SUFI POETRY IN SOMALI

227 •

the impression that as flowing water comforts the heart of

a thirsty person in the desert, so the Remembrance of the

Prophet eases the sufferings of his followers as they

journey through the arduous life of this world:

Burqad ceel ah weeyaan

00 ban ku yaala Nebigii

The Prophet is like a rushing spring,
Which is set on an arid plain
(Text 7/3-4)
After the rains, the water may disappear as quickly as it
came. The wet season does not last very long; and once
again, after three or four months, the water may become
scarce and therefore extremely precious. The pastoralist's
preoccupation with water at all times is reflected in the

lines below:

00 maalintaa bacadka kulul, biyo qabaw na sii

And give us cold water on the day of the burning

heat

(Text 14/8)

Digrigaa badshee weli doorano,v, dararkii jannada na

dabaaladsii

o chosen saints, we perform your Remembrance repeatedly;

make us swim in the watering-troughs of Paradise

(Text 17/10)

Darkii Nebi-mukhtaar haynoo dardaro e

May tIle chosen Prophet ladle out [the water]

from the water-trough of Paradise for us

(Text 5/79)