SUFI POETRY IN SOMALI

Each one was offered a place

And [this order] shall be present each

living morning.

[A.Y.M.]

At times, in a basically secular theme, a Somali poet

employs stories received from the Quran or the Islamic

tradition in order to indicate the gravity of his point.

In the following lines, Axmed Aadan "Afqalooc", a notable

41.

poet who is said to be over 100 years old, warns the Somali

society against injustices and pride. To emphasize his

point, he gives a series of nations who are mentioned in

the Quran and are said to have been doomed for their sinful

deeds:

Umaddii dulmiga maarisa,ee xaqa ka meelowda

Waaxaa Mawle soo rogay ciskoo, laga maroojaaye

Miqdaar gibina baa u sabab noqdaan, cidi malaynayne

Mid yar 00 kaneecuu ahaa, mawdkii :Namaruude

Ma1rabba jiir indhala' baa qoday, 00 jebiyay mooskiiye

Halkii lagu masalay Caad jannada, lagu madoobeeye

Musareen dabaylaa ku dhacay, mudunkii reer Luude

Nin kastoo mergiga taagi jiray, male ku beenowye

The nation which practices injustices and goes against

the truth

Our Lord has revealed that their glory will be seized

A small decision which no one can surmise, becomes

the cause of their doom

It was one small mosquito which became the death of

NAMRUD

MA::JRAB was dug by blind rats which broke up the dam

The people of cXD were annihilated in the place which

was compared with Paradise