SUFI POETRY IN SOMALI

203.

Text 24

The Quran states very clearly that the hour of death is

exactly determined for every living creature. In this poem,

Sheekh Xasan Xuseen imagines the agony through which he

will pass when the hour of his death arrives. He describes

a journey which is characterized by gloom until he comes to

the last four lines. In the poem, numerous dependent clauses

are used, introd~ced by the word haddii 'if' or 'whent or its

combinations with pronouns. This gives the overall impression

of a rather disconnected dream-like sequence. I have not

attempted to render this structural device in my English

version, which instead consists of a series of short self-

contained sentences, which, however, in my view reflects

faithfully the atmosphere of the poem without stretching

the patterns of English syntax too far.

. 1. Qiso waxan warramayaa, Quraankeenu sheegaye
2. Nin qaatiyo nimaan qaadan, qodob baan ka sheegiye

3. Qaafkaan higaadiisa, xarakada u qeexiye

A. Qadderkiyo qadhaha sugan, nimba sadarka ugu qoran

.5. Qaybtuu lahaa buu, hadhow qaadan doonaa

~. Qofna waari maayo eh, hadduu cudur qab igu dhaho

.7. Qandhadaa siyaadda eh, hadduu mawd qab igu dhaho

~. Qardhaas iyo haddii qalin, dar taxliil la ii qoro

9. Qaban mayso shayna eh, haddii aan qaldhabad galo

lb. Qaar i gunaanada, qaraabadaa u yeedhiye