evening
And time to go home
Lagging on my leisurely walk
I greeted each guri
 
Just as evening deepened
I reached our rendezvous
But she was not waiting
Oh that night of absence
The absence of that night
The fate of the lover
The pain’s bitter taste
In this sad song
I will let the story loose
 
I was hesitant
Yet traced her steps
I asked for her by name
Was told she was home
 
But her presence at home
The space she lit
Could not be seen as in the past
It looked pitch dark
 
I took myself to dine where we once ate
Saw a vacant chair - she was not there
Food should have soothed me
I took a bite but lost my appetite 
 
So I got on the path
To trace her footsteps among the many
But deep as I searched
I saw no signs, nothing I knew
 
As it got late, the moon kept me company
But the night no longer shone
The place of meeting
Was no longer where it used to be 
 
The hopeless morning loomed
Still I rambled
When her female friends
Came to tease me
Oh that night of absence
 
The grown, supple twig
Wears a glut of leaves
Festooned with nectar
But I could not find my garden
The night was endless
And my hope
Made each moment tick more slowly
I left with regret
 
But then was filled with dark prophecy
She’d be angry - told
That I’d arrived
Yet had not waited but was gone
Angry questions, a voice raising
Why wasn’t I still there? 
 
Our love affair 
Wasn’t disguise or deceit
At the nucleus is love
It amazes that I might
Have stood you up
I seek refuge in that night
What brings back this memory?
For the mind to churn
To note its third anniversary
To memorialize that night
To repeat the memory! 
 
Oh night of absence
If you were not the absentee
I wouldn’t sing this song
Or lay the carpet of love
 
Oh night of absence
If you were not the absentee
I wouldn’t compose this poem
With such literary prowess
 
Oh night of absence
If you weren’t the absentee
I wouldn’t have learnt wisdom
So I thank you
 

The Night of Absence

1) The pair, the two
The pair that are united as one
The infused amorous
With God’s distinctive bless
Communicating on a telepathic (line)
So they subscribe to principle
Within the cycle of days
The absent, the addressed
They appointed a day to meet
The absent, the addressed
As they failed to meet (the day)
That neither yah nor nay was said
Forever within the cycling of days
That horrid (day) remains the most recounted. 
 
2) My amorous and I as one
In (our) sweetest days in time
Oh just sauntering about (with joy)
The memory that lurks there (stayed)
That of the night of absence. 
 
3) That night of absence
The absence of that night itself
The tenets of love (in awe)
The bitterness in that day’s pain
On that in this rueful poem
I should let loose the tale (on you).   
 
4) It was a solo of one (night)
Within the week of days of seven
A one of that within
That we appointed where to meet
On an aimed evening known
 
5) As my afternoon siesta lasted long
In my afternoon dream
Perceived that she had arrival
At our rendezvous (stage). 
 
6) City and its sort so behave
Evening and my off to home
Lagging with my leisure walk
I went on about greeting each guri (household). 
 
7) Just about the late evening time
At the rendezvous stand
(Alas) she was not there (waiting)
(Oh) that night of absence
That absence of that night itself
The fate of that adored
The bitterness in that day’s pain
On that in this rueful poem
I should let loose the tale (on you).
 
8) That I have been hesitant
(Yet) went on to counted her trace among the many steps
To asked for the name
Was told that she was there.
 
9) That her presents at home
The place she magnified with light
Was not the same as past
(And now) looked pitch dark of night.
 
10) I stood up all (at once) brining myself onto the dinner table
With a vacant chair (for she was not there)
(The food) that would have the soothing taste
I just took a bite but abandon it all the same. 
 
11) Then I got on the path
To trace her footsteps among the many
That when I probe the manner deep
It did not show a sign of the known.
 
12)  (Later as I got home) the moon would keep me company
(unable to fall sleep)
The night was longer shining with light
The designed for gathering stand
Was longer where it used to be. 
 
13) The lugubrious loom of mourn
Where I just maundered on about
When more of her female friends
Began to tease at me
(Oh) that night of absence.
 
14) The supple matured twig
That worn leaves in glut
Festooned by nectars
I could no longer find that garden (of groom)
The night lasted long with me
So eager to anticipate
That lasted me a bit longer count
(So) I left with my rue of regret.
 
15) As I augur that imagine
She would not be thanking that she was told
The news that I had arrived
(Yet) was not there to wait but gone
Acrimonious of inquiries would arise
About the why I was not there (to wait)! 
 
16) That our affair of love
Wasn’t neither a disguise nor deceit
You the nucleus of amore,
On other that of which amazes
That I might have been absent (stood you up) on occasion
Yet sought refuge in that night itself (the one that you were not
there)
(Oh) what brought back that memory?
For the mind to ruminate
The third anniversary itself
To memorialize the first most
It is the same so much in my memory. 
 
17) That night of absence
If you were the absentee
I would have never sang the song
That for the mat of love.
 
18) That of the night of absence
If you were not the absentee
I would have not compose the poem
With such a literary might.
 
19) That of the night of absence
If you weren’t the absentee
I would haven’ composed in sage
So there I so thank you. 
 

Unfortunately we’ve not been able to fully replicate the special formatting of the original poem on our website. The stanzas that we’ve italicised, in the original, are centred and unitalicised.

This translation was commissioned by The Somali Week Festival which is organised by Kayd and supported by Arts Council England.

Original Poem by

Said Salah

Translated by

Ahmed Ismail Yusuf with Clare Pollard Language

Somali

Country

Somalia/Somaliland