SUFI POETRY IN SOMALI

And he should be regaled with the best meat of

the rump and belly.

(§omali Peetr!, Poem 6, Lines 11-13)

In view of these examples, one can draw the conclusion that

since the Somali nomads are devout Muslims, it is only
natural for their poets to employ, even in secular poetry,
the themes from the Quran and Islamic beliefs and practices.

IV

The pre-Islamic Elements in Sufi Poetry

in Somali

Although the Somalis are strongly attached to Islam, they

are nevertheless very eager to preserve their linguistic

4.7 •

and cultural identity and they have succeeded in incorporating

some of the positive qualities of their pre-Islamic past

into the universal image of Islam. One of the distinctive

features of the Islamic heritage of the Somalis is the

popular use of the Somali language in expressing Muslim

religious convictions and sentiments. Among the devout

Somali poets, there is a profound wish to express their

religious experiences in Somali as is well portrayed in

these two lines of verse by an anonymous poet:

Nebi Allow, nin ba afkii

Nuur Allow kugu amaan.

o Prophet of God, 0 Light of God,·

Each man will praise you in language. his own

[A.Y.M.}

I I