Huruma: Social Roles and Responsibility

Ustadh Mau

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Huruma: Social Roles and Responsibility

In: In This Fragile World

Author:

Ustadh Mau

Ustadh Mau
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Translators:

Annachiara Raia

Annachiara Raia
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and

Clarissa Vierke

Clarissa Vierke
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 218–318

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004525726_012

Open Access

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Figure 16

Ustadh Mahmoud Mau reading Mama msimlaumu at the Jukwaani Feistval in Nairobi in 2009; in his hand the newspaper report which inspired his composition

1 Mama msimlaumu (“Don’t Blame My Mother”)

Ustadh Mau wrote this poem in 2006 after finding an article in the Taifa newspaper about a dog rescuing an abandoned baby girl who had been left in the Ngong forest. The dog carried the baby to its owner, who at first thought that the baby was dead. Ustadh Mau reads the newspaper every day; touched by the baby’s story, he decided to write a poem about it to defend the rights of women, who are commonly blamed for such acts. He has performed the poem twice for audiences. Before reading the poem, he reads them the newspaper article and asks the audience, whom do you blame for such an act? Normally, he says, the audience blames the mother. His intention is to change people’s perspectives and to place the deed in a broader social context: not only the mother, but also society is to be held responsible.¹

Imenibidi kunena, kabla wangu wakati

Sababu nimewaona, mamangu humlaiti

Mamangu makosa hana, sipweke amezohiti^I

Kosa hili nda ummati

I have been compelled to speak prior to my time

Because I have seen you condemning my mother.

My mother is not the one to blame; it is not her fault alone.

It is society’s fault.

I -hiti < Ar. syn.: -fanya makosa “make a mistake.”

2.	Nda ummati hili kosa, na ziyongozi wa nti Kosa nda wana siyasa, na mahakimu wa koti Kosa nda wenye mapesa, na wasiyo na senti Kosa hili nda ummati
	It is the fault of society, and the leaders of the country. It is the fault of the politicians and the judges in the court. It is the fault of those who have money and those without a cent. It is society’s fault.
3.	Mamangu si Mariyamu, wa Imrani binti Mama ni mwanaadamu, meishi hapa tiyati Na nyuteni mwafahamu, kuna dhaifu wakati Hushindwa kuidhibiti
	My mother is not Maryam, the daughter of Imran. My mother is a human being, living here on earth. As all of you know, there are times of weakness In which we fail to control ourselves.
4.	Mama hakutenda pweke, na labda hakukiri Ali na mwendani wake, aloifanya jasiri Ndipo mimi niumbike, mamangu kumuaziri^I Pasi na yangu khiari

My mother did not do it alone, and probably not voluntarily.

She had a partner who feigned adventurousness.

That is how I came into being, putting shame on her—

Against my own will.

I kumuaziri—Mau: kumtia katika aibu (“to put shame on s.o.”).

Ikiwa kuna lawama, lawama na zitanganye

Mukimlaumu mama, naye baba mumkanye

^I Ndipo hapo yatakoma, ubaguzi musifanye

Wanawake musifinye

If there is someone to be blamed, this blame should be distributed equally.

If you accuse the mother, the father also should be blamed.

Only then can this be prevented; don’t be biased

And place the blame on women alone.

I In this third line, he is referring to extramarital pregnancy. From his point of view, one can only stop men from dallying with women by making them legally responsible for their acts and not placing the blame solely on women, who thus become socially marginalized.

Mimi kattu sikubali, mamangu kumlaumu

Na pweke kumkejeli, huwa ni kumdhulumu

Kwaye pweke yambo hili, aswilani halitimu

Hilo nyute mwafahamu

I do not agree if you blame my mother

And ridiculize only her, because this is an injustice.

She could never have done this by herself.

You all know that.

Kitendo ni cha wawili, alipowa kapokeya

Haitokuwa adili, mama pweke kumwemeya

Halihitaji dalili, wala huja kuzengeya

Ayuwa kulla mmoya

This can only be done by two people: the one who received [the offer], also accepted it.

It’s unfair to place the onus only on my mother.

No evidence is necessary nor need any proof be found.

Everybody knows it.

Mno huwona utungu, kiwasikiya hunena

Humlaumu mamangu, kwa kuwa mkosa sana

Mimi na wendani wangu, hatupati hata ina

Ni Sina au Sibina

I feel so much bitterness if I hear people talking,

Blaming my mother as the only wrongdoer.

My fellow sufferers and I, we are not even named—

Only Sina or Sibina.^I

I These two names are telling: Sina, “I don’t have [sc. a father],” and Sibina, “it is not surprising,” i.e. “it is not a surprise that these things happen.” These are female names given to children who are born outside of wedlock.

Menitupa wangu mama, si kwa kuwa hanipendi

Ni baba memsukuma, kisa kumwawika landi^I

Naye kwa kucha lawama, za wenye ndimi na tundi

Menitupa yake kandi

My mother threw me away, but not because she had no love for me.

It was the father who pushed her, putting the hangman’s noose around her neck.

It was just from fear of being accused by scandalmongers and chatterboxes

That she threw me, her treasure, away.

I landi “noose”; wenye tundi (< -tunda “to find out”) “chatterboxes.”

10.	Naamini anipenda, mama hakunitukiya Ni lipi lilomshinda, pumzi kuniziwiya Tokeya siku ya kwanda, duniani mimi kuya Ni ruhuma kunoneya

	I believe she loved me. My mother did not hate me. What else would have prevented her from suffocating me right away? From the first day I came into the world, She felt compassion for me.
11.	Natamani natamani, wangu mama kumpata Nimwambiye shukurani, nimpe ahasanta Kwa kunilicha tumboni, hata siku zikapita Ndiya nami kafuwata
	I wish, I wish, to find my mother, So that I can thank her and show her my gratitude For keeping me in her womb, until the time was due for me To find my way out.
12.	Humpijiya siloti^I, mamangu kwa wake wema Wakuniwata niketi, matumboni kwa salama Na wala simlaiti, kwa alilolifanya mama Alitenda kwa lazima
	I salute my mother for her kindness To let me stay safely in her womb. And I do not blame my mother for what she did. She was forced to do so.

I siloti < Eng. “salute.”

13.

Menitatiya tambara, kusudi kunidhibiti

Nisipate la madhara, kiniweka kavu nti

Baridi ingenikera, nikakutwa ni maiti

Alofanya si katiti

She wrapped me in a piece of cloth to protect me

So that I would not be harmed when she placed me on the bare ground.

For if the cold had struck me, I would have been found dead.

What she did was not trifling.

14.	Kabla ya kumaliza, kufunga yangu kauli Walimwengu nauliza, tazawa mara ya pili Hakuna takaoweza, kuwa wa mama badali Nashukuru wafadhili
	Before I finish and conclude my speech, I ask you human beings: can I possibly be born a second time? There is no one to replace my mother. Still, I thank all my saviors.
15.	Wema wenu siukani, na wa mbwa mashuhuri Mumenitenda hisani, mumenifanya mazuri Wangaliko duniyani, waja wapendao kheri Tammati hapa shairi
	I cannot deny your kindness, nor that of the famous dog. You have done me a favor and you have done good to me. There are still people in the world who are altruistic. Here my poem ends.

2 Jilbabu (“Veil”)

Ustadh Mau composed this poem in the 1980s, when a group of women was campaigning for the proper veiling of Muslim women. They were of the opinion that women were not properly veiled, and they propagated the use of a (typically black) veil called the jilbabu, made of two parts: one piece wrapped around the hips, and another around the shoulders. This was supposed to replace the so-called buibui ya Kiswahili, which is one piece of cloth, sewn into a loop, and which women typically wore in a loose way. The “Annaswiha” movement was started mostly by women from Lamu who had studied in Nairobi, where they met other (mostly Somali) women and returned to Lamu with new ideas about proper clothing. Mama Azra, Ustadh Mau’s wife, was the chairperson of the group. The poem was also performed at Mkomani Primary School, where Ustadh Mau has given lectures on moral conduct (maadili) every Thursday (in the Islamic Pastoral Program) for decades, ever since the 8-4-4 school system was introduced. This is one of the poems in this collection that has a dialogical structure, based on a conversation between a young girl, called only binti (“daughter”), and her father, baba. As the poem unfolds, the reader can see that while the girl is curious and feels ready to start wearing her veil, the father expresses his hesitation toward his daughter’s wish.

Binti:

Babangu tangu kitambo

Kwako nalitaka yambo

Imekuwa kama nyimbo

Kula siku nakwambiya

Daughter:

My father, for a while now

I have wanted something from you.

It plays on repeat in my head

Every day, I tell you.

Baba:

Ewe binti sikiza

Mimi hilo sitoweza

Haja yako kutimiza

Siwezi kukutendeya

Father:

My daughter, listen—

I can’t do that.

I can’t satisfy your need.

I can’t do it for you.

Binti:

Baba kituche^I si ghali

Wala si cha mengi mali

Alifu na mia mbili

Hazizidi hata moja

Daughter:

Father, this thing is not expensive;

It is not a lot of money.

One thousand two hundred—

It is no more than that.

I kituche = kitu hicho

Baba:

Mwanangu hukufahamu

Mimi sioni ugumu

Wa kutowa tas’limu

Si bakhili kwa rupiya

Father:

My daughter, you haven’t understood me.

I don’t see any problem

In paying;

I am not a miser when it comes to money.

Binti:

Basi baba ni kwa nini

Kwamba haiwezekani

Ikiwa yake thamani

Siyo ilokulemeya

Daughter:

So, father, why then?

Why is it not possible

If its price

Is not the thing that prevents you?

Baba:

Mwanangu mimi naona

Hilo halina maana

Wewe ungali kijana

Ni mwando kuinukiya

Father:

My daughter, I see

That this is not meaningful.

You are still a child;

You have only just begun growing up.

Binti:

Baba hela pulikiza

Suali nakuuliza

Wewe litakupendeza

Mimi mwano kipoteya

Daughter:

Father, listen

To the question I am asking you:

Would you want me,

Your daughter, to go astray?

Baba:

Utapoteya kwa nini

Wewe hapa si mgeni

Hata usiku kizani

Ndiya zote zakweleya

Father:

Why should you go astray?

You are not a foreigner here.

Even on the darkest night,

You know all the roads.

Binti:

Si kupoteya ndiyani

Ni kumwandama shetani

Ni kungiya madhambini

Kutenda yaso na ndiya

Daughter:

I do not mean getting lost on the road,

But following Satan.

It means to sin—

To do what is not right.

10.

Baba:

Hilo mimi silitaki

Na kabisa siridhiki

Mambo yaso alaiki

Kwetu hatukuzoeya

Father:

I don’t want that.

And I do not agree at all with

These things that do not befit us,

That we are not used to.

11.

Binti:

Kama hayo wayaona

Ni mambo yaso maana

Nipa ningali kijana

Nipate kulizoeya

Daughter:

If you think

That these concerns are meaningless,

Expose me to them while I am still young,

So that I may get used to them.

12.

Waswahili twalinena

Uwongo^I hupatikana

Ulimai^II na mwenana^III

Uweze kusinyangiya

We, the Swahili, used to say

The clay

Needs to be wet and soft

So that you can model it.

I uwongo Am. “clay” (Std. udongo). | II See meth.: uwongo hupatikana ulimai. | III mwenana “kitu laini, kitu ambacho hakijakomaa” (Mau).

13.

Nami kitovaa sasa

Wakati utapotasa

Sitoliweza kabisa

Kiwa sitolizoweya

If I am not wearing it now,

When the time comes

I will not be able to wear it at all,

If I do not get used to it now.

14.

Baba:

Mwana hilo si lazima

Bora usimame wima

Ndiya njema kuandama

Na mbovu kuikimbiya

Father:

My daughter, this is not a must;

You better stand firm,

Following the right path,

Running away from evil.

15.

Binti:

Baba shuga ndiyo kinga

Na waovu hukutenga

Baba kitovaa shuga

Mate watanimiziya

Daughter:

Father, the veil is a protection.

It keeps one away from bad people.

Father, if I do not wear a veil,

They will desire me.

16.

Kizunguka wazi wazi

Kuna wengi majambazi

Wabakaji siku hizi

Miini wameeneya

If I stroll around without it—

There are many robbers

And rapists these days.

They have increased in the towns.

17.

Lakini kiisitiri

Kama ya Mola Amri

Nitaepuka khatari

Salamani nitangiya

But if I cover myself

According to God’s will,

I will avoid danger

And be on the safe side.

18.

Baba:

Basi enenda dukani

Kaangalie fesheni

Zitokazo Arabuni

Nipate kununuliya

Father:

So go to the shop

And look at the fashions

Coming from Arabia,

So that I may buy it for you.

19.

Binti:

Baba shuga si fesheni

Mashuga ya madukani

Siyo kwenye Qurani

Mola aliyotwambiya

Daughter:

The veil is not a fashion item.

The veils from the shops

Are not those of the Qurʾān,

Which God told us about.

I shuga Am. “sheet,” here “veil” (Std. shuka)

20.

Baba:

Kwani wewe utakalo

Ni lile liambiwalo

Junijuni^I hilo ndilo

Kwa mbali akitokeya

Father:

Which one do you want?

Like the one called

“This is Junijuni”

When s/he appears from afar?

I In this stanza, junijuni refers to a figure that forms part of a children’s game typically played during Ramadan. A rough bag is placed over a child’s head so that s/he cannot see anything. Afterwards, other children make fun of him/her, shouting “Junijuni lataka bembe” (“Junijuni wants bembe food”). (bembe food is a kind of food consumed during Ramadan.) Thus, in this stanza, the father makes fun of the daughter’s wish, since the junijuni is an ugly bag. It has become a common derogatory term, used to refer to the veil by those who do not approve of it.

21.

Binti:

Baba sifanye dhihaka

Hilo ndilo la hakika

Mola analolitaka

Shuga analoridhiya

Daughter:

Father, do not joke—

That one is the right one,

The one God wants,

The one God agrees with.

22.

Amri yake Wahabu

Ni kuvaa jilbabu

Angaliya ah’zabu

Imenena wazi aya

The command of the Generous One

Is to wear the veil.

Look at the Sūrat al-Aḥzāb—

The verse says so clearly^I.

I The reference is to sura 33:59, which reads as follows: “O Prophet, say to thy wives and daughters and the believing women, that they draw their veil close to them; so it is likelier they will be known, and not hurt. God is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate” (Abr., 434).

23.

Baba:

Mwanangu nasikitika

Wendiyo watakuteka

Na kwa joto kadhalika

Utazidi kuumiya

Father:

My daughter, I am sorry.

Your companions will laugh at you,

And the heat

Will make you suffer even more.

24.

Binti:

Kitekwa siandi mimi

Hata wake wa mitumi

Walikiliwa kwa ndimi

Na kuzuliwa mabaya

Daughter:

I am not the first to be laughed at.

Even the Prophets’ wives

Were slandered

And defamed^I.

I See for instance Qur. 24:2.

25.

Ama kunena ni joto

Joto ni kitu kitoto

Kuliko akhira moto

Mtu kwenenda kungiya

And as for the heat,

Heat is a minor thing

Compared to the hellfire

One will be thrown in.

26.

Baba:

Mwanangu umenishinda

Hoja zako kuzivunda

Ingawa nimeipinda

Sikuweza hata moya

Father:

My daughter, you have defeated me

With your counterarguments;

Though I made an effort,

I did not succeed, not even once.

27.

Kalishone jilbabu

Uvae wangu muhibu

Kwani radhi za Wahabu

Yapasa kuzizengeya

Go and sew your veil.

Wear it, my beloved daughter,

Since it is necessary

To seek to please God.

28.

Binti:

Nakushukuru babangu

Kunikubaliya yangu

Hini amri nda Mungu

Ndiye amezotwambiya

Daughter:

I thank you, my father,

For giving me your permission.

This is God’s order;

He is the one who told us so.

3 Mchezo wa kuigiza (“Play”)

This is a poem in wimbo form that Ustadh Mau composed in 2011, and his daughter Azra Mau prepared the first translation, which we have revised here. It was inspired by a prose version of the same story that he read in an Arabic textbook for class six in Saudi Arabia, where the story bore the title Bayna al-ghanī na al-faqīr (“Between the Rich and the Poor”). Because he liked the content, he decided to adapt it to poetic form in Swahili. He presented his adaptation to his own pupils at the madrassa as a poetry exercise for reading and comprehension. As in the poem Jilbabu, this poem is one of several composed in the form of a dialogue, a “play” (mchezo) in verse form. In the play, the two voices—that of the Miser, on the one hand, and the Pauper (also referred to as “Shekhe”), on the other—are not rounded characters, but are allegories of richness and poverty. They represent groups defined by their socioeconomic differences and their outlooks—in the form of the miser and the poor man—rather than individuals. This dialogic form allows for an exchange of arguments to finally arrive at a conclusion that includes the moral message that the audience should keep in mind.

1.	Bakhili: Mali yangu, mimi nakupenda sana Wewe kwangu, hushinda mke na wana Nautungu, kwako mwingi nauwona
	Miser [addressing his wealth]: My wealth, I love you so much. You are better than my wife and children. I suffer so much for you.
2.	Yangu raha, ni mali kuyatizama Si mzaha, haya ninayoyasema Ndiyo jaha, kwenye duniya nzima
	My pleasure is looking at my wealth. It’s not a joke, what I am saying: This is the greatest joy in the whole world.
3.	Masikini: Ewe bwana, tajiri mwenye nafasi Tangu yana, mimi riziki siisi Hela fanya, hisani wema hukosi
	Pauper: O master, rich man who can afford a lot, Since yesterday I have not eaten. Please, do me a favor, and you will not lack any blessing.
4.	Ukinipa, na mimi kitu katiti Takulipa, Mola ziviye senti Tangu hapa, na baada ya mauti
	If you also give me a little bit, God will pay you, your savings will grow Here in this world, and also after death.
5.	Bakhili: Enda zako, sinitiliye nuhusi Haja yako, wataka zangu fulusi Na sumbuko, nilopata huliisi

	Miser: Go away; do not bring me bad luck. Your wish [is that] you want my money, But you don’t know the troubles I have endured.
6.	Nondokeya, sisimame mbee yangu Takutiya, cha kitwa hiki kirungu Nakwambiya, kutowa mali utungu
	Disappear from my sight; do not stand before me. I will hit you on the head with this club. I am telling you, giving money away is painful.
7.	Masikini: Mabakhili, wenye mali huteseka Yao hali, ni kama sisi hakika Kula hali, ni mali huyarundika
	Pauper: Misers who have wealth are in trouble. Their state is just like ours: They do not eat; instead, their only ambition is to amass wealth.
8.	Hufaani, zake nyingi miliyoni Masikini, hawafanyii hisani Zibengini, mwenyewe huzitamani
	How are his millions of any use to him? To the poor, they are of no benefit; They just stay in the bank, because the owner wants them there.
9.	Shekhe: Hodi^I bwana, ewe nduyake Karuni^II Nimeona, nikutowe uwingani Wakusanya, mali wamwekeya nani
	Sheikh: Hodi master, oh brother of Karuni, I thought that I had helped you out of your ignorance. You are collecting wealth, but for whom are you saving it?

I hodi a call-word used by someone outside the door who wants to enter a house; similar to knocking at someone’s door. | II The rich tyrant Qarun, who appears in the Qurʾān, sura 28:76–84, is the prototypical careless and powerful man who is interested solely in high rank and wealth, exploiting others. He does not think about the afterlife, but merely tries to accumulate as much wealth and status as he can in this world. There is also a reference to him in stz. 100 of the poem Hapo zamani za yana.

10.	Angaliya, mali mengi umeweka Zingatiya, kuna wengi huteseka Wanaliya, kwa kuwazidi mashaka
	Look, you have kept a lot of wealth; Consider how many people are suffering. They are crying in their great sorrow.
11.	Mayatima, waliokosa mababa Kina mama, wasokua na akiba Fanya hima, uwape japo kibaba
	Orphans who have lost their fathers, And mothers who have no savings— Make an effort; at least give them a dime.
12.	Na maradhi, wangine huwasumbuwa Na baadhi, hamudu kupata dawa Mwenye hadhi, towa utabarikiwa
	And sickness: some are afflicted by it, And some cannot even afford to buy medicine. Oh, you of high honor, donate and you shall be blessed.
13.	Bakhili: Yangu mali, ndiyo wewe wayataka Si kauli, hiyo uliyotamka Na akili, nadhani imekuruka
	Miser: My wealth, that is what you want. It is not proper, what you have just said, And I think you are out of your mind.

14.	Wanekeza, mimi kutowa sadaka Nimeiza, sitaki na sitotaka Nitasoza, shauri lako kishika
	You tell me to give alms; I refuse—I do not and shall never want to. I will perish if I take your advice.
15.	Wanidhiki, kwa maneno ya upuzi Siyataki, hayo yako siyawezi Sigeuki, mali yangu sipotezi
	You are annoying me with your useless words. I do not accept them; I cannot stand them. I will not change; I shall not lose my wealth.
16.	Nitokeya, nyumbani kwangu haraka Nondokeya, usisimame dakika Yako niya, ni mimi kufilisika
	Get out of my house quickly. Vanish; do not stand before me, even for a second. Your intention is to bankrupt me.
17.	Shekhe: Umekosa, walodhani wewe siyo Zako pesa, siyo mimi nitakao Takutesa, ufahamu siku hiyo
	Sheikh: You have erred; what you think is not true. Your money is not what I want; It will burden you, remember, on Judgment Day.
18.	Mepofuka, wewe kwa kupenda mali Kuongoka, kwako ni kama muhali Takumbuka, kiadiya zilizali^I

You are blinded by your love of wealth.

Becoming righteous is not possible for you—

You will remember when the earthquake comes, right on time.

I zilizali “earthquake.” This too is a reference to Judgment Day, when the earth will tremble (see also sura 99).

19.

Yako dini, umetupa kwa duniya

Na motoni, maliyo yatakutiya

Mayutoni, siku hiyo^I tasaliya

Your religion: you have given it up for love of this world.

It is into hellfire that your wealth will throw you;

You will remain in regret on that day.

I siku hiyo “that day,” another reference to Judgment Day.

20.	Mali yako, yatakuwa ndizo kuni Nyama yako, yakiiyoka motoni Nasumbuko, likikutesa mwendani
	Your wealth will be firewood in hell; Your flesh will be roasted in the fire, And pain will put you in agony, my friend.
21.	Bakhili: Tumo langu, la nyezi nyingi na nyaka Ruhu yangu, ile ndiyo huchomeka Bure yangu, bure nalihadaika
	Miser: My savings of many months and years are gone— And my soul is burning. Alas, for nothing, I have been deceived!
22.	Yamekwenda mali, mebaki mayuto Zote zanda, huuma kiliya mato Imevunda, jahazi ya langu pato

	My wealth has disappeared; only regrets remain. I bite my nails in regret, crying many tears. It has been broken, the dhow that brought me my income.
23.	Laitani, nangalikula vizuri Muilini, kavaa nikanawiri Ni shetani, ndiye aliyonighuri
	If I had known, I would have eaten well; I would have put shining clothes on my body. It was Satan who deceived me.
24.	Masikini: Tulingene, tumekuwa hali moya Na lingine, huna lililosaliya Twandamane, tushike moya ndiya
	Pauper: We have become equals; we are in the same state. Anything else? You have nothing that has remained. Let us walk together; we take the same path.
25.	Hafaidi, mtu bakhili kwa mali Ni hasidi, mwenyewe kwa yake hali Akizidi, humrusha na akili
	He will not derive any benefit, a miser saving his wealth. He is envious; he does not allow anything, even to himself. If he overdoes it, it can even make him lose his senses.

4 Haki za watoto (“Children’s Rights”)^*

Ustadh Mau wrote this 257-stanza poem in May 2001. At the time, his last-born son, Aboud, to whom he dedicated the poem, was three years old. In total, Ustadh Mau has eleven children from two wives, as well as thirty-four grandchildren. His first wife, Mama Tunda, gave birth to three girls and five boys. The second wife, Mama Azra, gave birth to two girls before finally giving birth to Aboud. According to Ustadh Mau, he composed the poem after having read various books in English and Arabic on childcare and developmental psychology. He gradually became aware of children’s special needs and concerns. He recognized his own failures, misconceptions, and mistakes, as well as problems in society at large. Furthermore, according to him, his first wife was too rude toward the children, while his second wife was very dedicated to her work. She first worked as a schoolteacher and later at the Lamu Museum, so she did not have much time for the children. Ustadh Mau says that he was very close with the children. As he recounts, even at the hospital, the nurses would give the babies to him so that he could hold them. Even nowadays, his grandchildren always come to his library, where they get sweets or some small coins from him.

Ustadh Mau himself was brought up by his paternal uncle. He has five siblings. All the others were brought up by his mother and their father. But since his uncle’s children did not survive, his father decided to give Mahmoud to his uncle to raise him. His uncle treated him well; he was never beaten, in contrast to many other children at the time. He also arranged for his education and made him study. His wife was well learned in the Qurʾān, so Mahmoud already knew how to read the Qurʾān before starting school.

Furthermore, Ustadh Mau is also a teacher, and loves to teach children at the madrassa. He is a member of the committee (wizara) for children’s rights in Lamu, which now seems to be largely defunct. Previously, he also used to be called to court if there were cases of child abuse or, in cases of divorce, when a father would not provide for his children.

On the one hand, the poem is also a didactic and personal poem, a wasiya dedicated to his son Aboud—like the one Ustadh Mau’s father composed for him (see Hapo zamani za jana). On the other hand, the poem is not a typical wasiya, addressing children and advising them on how to live in the world. Rather, it speaks to a wider audience, and more particularly the parents, not the children. His concern for the children and his way of addressing the parents has been noted as quite unusual by his Lamuan audience, since typically it is the children who are taught through such poems.

In the poem, he makes a plea to treat children based on their needs and rights (see also Vierke’s contribution “How Ought We to Live?” in Part 1 of this volume). He systematically goes through various elements of children’s lifeworlds, progressing by age group. He starts by considering babies and infants before moving on to children and adolescents. Later in the poem, he makes a plea for educating children properly, which reflects his general concern with proper education as the key to individual and societal progress. The media in particular has a bad influence on children in his view: it makes children go astray and lose interest in studying. In the poem, he does not refer to social media or the internet, as in 2001, the former did not exist and the latter hardly played a role in everyday life in Lamu. In the context of the poem, it is TV that he is condemning: satellite TV, which came with many additional channels, arrived in Lamu in the 1990s. According to him, the TV programs not only caused children to lose focus on their studies, but also introduced them to harmful content.

Bismillahi Latwifu

Kwa ina lake tukufu

Naanda kuyaswanifu

Ya Rabbi nitimiziya

In the name of God, the Kind One,

In His glorious name,

I begin composing.

May you, God, help me complete this!

Nitimiziya yatimu

Rabbi niliyoazimu

Nieleze wafahamu

Watakao kusikiya

God, make it complete,

What I intend to compose,

So that I can reach

Those who listen to my words.

Shabaha na langu lengo

Nataka tunga utungo

Asaa uziwe pengo

Kwenye maudhui haya

My target and my aim

Is to compose a poem;

Maybe it can fill a gap

When it comes to this topic.

Nitakayo kuyanena

Ni mambo kuhusu wana

Khususa walo wanuna

Haki zao za shariya

What I am about to say

Concerns children,

Especially the young ones:

It is about their legal rights.

Haki za walo watoto

Ni kuu mno si toto

Zimepowa na uzito

Kwa dini kanuni piya

The rights of those who are young

Are essential and not minor,

And religious and secular laws also

Grant them importance.

Nami tatiya mkazo

Kuzitaya haki hizo

Kwenye shariya ambazo

Mola amewapangiya

And I also emphasize their rights

By mentioning those

Of the sharia laws that

God has put in place for children.

Tazizungumza haki

Alizowapa Khallaki

Hawa wana makhuluki

Kwenye hadithi na aya

I will talk about the rights

That the Creator has bestowed on

Children created by Him

Through the hadith of the Prophet and the Qurʾānic verses.

Hadithi sitoandika

Aya sitozitamka

Muwanga wake hakika

Ndiwo taomulikiya

I will not quote the hadith

Nor recite the verses,

But certainly they enlighten

My perspective on the topic.

Uisilamu ni dini

Mno inayothamini

Wana tangu matumboni

Bali kabula kungiya

Islam is a religion

That values

Children, from the time they are in the womb

And even before their conception.

10.

Ni haki ya alo mwano

Kumpa mama mfano

Aliyo mzuri mno

Si kwa sura kwa tabiya

It is the right of your child

To have an ideal mother,

Who is excellent

Not in appearance, but in character.

11.

Kabla ya kuamuwa

Ni upi wa kumuowa

Upike ukipakuwa^I

Mama mwema kwangaliya

Before deciding

Whom you will marry,

Consider it carefully

And look for the qualities of a good mother.

I upike ukipakue idiomatic for “consider carefully”; as Mau notes (ufikirie sana, kwa makini), literally “cook [your thoughts] before you serve them.”

12.

Ni lazima ufikiri

Mambo yatakayojiri

Kiwatunuku Qahhari

Wana akawaptiya

You should try to imagine

How things will be

If the Powerful One rewards you

With children.

13.

Fikiri uwaze mno

Kuhusu mama wa wano

Usiwe wako mkono^I

Kizani utautiya

Ponder carefully

The mother of your future children;

Don’t select her hastily

Or blindly.

I -tia mkono gizani “to do something without first thinking about it.”

14.

Usiutiye kizani

Kwa kuteuwa mwendani

Alokungiya matoni

Moyo wako kavutiya

Don’t choose blindly

By selecting a partner

Who attracted you at first sight

And seduced your heart.

15.

Mama mno ni muhimu

Taka mama alotimu

Wana wasikulaumu

Mambo takapo weleya

The mother is very important.

Look for a perfect mother

So that the children will not blame you

When they reach the age of understanding.

16.

Mteuwe mama bora

Si kwa kabila na sura

Bali ni kwa njema sera

Mwenye dini na tabiya

Choose the best mother,

Not for her tribe nor for her beauty,

But for her good conduct

In religion and etiquette.

17.

Wape mama wa fakhari

Mwenye mayezi mazuri

Wanao waifakhiri

Kwa mama kuivuniya

Give them an admirable mother

Who can raise them well,

So that your children can be proud

Of their mother.

18.

Siwape mama mtango^I

Na mwenye tabiya jongo

Hoyo tawatiya pengo

Ya milele kusaliya

Don’t give them a mother who likes to stroll about,

One with a bad character;

She will leave a hole

That will remain forever.

I mtango < -tanga “to stroll about.” “Se promener de long en large, errer ou aller çà-et-là, à l’aventure de côté et d’autre; vagabonder.” (Scl. 866).

19.

Wape mama mtulivu

Asiyo mtepetevu

Muyuzi alo mwerevu

Si mama wa kuukiya

Give them a calm mother

Who is not idle,

But knowledgeable and smart—

And not a mother who likes to shout.

20.

Alokomaa akili

Aso mengi mashughuli

Tawatunga kwelikweli

Wana na kuangaliya

Someone who is mature;

Who is not too busy,

But will truly look after

And take care of your children.

21.

Ni bora kiwa mesoma

Wala sambi ni lazima

Kwani alosoma mama

Ni mengi yatamweleya

It is better if she is educated,

But I do not say this is a must—

Because an educated mother

Understands a lot more.

22.

Mama akiwajibika

Na wana hunufaika

Na mambo mengi hunyoka

Yakandama sawa ndiya

If she is concerned about them,

The children will benefit,

And many things will go well

And take the right course.

23.

Kwani mama ni mwalimu

Wa kwanda mno muhimu

Athariye nda kuudumu

Kwa wanawe husaliya

Because a mother is

A child’s first important teacher.

She makes a lasting impact

On her children.

24.

Kiwata athari njema

Itasaliya daima

Na piya mbovu alama

Hayondoki hubakiya

If she has a good influence,

It will always remain.

Likewise, negative impressions

Don’t disappear, but remain.

25.

Nimeyafanya marefu

Ya mama kuwaarifu

Mama kiwa mwuongofu

Huongoka na dhuriya

I’ve elaborated extensively

Upon the qualities of a mother:

If the mother is virtuous,

The children will be too.

26.

Ya pili haki ya mwana

Kizawa handikwa ina

Binti au kijana

Lake la kukusudiya

The second right of a child

Is to be given a name after birth:

Girl or boy,

Children should have their own name.

27.

Ina haandikwi lolote

Ni haki yake apate

Ina kama wende wote

Ambalo tafurahiya

Children should not be given just any name:

It is their right to have a name

Like all other children,

One that will make them happy.

28.

Simwandike ina ovu

Kwake itakuwa kovu^I

Na ya moyo maumivu

Siku zote tasikiya

Don’t give them a bad name

That will remain like a scar

And cause pain in their heart

Every time they hear it.

I kovu “scar.” “Cicatrice, balafre; Mwenye k., balafré. Mtu wa makovu-

kovu, personne toute couverte de cicatrices” (Scl. 443).

29.

Mpe ina lilo zuri

Kwa wende aifakhiri

Kiitwa awe hajeri

Bali huliteremeya

Give them a good name,

To be proud of around other children—

When called, they will not be ashamed

But be happy about it.

30.

Ni haki kumwandikisha

Mwana kumuorodhesha

Siwe tamuhangaisha

Sikuze zikiadiya

It is their right to be documented,

To be listed in the census,

So that it will not cause them trouble

In the future.

31.

Ni haki kumsajili

Rasmi kwa sirikali

Wanawake na wavuli

Ni haki kwa wote piya

It is their right to be registered

Officially at the local administration.

Girls and boys alike—

It is the right of each of them.

32.

Hili yambo ni muhimu

Kwa watu wote fahamu

Nawe usione wumu^I

Mwanao kumwandikiya

This issue is important

For everyone, understand—

Don’t think that it is difficult

To register your child.

I wumu Am. “hardness” (Std. ugumu)

33.

Mmwandikiye karatasi

Mwano kizawa upesi

Usipoteze nafasi

Kisa utaiyutiya

Have a certificate issued

Right after the birth of your child;

Don’t waste any time,

Otherwise you will regret it later.

34.

Kitoandika haraka

Hata mwano katukuka

Ni mno utasumbuka

Baadaye kuzengeya

If you don’t get them registered early,

And wait until they are grown up,

You’ll have great difficulty

Getting it later.

35.

Ni haki kulla mwanati

Kizawa kupowa cheti

Khaswa kwa wetu wakati

Ni dharura mambo haya

It is the right of every citizen

To have a birth certificate;

Especially nowadays,

This is necessary.

36.

Ni haki yake kupendwa

Na kwa mapendi kuundwa

Wazazi wengi hushindwa

Haya kuwatimiziya

It is their right to be loved,

To be brought up with love:

Many parents fail

To do this.

37.

Wana wahitaji hili

Mapendi ya kwelikweli

Mapendi na maakuli

Mapendi hutanguliya

Children need

A lot of love.

Between love and food,

Love comes first.

38.

Tuwaoneshe ruhuma

Na kuwapenda daima

Kwa wote baba na mama

Wana hili huzengeya

Let us show them softheartedness

And let us always love them;

Children demand this

From both father and mother.

39.

Tuwaoneshe imani

Twambe nao kwa makini

Tusizowee wendani

Wetu wana kurukiya

Let us show them kindness;

Let us talk to them gently.

Let us not adopt the bad habit, my friends,

Of shouting at our children.

40.

Wana wakiwa wanuna

Hilo hawapendi sana

Akiukiwa huwona

Ni mno memuoneya

When the children are still small,

They don’t like this at all.

When they are shouted at, they feel

That you are abusing them.

41.

Wana wakizungumza

Yataka kuwasikiza

Wana tukiwapuuza

Huwapa fikira mbaya

When children address us,

We should listen to them.

When we ignore them,

We make them feel bad.

42.

Wana na tuwasikize

Watakayo watweleze

Wana na tusiwapuze

Hiyo si njema tabiya

Let us listen to our children

And let them explain to us what they want.

We should not neglect them;

This is not a good habit.

43.

Tukiwapuza zijana

Huwavunda moyo sana

Ni dharura wakinena

Akilini kuwatiya

If we neglect the children,

We discourage them greatly.

It is a must to pay attention

When they talk to us.

44.

Na wana wetu tuteze

Kwa ziswa tuwapumbaze

Mazoweya tuyakuze

Na kwao kukaribiya

Let us play with our children;

Let us entertain them with stories.

Let us build good bonds

And let us be close to them.

45.

Wana na tuwakumbate

Yuuyuu tuwangate

Tuwaoneshe ya kite

Mahaba na mazoweya

Let us hug them,

And let us carry them high on our shoulders.

Let us show them unconditional love,

Affection, and closeness.

46.

Tuwape wana wakati

Sisi na wao tuketi

Tunene yapo katiti

Tashamiri mazoweya

Let us dedicate time to our children.

We should spend time with them;

Let us talk to them, even if it is only for a short while,

To strengthen our bonds.

47.

Tuwape wana nafasi

Wao kuteza na sisi

Kusudi nao wahisi

Hisabuni huwatiya

Let us give them a chance

To play with us

So that they feel

They are taken seriously.

48.

Tuwabusu wana wetu

Ni sunna ya tumwa wetu

Tangu zingali zitutu^I

Mpaka kuinukiya

Let us kiss our children:

This is according to our Prophet’s rules,

From the time when they are still small

Until they grow up.

I kitutu (pl. zitutu) Am. “small child” (Std. mtoto mdogo; pl. watoto wadogo)

49.

Tungayaona matoto

Yana ndani na ukweto^I

Athariye ni mzito

Hayondoki hubakiya

Even if we think this is of minor importance,

These things run deep.

Their impact is great:

They do not vanish, but linger.

I ukweto “depth.”

50.

Wana haya wapatao

Si sawa na wakosao

Hawafani wana hao

Kwa nyendo na kwa tabiya

The children who experience this

Are different from those who don’t;

They do not resemble each other

In behavior or character.

51.

Wana haya wakipata

Hukuwa pasi matata

Akili humetameta

Kimawazo hutuliya

When children receive this,

They grow up without difficulties,

With bright minds

And mentally stable.

52.

Mwana haya akosapo

Kasoro nyingi huwepo

Wana hunenda mapopo

Hawandami sawa ndiya

If a child lacks this,

There will be deficiencies:

Those children go astray;

They don’t follow the right path.

53.

Ndipo wawapo wakora

Wazazi wakawakera

Tewengo^I mara kwa mara

Na hawatindi udhiya

That is how they become troublemakers

Who upset their parents.

Trouble again and again—

They don’t stop causing problems.

I tewengo Am. “trouble” (Std. maudhiko)

54.

Mwana mapendi kikosa

Enga mte kutonosa^I

Ukitokufa kabisa

Utasononeka^II ghaya

If children lack love,

They are like a seedling that is not watered.

If they do not die,

They will suffer a lot.

I -nosa Baj. = -nosha Am. “to water” | II -sononeka “to suffer” (Mau: kutokuwa na raha “to be without happiness”)

55.

Atasononeka mno

Kikosa mapendi mwano

Hono wa mte mfano

Zidi kuufikiriya

They will suffer a lot,

If your children lack love.

Take the example of the seedling,

And keep pondering it.

56.

Mwana kitokwisa mwako

Kupata mapendi yako

Huwa hesi babaiko

Kwenye moya kutuliya

If children do not quench their thirst

For your love,

They will not be able to stop worrying

And calm down.

57.

Hatui hatamakani

Hastakiri nyumbani

Na hata penye wendani

Mara huzuwa balaya

The children will not be calm and settled;

They will not find comfort at home,

And even among their friends

They will suddenly pick quarrels.

58.

Huwa kama ibilisi

Au kama mwanachisi

Zikiri^I kwake hazisi

Kitinda handa zipiya

[Such children] are like the devil,

Or like the bastard who is also the child of a bastard.

Their misdeeds never end,

As soon as they stop, they begin again.

I zikiri Am. “mischief” (Std. vitimbi)

59.

Hayo yote ni athari

Ya alopata dothari

Ya makosa yalojiri

Muda wa kuinukiya

This is all the result

Of their experiences of being stigmatized

And being mistreated

In early childhood.

60.

Basi natutahadhari

Tuwepuwe na khatwari

Wana tuyee uzuri

Bila kuwakaripiya

So, let us be careful:

Let us protect them from danger.

Let us bring them up well

Without mistreating them.

61.

Na haki nyingine tena

Alo amuru Rabbana

Ni kula kwa wetu wana

Kunwa na kuvaa piya

And our children also have a right,

According to God’s command,

To be nourished

And dressed.

62.

Mwana akisa kuzawa

Ni haki yake kupowa

Ya kushibisha maziwa

Kwa amri ya Jaliya

When a child is born,

It is the child’s right

To be fed with enough milk:

This is the order of the Magnificent One.

63.

Maziwa haswa ya mama

Mwana kunwa ni lazima

Ya mamake yakikoma

Ya ng’ombe husaidiya

Especially mother’s milk,

The child needs to drink.

If the mother’s milk dries up,

That of the cow will help.

64.

Maziwa ya mama yake

Ni dharura kuu kwake

Akishiba kwayo pweke

Huwa na njema afiya

The mother’s milk

Is of the utmost priority.

If children drink only this milk,

They will stay in good health.

65.

Wala sipende kumpa

Mwana maziwa kwa tupa

Dakitari huzitupa

Hawapendi kusikiya

Don’t prefer to feed your baby

With milk from the bottle.

Even doctors throw this away;

They do not like to hear of it.

66.

Tupa si chombo kizuri

Ina na nyingi khatari

Mwana hesi utiriri

Tupa akiizoweya

The bottle is not a good container:

It brings many dangers.

Children do not stop whining

If they get used to bottles.

67.

Na tupa husababisha

Maradhi na hurarisha

Si sahali kuiyosha

Burashi ungatumiya

And the bottle causes

Sickness and diarrhea;

It is not easy to clean it,

Even if you use a brush.

68.

Sharuti kuichemsha

Na kisa kuikausha

Mwana hukubabaisha

Lini utatenda haya

You have to boil

And dry it

While your child is fussing.

How will you manage all this at once?

69.

Tena ya mama maziwa

Ameyaumba Moliwa

Si moto hayakupowa

Ni tayari kutumiya

Furthermore, the mother’s milk

That God has provided

Is neither too hot nor too cold,

But ready for consumption.

70.

Hayana nyingi harara

Si baridi ya kukera

Mwana hukuwa imara

Ya mama akitumiya

It is neither too hot

Nor harmfully cold;

Children grow strong

If fed with mother’s milk.

71.

Yameumbwa kwa kipimo

Haja zake zote zimo

Hakuna kiso kuwemo

Madini sukari piya

The milk is well balanced

And provides for all their needs.

There is nothing lacking;

It contains minerals and sugar as well.

72.

Huhitaji kuyaonda

Wala kudara kwachanda

Popote unapokwenda

Huwa na wewe pamoja

You do not need to taste it,

Nor use a finger to test its temperature;

Everywhere you go,

You have it with you.

73.

Huwa ndani mwa matiti

Tayari kula wakati

Mwana taabu hapati

Na mama huna udhiya

It is in the breasts,

Ready at any time;

The child does not need to suffer,

And you, mother, are never in trouble.

74.

Kuyasahau huwezi

Wala hayakupi kazi

Kimwakiza mitilizi

Huwa ichandama ndiya

You cannot forget it,

And it does not cause much work.

As soon as you put the baby to your breast, the milk starts to flow

And finds its way.

75.

Wala hayana gharama

Kununuwa si lazima

Neema yake Karima

Wana amewaekeya

It does not bear any cost;

You do not need to buy it.

The Generous One, in His bounty

Has provided it for the children.

76.

Basi kwani kuwawasa

Wana wetu kuwamsa

Kab’la ya mwida kwisa

Kwa urembo kutapiya

So why do you deprive them,

Weaning our children

Before the time has come^I

Out of fear of losing attractiveness?

I In the Islamic context of Lamu, it is common to breastfeed children for two years.

77.

Mamama huwadhulumu

Wana pasi kufahamu

Ati ujana udumu

Yasimeme kusaliya

The mothers inflict harm

On their children unconsciously,

Believing their youth should remain,

And keeping their breasts’ form.

78.

Mwana piya kadhalika

Ni hakiye kumpeka

Kwa tarikhi kutochoka

Kupima kudunga piya

Likewise, it is the right of children

To be taken to the clinic

Regularly, without their parents tiring of it,

So that they may be vaccinated and weighed.

79.

Mpeke chanjo apate

Na ratiba afuwate

Sindano moya siwate

Ni muhimu kutumiya

Take them to be vaccinated

Following the schedule.

Don’t miss even one vaccination;

It is important to get them.

80.

Usidharau sindano

Za ziweo na mikono

Ni kinga hizo kwa mwano

Muwili husaidiya

Don’t neglect the injections

In the thighs and arms;

They protect your children

And help their bodies.

81.

Mwana umpe chakula

Na palo pema kulala

Ni hakize kwa jumla

Sisi mbwa kuwatendeya

Give your children food

And a proper place to sleep.

In sum, these are the rights

We should provide for them.

82.

Wape chakula kizuri

Nguo za kuwasitiri

Wapokowe^I wanawiri

Ulinde yao afiya

Give them healthy food

And proper clothes;

Wash them so that they may shine

And to protect their health.

I -pokowa Am. “to wash” (Std. -ogesha)

83.

Wana kula wahitaji

Na ya kunwa safi maji

Afiya bora haiji

Illa kwa kuizengeya

Children need food

And clean drinking water.

Good health does not come

Unless you make an effort.

84.

Si sharuti kuwa ghali

Ya afiya maakuli

Mahitaji ya muwili

Ndiyo ya kuzingatiya

Healthy food

Does not need to be expensive;

The needs of the body

Should also be considered.

85.

Wape matunda na mboga

Piya wimbi wa kusaga

Kuku mayai kitaga

Wana na wapate piya

Give them fruits and vegetables

As well as millet porridge.

When the chickens lay their eggs,

Children should also get their share.^I

I In former times, particularly on Pate, people would sell all their eggs without providing any to the children.

86.

Nyama ikiwezekana

Samaki ni bora sana

Hupata swiha^I zijana

Zitu hizi kitumiya

If possible, also provide meat

And fish, which is much better.

Children will be healthy

If they consume these things.

I swiha Ar. “health” (Std. afya)

87.

Nalo ziwa wasikose

Wala mno sitokose^I

Ili nafuu isise

Yangani ikapoteya

And don’t let them lack milk—

And don’t boil it too much,

So the minerals shall not be destroyed

And evaporate into thin air.

I -tokosa Am. “boil” (Std. chemsha)

88.

Kutokosa ni lazima

Ziwa lisilo la mama

Kwani ndiyo usalama

Ni kanuni za afiya

To boil the milk is a must

If it is not mother’s milk,

Because this maintains well-being.

These are the requirements for health.

89.

Na mno likitokota

Faidaye hutopata

Moto likisa kwambata

Puwa kiona huwiya

But if boiled for too long,

You cannot benefit from it.

When you see the milk is hot enough,

Remove it when you see it boiling.

90.

Mai sana ni muhimu

Kwa sisi wana adamu

Sipende mno ya tamu

Yalo swafi angaliya

Water is of utmost importance

For us human beings.

Don’t give too much preference to juice;

Look for clean water.

91.

Wana wape mai swafi

Wala sambe mbona sifi

Nami hunwa mai ghafi

Nyaka toka nyaka ngiya

Give your children clean water.

Don’t say, “Why? I have not died

From drinking dirty water

Year in and year out.”

92.

Yuwa wana ni dhaifu

Tumbo zao ni khafifu

Mai yakiwa machafu

Mara huzuwa balaya

You should know, children are sensitive;

Their intestines are feeble.

When the water is dirty,

It can cause sudden problems.

93.

Na uchafu si tototo

Kuwa taona kwa mato

Kuna zilulu zitoto

Kwazo maradhi heneya

And this dirt is not a mud puddle

That you can see with the naked eye;

There are tiny bacteria

Through which sickness spreads.

94.

Zitutu mno zibombwe^I

Ukiteka kwa kikombe

Huziyoni nazo kumbe

Zimo tele huoweya

These germs are so tiny,

When you scoop up water in a cup,

You cannot see them.

But—alas—plenty are swimming in it.

I kibombwe (pl. zibombwe) Am. “tiny germ.”

95.

Hizo mno ni khatari

Watu sana hukhasiri

Sharuti kutahadhari

Mara hukushambuliya

They are so dangerous;

They harm many people.

You must be careful;

They attack you suddenly.

96.

Maradhi yakimswibu

Mwana yangawa hububu

Fanya kula taratibu

Penye dawa kutapiya

If sickness befalls the child,

Even if it is a small thing,

Make every effort

To run to a health center.

97.

Uwee siudharau

Mtoto huwa mkuu

Ukawa na wayukuu

Na zitukuu zikaya

Don’t ignore illness;

A small thing can grow big,^I

And can be passed to grandchildren

And even great-grandchildren.

I An illness that is not cured can have long-term effects.

98.

Na mwana kiwa huhara

Mpe mai kulla mara

Na dawa zilizo bora

Sichelewe kuzengeya

And if children have diarrhea,

Constantly give them water,

And don’t delay

Looking for good medicine.

99.

Hata kama hutapika

Mpe mai kadhalika

Yangawa mengi hutoka

Machache yatasaliya

Even if they vomit after drinking,

Continue giving them water.

Even if a lot comes out again,

Some will remain.

100.

Mai yakiwa katiti

Muilini ni mauti

Bila ya mai huketi

Muda mrefu sikiya

If the water is not enough,

This means death for the body.

Listen, without water

You cannot survive for long.

101.

Wana kupowa ilimu

Ni haki kuu fahamu

Ilimu nguzo muhimu

kwa wana waadamiya

Understand, to have an education

Is a great right for children.

Education is an important pillar

For all human beings.

102.

Ilimu kitu dharura

Kwa jamii yake sura

Ilimu akiba bora

Ya mwana kumuwatiya

Education of all kind

Is absolutely necessary.

Education is a good investment

To make for your child.

103.

Wana lazima wasome

Maarifa wayatume

Wayezi tufanye shime

Ilimu kuwapatiya

Children must learn

To gain knowledge;

Parents, let us make an effort

To offer them education.

104.

Wana tuwasomesheni

Uwinga tuepusheni

Wana tusimamiyeni

Kuwekeza sawa ndiya

Let us teach our children

To do away with ignorance.

Let us support our children

To show them the right way.

105.

Ilimu wana wapate

Ilimu namna zote

Tusiwafanye mapite

Ilimu kuwaziwiya

They should receive education—

Education of all kinds.

Let us not make them dummies

By depriving them of education.

106.

Wana tusomeshe dini

Na msingi Qurʾani

Wakisaa uwingani

Dini itatupoteya

Let us give our children a religious education

Whose foundation is the Qurʾān.

If they remain ignorant,

We will lose our religion.

107.

Hilo ni kuu jukumu

Wazazi tulifahamu

Na mungu tatuhukumu

Tukiwakhini dhuriya

This is a large responsibility

That we, the parents, should be aware of.

God will judge us

If we deprive our children.

108.

Na ilimu za maisha

Lazima kuwasomesha

Waweze kuifundisha

Wao kuisimamiya

We also have to train them

In the skills of everyday life

So that they learn

To rely on themselves.

109.

Tuwasomeshe skuli

Tusioneni ni ghali

Ni adui ujahili

Tuupijeni pamoya

Let us send them to school,

And let us not think it is too expensive.

Ignorance is our enemy;

Let us fight it together.

110.

Ujahili ni khatwari

Kuu mno lake shari

Hata akili hodari

Kwa uwinga hupoteya

Ignorance is a danger;

Its ills are great.

Even a sharp mind

Becomes useless without education.

111.

Tuwafunde za mikono

Kazi ni nafuu mno

Msumeno na sindano

Wazowee kutumiya

Let us train them in handicrafts

That are very useful;

They should get used to handling

A saw and a needle.

112.

Wana wakiilimika

Nafuu hiyo hakika

Huweneya bila shaka

Na kwetu husikiliya

If our children are educated,

For sure, the benefits

Will certainly spread

So that we can also profit from them.

113.

Tuwapeni makawanda^I

Masomoni mbee kwenda

Wakisoma shindashinda

Faidaye hupoteya

Let us give them opportunities

So they can make progress.

If they learn irregularly,

There will be no benefit.

I kawanda “arena, square” (Std. uwanja mkubwa)

114.

Faida hatutoona

Ila wakisoma sana

Wende mbali wetu wana

Sharqi na gharbiya

We will not see any good results

Unless they work hard.

Our children should travel far,

To the West and to the East.

115.

Kwenye hizi zetu zama

Hauthamiiniwi umma

Illa kiwa wamesoma

Zaidi kupindukiya

In our era,

People aren’t valued

Unless they are learned

And well-educated.

116.

Ilimu hiyau sasa

Ndiyo hongoza siyasa

Ndiyo chando cha mapesa

Hufunguwa zote ndiya

Now it is education

That guides politics.

It is the source of wealth;

It opens all the doors.

117.

Hela ngaliya Japani

Ina ina duiyani

Nti nyingi uzunguni

Mate hiyo humiziya

Take Japan as an example:

It has a global reputation.

Many countries in the West

Envy it.

118.

Walipata kwa uyuzi

Na kwa ufundi wa kazi

Ilimu hizi na hizi

Kitambo walizengeya

They have achieved this through knowledge

And skillfulness in their work.

They started long ago

To look for various kinds of knowledge.

119.

Na nti zilo tajiri

Ni zipi hela fikiri

Ni zile zilonawiri

Kwa ilimu kwendeleya

As for the rich countries,

Which are they? Just give it a thought!

They shine

Due to advanced education.

120.

Na lingine nambe sasa

Si haki na ni makosa

Walowana kuwatesa

Ngumu kazi kuwatiya

Let me talk about another matter now.

It is not fair—it is a crime

To abuse children

And leave hard work for them.

121.

Wana tusilazimishe

Wala tusikalifishe

Wana tusiwateushe

Kama punda ni hatiya

Let us not force our children,

Nor overburden them.

Let us not chase them

Like donkeys; this is a mistake.

122.

Wana wataka wakati

Wateze teze katiti

Kuwakaza kama nati

Huwavuruga tabiya

The children want the time

To play a little;

Tightening them like a bolt

Means destroying their character.

123.

Kuwapa kazi nzito

Wana wangali watoto

Na kwa tamaa ya pato

Ni yambo lisilo ndiya

Making them work hard

While they are still young

Because you want more income

Is not the right way.

124.

Wala sambi ni makosa

Wana kutumwa yapasa

Si kwa tamaa ya pesa

Ni kuwapa mazoweya

I do not mean that it is a mistake

To send children on errands;

However, not out of greed for money,

But to gradually get them used to it.

125.

Mwana si bibi arusi

Hapei wala haosi

Kimtuma kwa kiyasi

Huwi umemuoneya

A child is not a bride

Who does not sweep nor clean the dishes.

If you send them on small errands,

You are not abusing them.

126.

Kazi za kwao nyumbani

Na hata wake jirani

Akimtuma dukani

Sawa kimtumikiya

Domestic work is fine for them.

And even if the neighbor

Sends them to the shop,

It is alright to be at her service.

127.

Kazi kiwa atafanya

Kama bajiya kuzanya

Hatuwezi kulikanya

Kwani ni yambo la ndiya

If they do work

Like selling bajiya^I,

We cannot reject it,

Because it’s the right thing to do.

I bajiya “a small fried cake of mixed beans”; “Badyia. Sorte de beignet consistant en une boulette de pâte pimentée et frite, que les Indiens préparent avec de la farine additionnée de haricots et de qqs découpures d’oignon, d’aubergine, etc.” (Scl. 85).

128.

Mpangiye kwa wakati

Afanye kazi katiti

Na tena awe hawati

Masomo kuhudhuriya

Plan the time for them

So that they do only a little work

And do not miss

Any lessons.

129.

Bajiya zikitotoka

Ziyazi zikimwaika

Au mwende kampoka

Simziwiye kungiya

If not all the bajiya are sold,

And the potatoes fall to the ground,

And a friend steals from them—

Don’t ban them from the house.

130.

Simwambiye nenda zako

Sitaki maneno yako

Rudi koko utokako

Pesa ukitoneteya

Don’t tell them, “Go away—

I don’t want your excuses.

Return to where you came from

If you do not bring me money.”

131.

Huwa umemwekezani

Mwana una ndiya gani

Ya kupatiya mapeni

Nae hukutegemeya

What lesson are you trying

To teach your child?

Why should children earn money for you?

They should rather depend on you.

132.

Mwenye kumpa ni wewe

Kiya kwako umtowe

Ende pwani katondowe

Deni yako kulipiya

You are the one who should give to them;

Instead, when they come to you, you chase them away.

Should they go to the port to collect salvage

To pay your debts^I?

I In former times, when mashua (“a kind of boat of boards for embarking or disembarking goods”; Krp. 205) arrived on the beach and goods were discharged, if some happened to fall on the ground, children were allowed to pick them up without being scolded or having to pay. Ustadh Mau still remembers how he went to the beach when he was a child, hoping to find a banana or some dates that had fallen from a mashua coming from Somalia or Arabia.

133.

Huwa memfunda nini

Huyo mwano masikini

Huyamtiya ndiyani

Huyamwambiya poteya

What have you taught them,

Your poor children?

Have you not put them out on the streets?

Have you not made them go astray?

134.

Mwana kitenda la jongo

Kurudiwa ni kwa ngongo

Simrudi kwa zigongo

Na makonde kumtiya

If your children misbehave,

Respond to them with one lash of a whip.

Don’t beat them with a stick

Or with punches.

135.

Hata ukighadhibika

Subira mno yataka

Mkono siwe haraka

Kilo mbee kwatiliya

Even if you are enraged,

You need to be patient.

Your hand should not be too quick

To slap whoever is in front of you.

136.

Mwana utamkhasiri

Umtiye na dothari

Ya milele na dahari

Nawe uiyute piya

You will intimidate

And humiliate your child

Once and forever,

And you will also regret it.

137.

Mwana adabu mfunde

kutangamana na wende

Watu wote awapende

Na kuwa safiya niya

Teach your children good manners,

How to behave with peers,

So that they like all kinds of people

Because of their good intentions.

138.

Mfunde kutangamana

Na wakuu na wanuna

Aitenge kimuona

Sitaha humondoleya

Teach them how to interact

With adults and with children.

Teach them: if they find that someone has disgraced them,

They should better stay away.

139.

Ayuwe kuna mipaka

Haifai kuiruka

Kwa amri ya Rabbuka

Na kwa mila na shariya

That is why they should know that there are boundaries,

That one is not allowed to transgress

By God’s command

And custom and law.

140.

Mfunde mwana mfunde

Yalo mema ayatende

Mbeu njema uzipande

Tangu akiinukiya

Teach the children, teach them

To do only good,

So that you may plant good seeds

From childhood onward.

141.

Mfundishe kwa zitendo

Kwa ulo mzuri mwendo

Maneno yasiwe kando

Yende sambamba pamoya

Teach them by your good example,

Through your good deeds.

Your words should not contradict,

But be in harmony with them.

142.

Maneno na yako hali

Yaandamane mawili

Yeye simuase hili

Wewe ukaendeleya

Your words and your behavior

Should go together;

Don’t forbid something

That you continue doing.

143.

Kiwa hayatofanana

Basi hayana maana

Maneno ungayanena

Yangani yatapoteya

If your words don’t match your actions,

They have no meaning.

Although you speak,

Your words will vanish into thin air.

144.

Hayatowata athari

Kwa mwano ilo mzuri

Bali itakuwa kheri

Hayo kutomtaiya

They will not have a good effect

On your child,

So it is better

Not to say them at all.

145.

Sifa hini ni lazima

Kwa kula mfunda mema

Awe baba awe mama

Mwalimu hukaza niya

This concern is essential

For anyone who teaches good behavior,

Be they a father or a mother—

And it is more important still for the teacher.

146.

Zijana wana akili

Na mambo hutaamali

Wana zipimo zikali

Za watu kuwapimiya

Children are clever,

And observe things.

They have a sharp way

Of assessing people.

147.

Wanazo zao mizani

Za kumuyuwa fulani

Hutuondosha ndiyani

Au kweli hutwambiya

They have their own way of

Knowing someone:

“Do they wish to betray us,

Or are they telling us the truth?”

148.

Haki nimezozinena

Nda wote walo zijana

Awe mume au mwana

Ni hakiye kwa shariya

The rights that I have mentioned

Are for all children,

Be they boys or girls—

These are their rights guaranteed by law.

149.

Awe mume au mke

Haki hizi yeye ndake

Tuwape tusiwapoke

Wenyewe kufurahiya

Be the child a boy or a girl,

These rights are theirs.

Let us grant them and not deprive them,

So that they can enjoy them.

150.

Nilotaya kwa bayana

Ndizo maarufu sana

Kuna na nyingine tena

Napenda kuzishiriya

The ones I have mentioned explicitly

Are those that are well known.

There are others

That I would like to point out.

151.

Kuna mambo maalumu

Mzazi kuyafahamu

Mno hayo ni muhimu

Sana humsaidiya

There are some issues

That a parent should know,

That are very important,

And will help them very much.

152.

Marafiki kuwayuwa

Wa mwano kuwatambuwa

Hili yambo limepowa

Muhimu nambari moya

To know your child’s friends

And assess them

Is very important.

It should be number one on your agenda.

153.

Marafiki huathiri

Kwa wema au kwa shari

Rafiki waso wazuri

Humpa utwa twabiya

Friends have influence,

For better or worse.

Friends who are no good

Will have a bad influence on their character.

154.

Rafiki kiwa waovu

Fanya kuwa uwerevu

Umwepuwe si kwa nguvu

Kwa busara kutumiya

If their friends are bad,

Be clever:

Do not separate them by force,

But act wisely.

155.

Yaso mema humfunda

Na mazuri huyaponda

Na kisa kuuma zanda

Ndilo litalosaliya

They will teach your children

what is not good

And destroy their good behavior,

And in the end, it is only regret

That will remain.

156.

Wa mwanao maswahibu

Kuwa na wao karibu

Uziyuwe taratibu

Tabiya na nyendo piya

So be close with

Your child’s friends

So that you get to know them well,

Both their character and their conduct.

157.

Ukiziona si njema

Mwepuwe mwano salama

Kab’la huyaziuma

Zanda kwa kuiyutiya

When you see they aren’t good,

Find a gentle way to keep your child away

Before you bite

Your nails in regret.

158.

Muweke mwano kitako

Umpe shauri lako

Kwa matamu matamko

Umuekeze ya ndiya

Make your child sit down,

And give him your advice.

With sweet words,

Show him the right way.

159.

Na wala wewe sichoke

Mnaswihi aepuke

Marafiki asishike

Wa nyendo za kupoteya

Don’t get tired;

Persevere in your advice to avoid

Having friends

With bad conduct.

160.

Marafiki ni lazima

Kwa umri maaluma

Nazengee walo wema

Tapata yapo mmoya

Friends are very important

At a certain age;

Let your children find good ones.

They will find at least one.

161.

Mtu huhitaji watu

Hili ndilo umbo letu

Metuumba Mola wetu

Ni kiungo metutiya

Everyone needs people.

This is our nature;

This is how our God has created us.

It is a part of the human nature that He put into us.

162.

Hutokeya kwa nadira

Si ghalibu kula mara

Mtu watu humkera

Penye watu hukimbiya

It happens sometimes,

But it is not very common,

That someone is afraid of people

And avoids crowds.

163.

Ni kasoro maalumu

Tunazo wanaadamu

Na kwa wangine hudumu

Zikawa ni mazoweya

It is a particular defect

That we human beings have,

And for some it remains

And becomes habitual.

164.

Marafiki wanautwa

Hukungiya kama mtwa

Mara na wewe hukutwa

Shimoni metumbukiya

Friends are infectious;

They infest you like termites.

Suddenly, you find

You have fallen into a pit.

165.

Na marafiki baadhi

Wenye nyendo za kuudhi

Utwa kama wa maradhi

Hukupasa mara moya

And some friends

With annoying conduct

Are infectious like a disease;

They pass it on to you immediately.

166.

Mwenye afiya mtwae

Pa wawee umtie

Wangaliye takuwae

Afiya tawaatiya

Take a healthy person,

Leave him among sick people,

And see what happens:

Will he pass his health on to them?

167.

Utaona bila shaka

Maradhi yatamshika

Afiya haitotoka

Na waweze kuwaingiya

Of course, you will see

That sickness will befall him;

Health cannot spread

And infect the sick.

168.

Basi hini ndiyo hali

Ya marafiki batwili

Alo mwema hubadili

Wakawa ni hali moya

This is how it is

With bad friends:

The good one is infected

And they all become the same.

169.

Na mangine ya kisasa

Ya haribuwo kabisa

Ni zifaya za anasa

Miini zimezongiya

And another modern thing

That is completely destructive

Are the media of entertainment

That have spread to every town.

170.

Khususa haya madishi

Hufuja hayabakishi

Yangiyapo hayabishi

Hufuza moya kwa moya

Especially TV programs

That ruin everything, leaving nothing of value:

You have easy access to them,

You can get them directly from home.

171.

Madishi ni mitaimbo

Huvunda mazuri mambo

Ni zaidi ya ulimbo

Hukunasa mara moya

Satellite TV is a crowbar

That smashes all morality.

It is worse than a bird trap;

It seizes you immediately.

172.

Ni zitu haya hondosha

Maovu huamirisha

Nyendo mbovu hufundisha

Na huweneza balaya

It curbs good values

And enforces evil,

Teaching bad manners

And spreading mischief.

173.

Madishi mambo hufuja

Yalo mema moja moja

Ipo kuu mno haja

Wana kuwateuliya

Satellite TV damages

All that is good, one thing after another.

It is of great importance

To choose the right programs for your children.

174.

Imekuwa ni dharura

Kuteuwa kwa busara

Ni zipindi gani bora

Za faida kwangaliya

It has become necessary

To carefully select

Good programs

That are beneficial to watch.

175.

Kuna baadhi zichache

Ni zizuri tusiziche

Ziyovu tusiwaliche

Wana kuzishuhudiya

There are a few programs

That are good; let us not hesitate to watch them,

But we should not allow our children

To watch the bad ones.

176.

Madishi yana malengo

Kuu ni tabiya jongo

Kuzeneza kwa mipango

Zitapakaze duniya

The central aim of TV

Is to promote immorality

And to spread it according

To well-made plans worldwide.

177.

Na nyendo za ulanisi

Zisofanana na sisi

Zimeeneya upesi

Na madishi ndiyo ndiya

And all types of perversion

That do not suit us

Have spread rapidly

Through TV programs.

178.

Na madishi huwekeza

Watu kwenye yakusoza

Na nyendo mbovu huviza

Na kuondosha ya haya

TV programs cause people to

Be morally shipwrecked,

And increase bad conduct,

And do away with our sense of decency.

179.

Huketi baba na mama

Na wana wakitizama

Mambo hata kuyasema

Kwa kikwetu ni hatiya

The mother, the father,

And the children, all together, watch

Scenes that, according to our culture,

Would be an offense even to talk about.

180.

Hutufundisha machafu

Mengi ya uharibifu

Wazungu hutuswarifu

Kama unga kutezeya

They teach us dirty things,

And much that is destructive.

Westerners manipulate us and

Shape us like dough.

181.

Angaliyani mavazi

Yavawao siku hizi

Ni sawa na kwenda wazi

Na watu hushangiliya

Look at the dresses

That people wear nowadays.

It is the same as going naked,

Yet people still praise them.

182.

Ya waso haya mishono

Kandu ziso na mikono

Wazi mbavu na ziuno

Hadhirani hutembeya

The fashion of the shameless

Includes sleeveless tops

And ones that reveal the belly,

Which they openly walk around in.

183.

Hizi ni zake athari

Madishi yana khatwari

Wazazi na tusikiri

Wana yote kwangaliya

These are some of the effects

Of these dangerous TV programs;

Parents, let us not allow our children

To watch all these programs.

184.

Zitabu na magazeti

Sharuti tuzitafiti

Wasipoteze wakati

Wana kwa kusoma haya

We need to have a closer look

At books and journals,

So that our children will not waste their time

Reading the wrong ones.

185.

Kuna mengi siku hizi

Magazeti ya upuzi

Kwa hayo mwana hawezi

Kupata faida moya

There are many useless

Magazines nowadays

From which children

Do not benefit at all.

186.

Zitabu za ulanisi

Zi tele pasi kiyasi

Riwaya za kipolisi

Na za ngono meeneya

Books promoting perversion

Are plentiful, without limit.

Crime stories

And pornography have spread.

187.

Haya yote kwa zijana

Mambo hayana maana

Hupoteza mwingi sana

Wakati na pesa piya

All of this is of no use

To the youth.

They only waste a lot of

Money and time on it.

188.

Mwanao mpeleleze

Umfahamu nyendoze

Yalo sawa umwekeze

Nasaha kumpatiya

Observe your children carefully,

So that you know their habits.

Guide them on the right path,

And give them advice.^I

I nasahah “advice”; the Arabic term is seldom used in Swahili. Commonly, as Ustadh Mau notes, nasaha is translated as wasiya in Swahili, another term originally derived from Arabic. For instance, as Mau notes, the phrase ‮لدين النصيحة‬‎ ad-dīn al-naṣīḥa “religion is advice,” from a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad, is rendered as follows in Swahili: dini ni watu kupana wasiya “religion means people giving each other advice (wasiya).” Thus, the meaning of wasiya has changed in Swahili. Originally, in Arabic, wasiya meant “testament, the last worlds left down in a written format.” This meaning can still be discerned in the sense of wasiya as a Swahli poetic genre (see, for instance, the Wasiya wa mabanati in this volume).

189.

Kwanda situmiye nguvu

Kumkanya mwana ovu

Jaribu kuwa mwerevu

Kumnyenya tanguliya

First of all, don’t use force;

If you want to forbid them from something bad,

Try to be smart,

And first, ask them carefully.

190.

Mwana simuwate rebe

Wala mno simkabe

Siwe kama tupu debe

Mayowe ukazoweya

Don’t leave your child unattended,

But don’t be too strict either.

Don’t be noisy as an empty tin^I

Or get used to shouting.

I An empty tin is very noisy if you beat it.

191.

Kwa mayowe na ukali

Haitogeuka hali

Mwana kimpa kivuli

Atakalo tarudiya

Through shouting and anger,

The situation does not change.

As soon as you turn your back on your children,

They will continue doing what they want.

192.

Mwanao mbembeleze

Yake ndani akweleze

Na wewe yako mwekeze

Na kumuonya ya ndiya

Comfort your children

So that they can explain their inner thoughts to you,

And tell them yours,

And direct them on the right path.

193.

Mwanao mno kikucha

Mbee yako atacha

Akiuvira ukucha

Tarudiya mazoweya

If your children are afraid of you,

They will stop doing things in front of you.

But just around the corner,

They will resume the old habits.

194.

Yambo kuu na muhimu

Ni mwano kukuhishimu

Hapo takuwa na hamu

Hapendi kukukoseya

The most important thing

Is that your children respect you.

Then they will make an effort,

For they do not wish to disappoint you.

195.

Na hishima kuipata

Kwa wana ni kufuwata

Ndiya sawa tukapita

Namna ya kuwayeya

To get respect

From your children, we have to

Follow the right path

In bringing them up.

196.

Mayezi ni kuu somo

La mizani na zipimo

La hitaji misimamo

Na miko kulishikiya

Upbringing is a lesson of the utmost importance.

It requires good judging and evaluating

As well as principles,

And you also have to stick to your rules.

197.

Yuwa mayezi ni fani

Yenye tandu na fununi

Na muyezi ni fanani

Kipawa huhitajiya

You have to know, upbringing is an art

That has many forms and modes,

And the parent is an artist

Who needs talent.

198.

Kula mtu si nahuza

Wa safari kuziweza

Wangine mara husoza

Kwa kupita kombo ndiya

Not everybody is a captain

Who is able to navigate.

Some suddenly hit a rock

Because they take the wrong course.

199.

Si kula mke ni mama

Mama ni sharuti kwima

Kwa mambo yalo lazima

Wana kuwasimamiya

Not every woman is a good mother.

A mother needs to be steadfast

In the things that are necessary

For supporting the children.

200.

Mayezi yataka miko

Yana kazi na sumbuko

Mara hutuka zituko

Mtu asotarajiya

Upbringing requires restrictions.

It means work and struggle.

Problems may suddenly emerge

That one did not expect.

201.

Sasa muhukoma pwani

Katika hunu uneni

Nina zifungu fulani

Napenda kumaliziya

Now I am about to reach

The harbor with my talk,

But I have some remarks

I would like to finish with.

202.

Nikianda la awali

Taka tuombe Jalali

Walo na njema amali

Wana kututunukiya

To start with my first remark:

We should pray to God

To grant us children

Of good habits.

203.

Na ninenalo la pili

Ni wana tuwakubali

Tuwatwae kwa miwili

Mno kufurahikiya

And my second remark

Is that we should accept our children

And receive them happily,

With open arms.

204.

Mungu akitupa mwana

Tumkongowe sana

Tusiwe hununanuna

Mwana tutamtukiya

If God gives us children,

We should welcome them

Without grumbling,

Which would mean despising the child.

205.

Tusifanye kisirani

Untha na dhukurani

Ni tunu yake Manani

Wote mbwa kufurahiya

We should not be annoyed,

Be the child a boy or a girl—

All are gifts from God

That we should be happy about.

206.

Tukiwa upande shingo

Na nyoyo tele kinyongo

Mwana takuwa terengo

Utiriri na udhiya

If we hang our heads,

With hearts full of anger,

The child will be a burden,

Torment and annoyance.

207.

Lazima tufurahike

Kwa waume na kwa wake

Kwani wote tukumbuke

Ni tunu yake Jaliya

We should be happy

No matter if the child is a boy or a girl,

Because we should remember

That all of them are gifts from God.

208.

Wana mema tuzoweze

Tabiya njema tukuze

Wana tusiwendekeze

Rebe mno kuwatiya

We should accustom our children to good habits

And build their characters.

Let us not spoil our children

Or give them too much freedom.

209.

Mwana kimpa ahadi

Siivunde jitahidi

Utimize kwa kasidi

Aone memtendeya

If you give your children a promise,

Don’t break it; make an effort

To fulfill it

So that they see you did it for them.

210.

Mwana ukimzoweza

Ahadi kutotimiza

Nawe shere takuteza

Wakati ukiadiya

If your children get used

To you breaking promises,

They will also play tricks on you

In due course.

211.

Kheri umwambiye kweli

Yambo ukitokubali

Mambo huwa ni sahali

Urongo hatozoweya

It is better to be frank with them

In case you don’t agree.

Things will be easier,

And they will not get used to lies.

212.

Mwana mtiye mahaba

Kumpenda Mola Raba

Hiyo ni kuu akiba

Mwana utayomwatiya

Plant in your child

The love of God;

This is a great treasure

That you will pass on to your child.

213.

Mzoweze na kuswali

Ili isiwe thakili

Kikuwa hatokabili

Nalo kitoinukiya

Accustom them to praying

So that it will not be difficult.

When grown up, they will reject it

If they did not grow up with it.

214.

Kiwa angali ni mwana

Swali nae hukuona

Tapoelewa maana

Hatowata mazoweya

When they are still young,

Pray so that they can see you.

Later, when they are able to understand its meaning,

They will not give up this habit

215.

Haja zake zitimize

Mapeni simziwize

Mwate aizoweze

Kama watu kutumiya

Fulfill their needs;

Don’t refuse to give them money.

Let them learn to spend money

As others do.

216.

Mfundishe na kuweka

Akiba kitu kitaka

Asiwe mbwa kusumbuka

Aweze kuipatiya

Teach them to save,

So that when they want something,

They will not be in trouble

But can buy it on their own.

217.

Kiwa kumi utampa

Nasitumiye kwa pupa

Mwambiye zitiye hapa

Mbili mbili takwekeya

If you give them ten coins,

They should not spend them hastily.

Tell them, “Put two in the savings box;

I will keep them for you.”

218.

Nitakwekeya akiba

Uyuwe haba na haba

Mara huyaza kibaba

Sikuye husaidiya

“I will keep your savings.

You should know, little by little

Fills up the measure.

It will be of use one day.”

219.

Mfunde na ukarimu

Kwa wende wanaadamu

Khaswa walo yake damu

Ruhuma kuwaoneya

Teach them generosity

Toward their fellow human beings.

Especially those of the same blood,

They should care for them.

220.

Simfunde ubakhili

Katawaliwa na mali

Na piya ubaridhuli

Simliche kuzoweya

Don’t teach them greediness

So that they will be ruled by material concerns,

But also don’t allow them

To get used to wasting money.

221.

Ushujaa mzoweze

Hiyo twabiya akuze

Na mno umuhimize

Dhuluma kutoridhiya

Get them used to courage

So that it grows in them.

And emphasize strongly

That they should not endure oppression.

222.

Asiridhike dhuluma

Kuonewa wake umma

Na wanyonge kusimama

Iwe ni yake twabiya

They should not agree

To their people being oppressed,

But standing by the weak

Should be their character.

223.

Nasitupe haki yake

Na ya mtu nasitake

Natwae kilicho chake

Cha wangine kuwatiya

They should not throw away their rights,

Nor should they deprive someone else of theirs.

Your children should take what is theirs,

And leave others with their rights.

224.

Tabiya ya unyanganyi

Hakikisha haifanyi

Usinene simkanyi

Tawata kiinukiya

Make sure they do not develop

The habit of taking what is not theirs.

Don’t say, “They will stop it when they grow up,

So I do not need to forbid them.”

225.

Mkanye tangu ni mwana

Kitenda mkanye tena

Ili kusudi maana

Sipende kunyanganyiya

Stop them while they still are children.

If they repeat it, forbid it again

With the intention

Of making them dislike stealing.

226.

Tena mpe mazowezi

Tangu ali mumaizi

Kuzitenda njema kazi

Jamii kusaidiya

Furthermore, train them,

As soon as they start to understand things,^I

To do meaningful tasks

That help the community.

I Acc. to Ustadh Mau, a child starts to understand things at around the age of seven.

227.

Mfunde awe imara

Penye wende kutojera

Kutowa yake fikira

Au uovu kuziwiya

Teach them to be confident

So that they are not shy in front of their peers,

To tell them their thoughts

And to stop evil deeds.

228.

Mpe sana mazowezi

Ya kufanya uwamuzi

Mwenyewe asiajizi

Wangine kutegemeya

Train them well

To make their own decisions

So that they shall not be incapable of deciding

Without depending on others.

229.

Na mzazi jitahidi

Kuzifahamu zaidi

Tabiya za aw’ladi

Kazi takupungukiya

Parent, make an effort

To better understand

The nature of children;

This will make their upbringing easier.

230.

Soma kwa kutaamali

Mbali mbali zao hali

Kwako takuwa sahali

Kurakibisha tabiya

Read thoroughly

About their various ways of being;

It will be easier for you

To correct your child’s behavior.

231.

Na ukitoyuwa kwenda

Na wano watakushinda

Ubaki kuuma zanda

Na kwa matozi kuliya

And if you don’t know how to handle them,

You will find yourself in over your head.

You will bite your nails in regret

And cry many tears.

232.

Uliza yao maoni

Kwa mambo ya kinyumbani

Mfano chakula gani

Yeo mutapendeleya

Ask for their opinion

On matters at home,

Like what kind of food

Would you like to eat today?

233.

Zoweya kuwashawiri

Wakupe lao shauri

Hili mno ni uzuri

Na hamasa huwatiya

Make it your habit to consult them

So that they give you their opinion.

This habit is very good,

And encourages openness toward you.

234.

Huwapa mawazo bora

Na hupanuwa fikira

Kiwa wao kula mara

Shaurini tawatiya

It will give them confidence

And will broaden their mind

If you always

Involve them in your decision-making.

235.

Wao wataiyamini

Waone wana thamani

Na kuiyona ni duni

Kwao halitotokeya

They will believe in themselves

And will recognize their own value.

They will never consider

Themselves inferior or underestimated.

236.

Zijana wape jukumu

Hili kwao ni muhimu

Huwafanya sumsumu

Shupavu huinukiya

Give children responsibility;

For them this is important.

It makes them self-disciplined

And makes them more persistent.

237.

Uzitunge tafauti

Za umri na wakati

Alo na nyaka katiti

Si kama mtanguliya

Take into consideration

The children’s age, as well as the time^I;

Children of a few years are

Not like their elder brother or sister.

I “Time” referring to age of the child, but also the historical context and its moral standards.

238.

Karibu ya kupevuka

Wana nyendo hugeuka

Jitahidi kuwepuka

Nguvu kuwatumiliya

When they become adolescents,

The behavior of your children changes.

Make an effort to avoid

Using violence against them.

239.

Siwatumiliye nguvu

Nena nao kwa werevu

Huwa mno ni wayavu

Na ghururi huwangiya

Don’t use force on them,

But talk to them wisely.

Adolescents are hot-tempered

And overestimate themselves.

240.

Hawaiyoni ni wana

Bali walotimu sana

Ni kamili huiyona

Ni watu wametimiya

They don’t consider themselves children,

But as fully developed.

They see themselves as complete and

As mature human beings^I.

I Baleghe, “puberty,” is supposed to start at the age of fourteen. According to Ustadh Mau, this is the time when children and adults quarrel the most.

241.

Wana wafanyie sawa

Asili kutobaguwa

Wana utawatomowa

Sawa kitowatendeya

Treat your children as equals;

Never discriminate against them at all.

You will hurt your children

If you do not treat them equally.

242.

Ukiwapenda wangine

Kwa ulimi usinene

Kwa zitendo wasiyone

Au utaiyutiya

If you like some more than others,

Don’t express it openly,

And do not let your actions show it either,

Otherwise you will regret it.

243.

Hilo wakilifahamu

Takuwa mbeu ya sumu

Umeyaa za kudumu

Hazondoki husaliya

Because if they realize it,

This will be the seed of poison.

You will have planted lasting seeds.

They don’t vanish; they linger.

244.

Naafanyao mazuri

Mtuze tena dhahiri

Atendao takiswiri

Mweleze yake hatiya

And the ones who do good,

Praise them openly.

And the wrongdoers,

Explain their errors to them.

245.

Mwana kikosa adabu

Kumrudi ni wajibu

Lakini kwa taratibu

Na kumwekeza ya ndiya

If children misbehave,

It is necessary to discipline them,

But in a careful way,

And show them the right way.

246.

Kikosa mpe nafasi

Arakibishe upesi

Wala siwete mjusi

Kosa kumkaririya

If they have made a mistake,

Give them a chance to correct it.

Don’t scold them

Or be resentful

247.

Simwambie kula mara

Zangaliye zake sura

Kwani hilo humkera

Usuguni humtiya

Don’t speak ill of them all the time,

Or compare their appearance unfavorably to that of others,

Because this hurts them

And makes their bad behavior chronic.

248.

Simwambiye jana jizi

Au hoyo kikojozi

Huathiri ila hizi

Kula mara kusikiya

Don’t call them big thief

Or a bed-wetter!

These abuses affect them

Every time they hear them.

249.

Humtonesha jaraha

Moyoni hawi na raha

Hata kama kwa mzaha

Yeye hatofurahiya

It will irritate their wound,

And they will not be at ease.

Even if you do it jokingly,

They will not be happy about it.

250.

Kuna makosa mangine

Ni membamba si manene

Fumba mato siyaone

Ifanye hukusikiya

And if other mistakes occur

That are slight and not serious,

Close your eyes; don’t look at them.

Pretend you did not hear them.

251.

Jaribu kuikukusa

Kwa baadhi ya makosa

Ni ya mayezi siyasa

Wayuzi huitumiya

Try to ignore

Some of the mistakes.

This is the best policy for upbringing;

The experienced make use of it.

252.

Hapa ndipo kikomoni

Naomba kwenu nyuteni

Mukiyona punguwani

Radhi mutaniweleya

Here is the end.

I beg all of you,

If you see any blemishes,

Forgive me.

253.

Hakuna mja kamili

Kutokosa ni muhali

Nawaomba tafadhali

Nanyi kunisaidiya

There is no perfect human being.

It is impossible not to make mistakes.

I beg you, please

Help me.

254.

Msaada kwenu nataka

Muwezao kuandika

Yale mutayokumbuka

Nanyi mbee kwendeleya

I want help from all of you

Who can write:

Whatever you consider important,

Continue writing about it in the future.

255.

Nimekoma wasalamu

Aloandika nudhumu

Ni Mahamudu isimu

Mwenye kite na dhuriya

I have come to the end, wasalamu.

The one who composed this poem

Is called Mahmoud by name,

And feels deeply for children.

256.

Nimeandika kusudi

Utendi uwe zawadi

Kwa bibi^I yangu Aboudi

Mama alonizaliya

I wrote this utendi intentionally

To offer it as a gift

To my grandfather Aboud,

The father of my mother.

I bibi (Am.) also “grandfather” (Std. babu). Aboud was also the name of Ustadh Mau’s maternal grandfather.

257.

Namtunuku utendi

Aboudi changu kipendi

Wala mimi hili sandi

Baba menitanguliya

I present this utendi

To my beloved son, Aboud.

I am not the first one to write a poem for his child;

My father did it before me.

The difference between this utendi and Ustadh Mau’s other wasiya is that in this poem, he advises parents on how to deal with children, rather than advising the children on how to deal with the world.

Figure 17

First page of the manuscript of “Haki za Watoto” in Ustadh Mau’s handwriting

5 Wasiya wa mabanati (“Advice to Young Women”)^*

Wasiya wa mabanati was composed in 1974 and is Ustadh Mau’s first long poem, of 143 stanzas; he was inspired by the urge to comment on the degradation of customs on Lamu, especially among the youth, sparked, according to him, by the rise of a Western-style modernity reaching their shores. It can be regarded as a didactic poem like the famous Utendi wa Mwana Kupona. Yet the poem is not in the classical meter of the utendi genre, but was composed in a meter that, as the poet himself remarks, is close to the dura al-mandhuma form, made of twelve syllables per line with both an internal and external rhyme. There are very few poems composed in this meter—the classical Al-Inkishafi is one exception—as it is so difficult to write. If one also considers that Ustadh Mau composed it without even being aware of the rules of prosody and still only in his twenties, the poem speaks to his innate talent.

The plot of this poem, which largely takes on the form of a realist narrative, follows a tragic story: a cruel man fornicates with a young woman, impregnating her and then abandoning her. The incident causes a tragedy for the young woman and her loved ones. The poet shows great sensitivity in matters of the female psyche, by delving into the woman’s psychological and emotional journey, which leads her almost to commit suicide. There is a didactic tone to the voice of the first-person narrator, who predicts the tragedy and warns young women not to be fooled by men like the protagonist. A series of direct speeches constitute the poem, and the narrator lets the man as well as the women’s relatives talk about the drama from their own perspectives. Yet, the first-person narrator and the other characters’ voices are all silenced in the last part of the poem, in which the woman herself confesses her own tragic history, and begs her savior—the elderly man who has stopped her from committing suicide—to take a book and pen and write her story down so that others may be aware of such dangers. The final goal of the poem and its didactic message is presented in stz. 125, which reads, “Let us complete this writing so as to advise them (the young women).”

The final section of the poem features a flashback and the woman’s wish that her own story may spread among her peers. It explains the reasons why the poem is titled and addressed not to a single woman, but more broadly to “young women,” referred to as mabanati “daughters,” binti Hawaa “daughters of Eve,” or as the inclusive “we,” e.g., sisi banati “it is us women.” It was precisely this category of young women, that, a decade earlier, the Arabic writer and reformer Sheikh Ali Tantawi was addressing when he composed his pamphlet Ya-bintī (“Oh My Daughter”), which Ustadh Mau had read and was inspired by. Like the Arabic pamphlet, which spread widely in the Muslim world, the Swahili poem has been very popular on Lamu, and beyond the archipelago up to the coast of Mombasa: the poem, finally gives a voice to powerless women in a modern world where they are threatened by injustice, marginalization, and exploitation much more than men, who even take advantage of women’s weak position. The poem’s popularity is also due to the recorded versions of it—performed by the singers Mohammad Kadara, el-Shatry, and Bi Ridhai—that have circulated so widely among Swahili Muslim publics.²

The Wasiya wa mabanati reflects what Ustadh Mau calls the mambo ya kidunia (“ways of life”). Duniya, the Swahili term for “world” as well as “life,” is a frequent term in the poem, referring to the experiences, challenges, and temptations that all human beings have in this world. In fact, the poem is at times imbued with a critical, sometimes even condenscending or cynical tone toward the cruel people living in this world (cf. stz. 22, Kumbe duniyani watu ni wabaya “Alas this world is full of terrible people”), but is also a plea for the poet’s fellow man to be more human (cf. stz. 17, Kuwa insani mwana Adamiya “Be human, son of Adam!”). As always in his poems and sermons, he emphasizes hope and possibility of a better future. Although the world (duniya) is characterized by human failure and ultimately death (stz. 75, “This is the way of the world; Death is a reality created by God”), Ustahd Mau underlines the possibility of improvement for both society and the individual, and gives guidelines for a better future. The poem’s first ten stanzas were previously translated and published by Mahazi and Kresse;³ Azra Mau has continued their work. It should be noted that the poet sometimes switches between singular and plural addresses (for instance, from verse 2 to verse 3), which is difficult to convey in the English translation.

Sikiza mwanangu

Mimi ulimwengu

Mingi miyaka yangu^I

Nawe haya yangu

nikupe waswiya

ninauweleya

katika duniya

hela^II zingatiya

Listen my child, let me advise you.

I am well versed in the ways of the world.

Many are the years I have spent here on this earth,

So please heed to what I am about to tell you.

I This kipande has one syllable more than it should; its reading could be adjusted to Kiamu by using the term nyaka rather than the Std. miaka, which would reduce the noun from three to two syllables, thus fitting the six-syllable kipande. | II hela interjection, syn.: hebu

Nawata^I ujana

Mengi nimeona

Atekao sana

Ukitaka ona

sito urudiya^II

nakuyasikiya

mwisowe huliya

nawe angaliya

My youth is behind me, never to return.

There is much that I have seen and heard.

For the one who laughs a lot ends up crying;

If you wish to understand, you need to contemplate.

I -ata Am. “to leave” (Std. -acha) | II sitourudiya—Negative future tense written by the poet as two separate syntagma: si neg. 1st-pers. sg., to neg. future temporal marker infix + urudiya obj. infix + verb.

Wengi wamenena

Wamesema sana

Faida hapana

Usiku mtana^I

hamu kusikiya

koo zikapweya

ilio tokeya

muna jiaswiya

Many have spoken, but you didn’t listen.

They continued to talk until their throats were hoarse,

But that was all in vain;

Night and day, you continue to sin.

I mtana Am. “daylight” (Std. mchana)

Maovu mabaya

Kula miyaka huya

Munajivaliya

Muna elekeya

yana endeleya

michinjo mipiya

mavazi mabaya

kwenda dudumiya

Wrong and bad things continue to happen;

With each coming year, new trends appear.

You dress indecently,

Heading right into destruction.

Watu wa Mombasa

Shetwani wa sasa

Wakija kuposa

Ghafula mkasa

waliki twambiya^I

Amu hajangiya

wake kuzengeya

ume tungiliya

The people of Mombasa kept telling us,

“The devil of modernity hasn’t reached Amu yet”;

So they came here in search of brides to propose to,

And all of sudden tragedy befell us.

I As the poet explains, “us” is an inclusive we and refers in this passage to the people of Lamu.

Tumevuwa nguo

Tumetupa zuo^II

Tumeshinda hao

Wana mama zao

wazi twatembeya^I

twalokisomeya

walotanguliya

wataka kuliya

We have undressed, walking without a veil.

We have forsaken the scriptures that we so diligently studied.

Our actions have surpassed those who took up these habits before us,

Making mothers weep over their children’s transgressions.

I As the poet explains, “we” means the people of Lamu in this passage. | II zuo Am. “traditional old books for Islamic learning” (Std. pl. vyuo).

Binti Hawaa

Sandame hawaa

Hawa tokutwaa

Wana kuhadaa

kwa Mola rejeya

itakutongeya

ukishapoteya

wata kukimbiya

Oh daughter of Eve, return to your God.

Do not follow your desires; they will get you into trouble.

They^I will not take you in once you have gone astray;

They are deceiving you and they will desert you.

I “They” refers to “men” in this passage.

Tahadhari sana

Hata ukiona

Hawana maana

Mukisa^I pambana

na kumridhiya

mwendo analiya

hao nakwambiya

atashika ndiya

Be very cautious about fulfilling men’s desires.

Even if you see him, crying tears of sorrow,

They are worthless, I am telling you—

He will desert you as soon as you have fornicated.

I mukisa Am. “when you (pl.) finish” (Std. mtakapokwisha)

Mara utaona

Hapo huyo Bwana

Usijali sana

Ukizaa mwana

mimba mekutiya

atakuambiya

sisi tu pamoya

takusaidiya

You will suddenly realize that he has impregnated you.

That is when the man will tell you,

“Don’t worry, we are together;

Once you have the baby, I will help you.”

10.

Kitumbo kipana

Mzigo wa Bwana

Takwambiya nana

Hapo utanena

chaanza tokeya

una kulemeya

kwaheri sikiya

siku kudhaniya

And then the belly starts to show;

The man’s burden is overwhelming.

He will tell you, “Woman, good bye,”

Then you will say, “I didn’t think that of you.”

11.

Fahali^I endao

Uko zake kwao

Alinipa ngao^II

Na wiki ijao

ameshika ndiya

apija nambiya

kampasuliya

ainda mpiya

The bull has taken off, following on his trail;

He has returned home, announcing to the world,

“She gave me her shield and I broke it into pieces”;

And the coming week, he hunts for a new one.

I fahali lit. “bull.” Mau: “This is a metaphor for referring to a careless man, a presumptuous man.” It also symbolizes strength, male sexual prowess, and rampant masculinity. | II This kipande features ngao (“shield”) as a metaphor of the woman’s virginity.

12.

Uinuke hima

Wenda ukikoma

Na ukisimama

Umuwite Mama

ufuwate ndiya

tumbo la kwemeya

waona udhiya

kuto kusikiya

You stand determined, forging the way.

You stagger along; the belly has burdened you.

When you take a break, you ache;

You call your mother, but she does not hear.

13.

Umo safarini

Na watu ndiyani

Wateka kwandani

Umo matumboni

wenda mzengeya

wana kwangaliya

nadhiri piya

mwana wa bandiya

You have embarked on a journey, going to search for him,

And people on the street are giving you stares.

They laugh both overtly and in secret;

Are you carrying a doll in your belly?

14.

Umrange sana

Wende kumuona

Ukitaka nena

Mimba hiyonana

nakumwangaliya

na bui^I mpiya

amekurukiya

mimi sikutiya

And after much scouting and looking for him,

You go to find him with a new lover.

When you attempt to speak, he barks out at you,

“That pregnancy, lady, is not mine.

I bui “friend.” Mau: especially with reference to friendship among women.

15.

Mimi sikubali

Si mimi awali

Kuna mafahali

Nami kikabili

utalo nambiya

nilokata ndiya

walo tanguliya

nikadudumiya

I shall not accept anything you tell me;

I was not the first to pass through.

There were other bulls that came before me,

And when I approached, I just sank in.

16.

Tena hapa mbele

Katafute yule

Mengi makelele

Ndio tamu ile

hebu nondokeya

alokuanziya

ukampijiya

leo vumiliya

Get away from me;

Go and find the one who did it!”

You moaned so loudly for him;

Because of that pleasure, you now have to bear with this.

17.

Hapo masikini

Ni wewe fulani

Mngine sidhani

Kuwa insani

uwande kuliya

ulotenda haya

kwangu alikuya

mwana Adamiya

At this point, poor you, you start crying:

“You are the one who did this!

Don’t think that anyone else came to me;

Be human, son of Adam!”

18.

Tena umrai^I

Wewe haifai

Kwani huniyui

Umekama tui

na kumwangukiya

kunitenda haya

ni mwando wa kuya

chicha^II wanatiya

You beg him and fall at his feet:

“It’s not right to do this to me;

Don’t you know me? Is it your first time to come and see me?

Have you squeezed out the coconut milk and left me with the dry flakes?”

I kumrai mtu “to coax/soothe someone” (see also Std. kumbembeleza “to calm a child down”) | II chicha Kiung. “grated coconut”; Krapf: “the squeezed substance of a cocoa-nut, the scraped cocoa-nut after the oil has been squeezed out; it is sometimes rubbed on the hand to clean them of smut or dirt; but more generally it is cast away as refuse” (Krp. 39). In medical and metaphorical language, also used to refer to smegma.

19.

Hapo kwa ghadhabu

Hakupi jawabu

Si la taratibu

Zizidi taabu

atakwangaliya

kofi takutiya

atakwatiliya

kwako na udhiya

At that point he will look at you angrily;

Without giving you an answer, he will slap you.

A hard slap he will throw at you;

This will increase your troubles and aches.

20.

Ndipo hapo sasa

Yalo ya makosa

Mwida^I umekwisa

Ni kama mapesa

akili kungiya

kuyafikiriya

walotanguliya

ukiyatumiya

And now is when you come to realize:

You contemplate on all the wrongdoings.

Time is up, and what is gone can’t come back;

It’s like money once you have spent it.

I mwida Am. “time” (Std. muda)

21.

Maji yamekwisa

Ni zile anasa

Hayafai sasa

Umekuwa kiswa

kukumwagikiya^I

zilokutongeya^II

ungazingatiya^III

watu wakutaya

You have already spilled the water;

It’s those pleasures that got you in trouble.

It’s of no use now, despite your contemplation;

You have become a story that people gossip about.

I Mau uses the metaphor of water to explain that what has happened cannot be changed, and has had an impact on the woman. | II kutongeya syn.: kuletea shida “to cause trouble.” | III ungazingatia “even if you think about it now.”

22.

Hapo mke shani

Na mwako moyoni

Nangojeya nini

Kumbe duniyani

uwande rejeya

unashawiriya^I

sendi kujifiya

watu ni wabaya

Now you, beautiful woman, start to depart,

And in your head, your thoughts go back and forth:

“What am I waiting for? Why don’t I just go and die?

Alas, this world is full of terrible people.”

I shawiriya “doubts,” referring to thoughts, also expressed by the Swahili utterance nifanye nisifanye “shall I do it or not,” showing hesitation and insecurity.

23.

Ushawiri sana

Moyoni wanena

Mimi ninaona

Nitaepukana

na kufikiriya

ni pana duniya

kheri kukimbiya

na maneno haya

You constantly ponder and continue to think;

You tell your heart, “This world is vast;

It is better to run away.

I will distance myself from these rumors.”

24.

Ingawa wanenda

Mawazo kwa inda^I

Hili ukitinda

Sana utakonda

huiyoni ndiya

yanakuiliya

na lingine huya

kwa mawazo haya

Even as you walk, the road is blurred.

Your head is clouded with too many thoughts;

As each one ends, another begins.

You will lose a lot of weight from these worries.

I inda “insensitivity,” “spite,” “meanness of spirit”; here, mawazo wa inda “to have too many thoughts,” “to be pensive,” “to mull over problems.”

25.

Mara kwa ghafula

Fikra ya kula

Au kwenda Shela

Ukiwaza Mola

Itakuingiya

sumu kujifiya

pwani kujitiya

wabadili niya

Then, all of a sudden, it dawns on you:

A suicidal thought of ingesting poison,

Or going to Shela to drown yourself.

But when you think of God, you change your mind.

26.

Kipai cha jaha

Huna la furaha

Na mambo ya raha

Kwa Mola Ilaha

kimekupoteya

katika duniya

hutaki sikiya

sasa wajutiya

You have lost your sense of worth.

You are unhappy in this world,

And have lost interest in all joyful things.

You now direct your regrets to the Lord.

27.

Sana unajuta

Umekisha pita

Na wako ukuta

Ni mwezi wa sita

na kuzingatiya

wakati wa haya

ulijivundiya

sasa yatimiya

You now regret and continue to ponder;

The time for this is now long gone,

And you tore down your own wall.

The sixth month is now underway.

28.

Sasa ya dhihiri

Siyo tena siri

Una tahayari^I

Yaja kuaziri^II

nde yatokeya

wote yaweleya

watu wakimbiya

tamu mara moya

[The pregnancy] is now becoming evident and starting to show.

It is not a secret anymore; everyone is now aware of it.

You are ashamed, and people are deserting you;

The one-time pleasure has come back to disgrace you.

I tahayari “feel ashamed, feel shy.” | II yaja implies the nonexplicit subject mambo “things”; kuaziri “to calumniate, despise” (Krp. 17).

29.

Zamami mamako

Kwa masikitiko

Nini shida yako

Mbona sasa meko

amelisikiya

kaja kukwambiya

hebu nelezeya

unayakimbiya

Your mother had heard it a while back.

With sadness, she came to inquire,

“What is troubling you? Please explain to me,

Why are you running away from the kitchen?”

30.

Umwambie Mama

Mimi ni mzima

Mimi nimesoma

Na wanaosema

uwate udhiya

ni kamili ziya^I

mambo yaneleya

wanisingiziya

You tell your mother, “Stop bothering me.

I am well; I am not missing a limb.

I am educated and I have a handle on things.

Those who are talking about me are just slandering me.”

I ziya “part of the body” (Std. kia); kia cha muili “flesh” (Krp. 135). See also its use in stz. 56 below.

31.

Tatamka tena

Mbona nakuona

Zile nguo pana

Na hutoki tena

mama kukwambiya

wajitapikiya

wazipendeleya

nde^I kutembeya

Your mother spoke up again to inquire:

“Why do I see that you are vomiting?

You now prefer baggy clothes,

And I don’t see you going out for walks.”

I nde “outside” (Std. nje)

32.

Mama nipulika

Yai^I uloweka

Amekuja nyoka^II

Limebaki kaka^III

nitalokwambiya

ukaniusiya

amenidomeya

sasa laoleya

“Mom, please pay attention to what I am about to tell you:

The egg that you bestowed upon me to protect,

A snake came and bit it.

All that is left now is an empty floating shell.”

I yai—Literally an edible egg, used in this context to refer to the woman’s ovary. | II nyoka—Used as a metaphor of evilness to refer to the cruel man who fooled the woman. | III kaka “egg’s shell, also known as gamba la yai” (Krp. 125).

33.

Paka hapa Mama

Aliyoko nyuma

Mekwenda kutoma^I

Au ni kulima

umeshamwambiya

ni baba hayaya

kamba kuzamiya

tonge^II kuzengeya

At this point you, have informed your mother.

The only one still unaware of the news is your father, who is yet to return.

He has gone diving for prawns

Or is farming in search of sustenance.

I kutoma Baj. “to fish” (Std. kuvua samaki) | II tonge “lump of food” > tonge la wali designates, for instance, a handful of boiled rice, taken and compressed with the hand before it is put in the mouth; tonge alone refers to a “morsel, bit, soap,” similar to the term pumba, which rather refers to something claylike, for instance pumba la udongo “clod of clay” (Krp. 377).

34.

Au ni mwalimu

Huja kwao Amu

Mwezi ukitimu

Uwengete^I hamu

ajisomesheya

mwaka mara moya

pesa huweteya

kama ya duniya

Or maybe he is a teacher who is teaching;

He comes home to Amu once every year,

Bringing home money at the end of every month.

He is carrying a burden with the weight of the world.

I uwengete perfect form of -angata “to carry.”

35.

Yeye kula mtu

Ninae bintu

Sitompa mtu

Ni alifu tatu

huwa kimwambiya

kama kamariya

ila kwa rupiya^I

zilizotimiya

He boasts to everyone, telling them,

“I have a daughter like the moon;

I will not give her hand except for rupees

In the amount of three full thousands.”

I rupiya “rupee.” As Mau says, this Indian currency was used on Lamu before the shilling arrived; the rupee was considered to be more valuable at the time, the equivalent of saying “US dollar” today, as Azra Mau says. The term is used in this line for its rhyme in -ya, which was needed here; in another context, a more fitting term would be pesa “money.”

36.

Haisi hadhani

Mwake akilini

Ajuwa nyumbani

Anayo yakini

yaliotokeya

halijamngiya

mambo hendeleya

mwane metuliya

He doesn’t know, and he doesn’t have a clue what has happened.

In his mind, it has not dawned on him;

He knows that things are going well back home.

He is sure that his daughter is well settled.

37.

Mara kwa ghafula

Bwana wa jamala

Ya kwanda kaula

Sinipe muhula^I

amemuendeya

aliotimiya

akamuambiya

jawabu neteya

All of a sudden, he came to him:

A perfect, handsome gentleman.

And the first thing that he told him was,

“Don’t take too long to give me a response.”

I muhula (Ar.) nowadays used to designate a term at university. “An appointed space of time when borrowed goods are to be returned to its owner” (Krp. 264).

38.

Namtaka mwano

Sizinde^I mkono

Ni alifu tano

Na mfungo tano^III

ulonisifiya

nakupa pokeya

mahari^II ni haya

Amu nitakuya

“I am asking for the hand of your daughter, the one you have praised.

Don’t hold back your consent; please take what I am giving you,

Five thousand dirhams as a dowry payment,

And in the fifth month I will come to Amu.”

I -zinda (Std. -dinda), syn.: -kaza “to refuse” | II According to Mau, with regard to dowry (mahari), it is nowadays distributed among the elder relatives (wazee); the dowry mainly concerns the bride’s side, which has to care of buying utensils and appliances for her. | III mfungo tano—The month is referred to based on the Islamic calendar. As Mau tells us, in the past, weddings used to take place in the sixth month, or before the month of Ramadan, while nowadays they mainly occur in December, August, and April (these are the months when schools are closed, outside the three terms).

39.

Baba kakubali

Kanyosha miwili

Zali ni kamili

Katowa kauli

hayo karidhiya

akazipokeya

zilizotimiya

ya kufurahiya

The father agreed, and was satisfied with that.

He extended his two hands to receive the money;

The amount was complete, not missing [a cent].

He extended words of happiness.

I kanyosha miwili implies the obj. mikono “the two hands.” The verb is also used with reference to miguu “feet,” with the meaning “to stretch one’s feet”, walking; also it applies to nguo “clothes,” with the meaning “to hang the laundry,” in opposition to -kunjakunja nguo “to fold the laundry.”

40.

Baba kasafiri

Kulla cha fakhari

Kaliyaza gari

Mkewe habari

kenda kuzengeya

mwane kamweteya

shehena^I katiya

hajampekeya

The father traveled in search of

Everything that was fancy enough to bring to his daughter;

He filled his vehicle to the brim,

But didn’t inform his wife.

I shehena (Ar.) “freight, load, cargo”

41.

Baba akifika

Mwane mefunguka

Akafanya shaka

Kama mwana paka^I

nyumbani kingiya

amejizaliya

aliposikiya

chumbani huliya

When the father arrived and entered the house,

His daughter was in labor for delivery;

He was doubtful when he heard

A kitten-like cry coming from the room.

I kama mwana paka alludes a sound like the one made by a kitten, vaguely like that of a child.

42.

Mama akatoka

Sana kashutuka

Mwisho hajafika

Baba mekauka^I

kumuelezeya

aliposikiya

kumuhadithiya

mewaga duniya

The mother came out to explain to him.

He was shocked when he heard the news;

Before she could finish telling the story,

The father had a stroke and died on the spot.

I The verb -kauka lit. “to get dry” is used here to convey the image of a heart that has stopped pumping.

43.

Akababaika

Mama kaanguka

Hawezi tamka

Amebadilika

akiona haya

na akazimiya

wala kusogeya

hata rangi piya

She was frightened when she witnessed this.

The mother fell and lost consciousness;

She couldn’t utter a sound or move an inch.

Even the color of her face had changed.

44.

Na hapo nyumbani

wali ni thineni

Na mwana nyongani^I

Mui matumboni

mwingine hakuya

mebaki mmoya

anamliliya

umemsaliya

And at home, there was no one else;

They were two, but only one is left,

With a baby at her perineum

And the placenta still in her uterus.

I nyonga “perineum”; as explained by Azra Mau, who holds a specialization in gynecology, this term designates the area between the anus and the vulva in the female body.

45.

Bado hayayuwa

Amejitanuwa^I

Kuja kutolewa

Na aliyezawa

yaliotokeya

angali^II ngojeya

zilizobakiya

azidi kuliya

She was still unaware of what had transpired,

Her legs wide apart while she was still waiting

For what was left inside to be cleaned and removed,

And the newborn kept on crying.

I -jitanua—As explained by Azra Mau, this verb means “to divaricate one’s legs like when practicing splits.” | II angali stands here for bado “still, yet.”

46.

Kwalina kizere^I

Hiko kitiriri^II

Ruhu isikiri

Hayo mandhari

kikipita ndiya

akakisikiya

kenda kutungiya

kayashuhudiya

There was an old woman passing by;

She heard the continued cries of the baby.

Her heart was not at ease, so she went and peeped in;

She witnessed the scene.

I kizere is used to refer to a very old person (mzee sana “very old”), usually a woman. | II kitiriri something that disturbs; as Mau explains, mtu ambaye wasumbua, mtu aliyekuwa msumbufu, “a person who disturbs, a person who is a disturbance.”

47.

Bibi kadangana

Na akili hana

Mekuwa hunena

Hajui maana

kwa kuona haya

imempoteya

kwa lugha mpiya

anajisemeya^I

The old woman was confused at this sight;

It was as if she had lost her mind.

She started speaking in a foreign language;

She did not comprehend what she was mumbling.

I -jisemeya lit. “to utter words without knowing their meaning.”

48.

Uko kitandani

Zilo matumboni

Mwake akilini

Msiba nyumbani

mzazi huliya

zampa udhiya

hayajamngiya

uliotokeya

The new mother was on the bed, crying;

What was left in her uterus was causing her harm.

She was yet to acknowledge in her mind

The sad events that had befallen their home.

49.

Ilahi Mwenyezi

Akili ajuzi

Kenda kwa mzazi

Kamaliza kazi

hapo kamtiya

ilompoteya

kamuangaliya

zilizobakiya

At that moment, God restored

The sense of the old woman that had been lost.

She went to the new mother to check on her;

She took care of what was left of the delivery.

50.

Kisa kumtowa

Ndipo hapo kawa

Kisa kachondowa

Chenda kipokowa

zilizosaliya

meanda tuliya

kiumbe kipiya

na kuchadhiniya^I

Once she removed the retained placenta,

She started feeling better.

She took the new baby,

Cleaned him, and called adhan for him.

I kuchadhiniya “to call adhan for the baby (kijitoto)”; here, -adhinia refers to the ritual practice of reciting the call of the muezzin into the child’s ear.

51.

Hapa nimekoma^I

Tarudi kwa Mama

Nipate kusema

Ameshatuhama

ya mimba kutaya

kwenda mwangaliya

lililotokeya

au mesaliya

I have now finished recounting the pregnancy;

We will now go back to check on the mother

So that I can say what happened to her.

Has she left us already, or is she still alive?

I This is the first-person narrator speaking.

52.

Kwake nikifika^I

Hawezi inuka

Ndipo kamshika

Nae kitamka

kamshuhudiya

mekosa afiya

kamsaidiya

kaanza kuliya

When I reached her,

She was unable to get back up; she had become weak.

Then I took hold of her to help her up;

When she wanted to speak, she started to weep.

I This too is the first-person narrator, whom we have to imagine as having paid a visit to the mother and describing the state she was in.

53.

Akaliya sana

Nami kimuona

Kamwambiya nana

Watu hupambana

na kuomboleya

sikujiziwiya

ndio kiduniya

na zaidi haya

She wept so much, and lamented,

And the sight of her, I couldn’t hold back;

I told her, “Lady, such is life.

People are faced with tougher challenges than these.”

54.

Na wake binti

Ya mama sauti

Ziliyo^I za dhati

Kaja kutafiti

aliposikiya

yazidi kuliya

zimekazaniya

nde katokeya

And when the daughter heard

The sound of her mother crying ever more hysterically—

It had become loud, effusive weeping—

She came out to see what was happening.

I ziliyo “weeping, crying” (Std. kilio)

55.

Kule kuja kwake

Na kwa mato yake

Kuwa ni babake

Na akili yake

nde kutungiya

akashuhudiya

aliojifiya

ilimpoteya

When she came to look outside,

She witnessed with her own eyes

That it was her father who had passed away.

She lost her mind.

56.

Kisu kaangata

Kawahi kutaka

Hapo akapita

Akamkamata

taka kujitiya

baadhi ya ziya^I

kijana mmoya

ndani kamtiya

She took a knife to kill herself with;

She managed to cut some parts of her body.

At that moment, a young man passed;

He got a hold of her and returned her to the house.

I This term has already occurred above, in stz. 30. In the context of this stanza, Mau recalls the Swahili saying tabia ni kia “habit is like a part of your body.”

57.

Na huko chumbani

Hakuketi tini

Ni hapo jununi

Akapanda jini

alipoingiya

na akatuliya

ilimzidiya

na mzuka piya

When she entered the room,

She did not settle down,

And at that moment her madness only increased;

She began acting as if she was possessed.

58.

Hapo kasimama

Na mazishi mama

Majirani wema

Yakawa timama

akakazaniya

kayaandaliya

kumsaidiya

mambo mara moya

At that point, the mother stood fast, trying to be strong.

She organized the funeral;

With the help of her good neighbors,

Everything was completed in time.

59.

Wakisa kuzika

Watu wakashuka

Wakamalizika

Hapo zilifika

na kumsomeya

wakandama ndiya

sibaki mmoya

zombo zikangiya

After the burial and reciting of the Qurʾān,

The people left and went on their way.

They all left, with no one remaining.

At that point was when the furniture^I arrived at the home.

I This is referring to the furniture that the father had bought.

60.

Mama kashutuka

Hakuyatamka

Wala hakwandika

Illa ni Rabuka

zikimfikiya

mume kama haya

wakashuhudiya

mewahifadhiya

The mother was shocked at the arrival of the furniture;

Her husband hadn’t informed her of this.

Nor did he write any testament;

It was the Lord that protected them.

61.

Kasema hamali

Kochi siti mbili

Na kitanda ali^I

Na piya nauli

mama kumwambiya

na stuli piya

alizipakiya

amezilipiya

The porter began telling the mother,

A two-seater sofa with stools

And a high-quality bed had been shipped,

And [her husband] had already paid the transport fee.

I ali (Ar.) “great, superior” (Std. bora)

62.

Mama kafikiri

Mambo ya kadari

Zaidi ya siri

Kasema ni kheri

akaangaliya

yalomfikiya

hazikumweleya

yamekuwa haya

The mother looked at it, and contemplated

How destiny had unfolded for her.

She didn’t understand much of the secret^I;

She said, “It is for the best that it happened this way.

I The husband’s secret of the furniture.

63.

Lau alikuwa

Mwane angeuwa

Na yeye akawa

Ilahi Moliwa

baba mesaliya

kisu kamtiya

adhabuni piya

yote yamweleya

Had her father survived,

He would have stabbed his daughter and killed her,

And he would have punished himself too.

The Lord Most High understands best.”

64.

Kisha stakiri

Hakutaakhari

Na madakitari

Wali mahodari

mama kutuliya

dawa kuzengeya

alokisikiya

aliwaendeya

When the mother calmed down,

She didn’t delay in search of medicine;

And of all the doctors that she had heard of,

She chose the best ones and went to consult them.

65.

Akahangaika^I

Walokisifika

Muwishowe Rabuka

Mwane kutopoka

kuwaandamiya

dawa zaweleya

kamjaaliya

akili kangiya

She went back and forth in search of doctors,

The praiseworthy ones who were competent.

In the end, God made it happen:

Her daughter was cured, and her sanity returned.

I -hangaika syn.: kupata shida “to have troubles” > mahangaiko “troubles.”

66.

Mara siku moja

Kijana mmoja

Mimi nimekuja

Siwezi kungoja

akamuiliya

akamuambiya

mke fuwatiya

nataka rejeya

One day, there came

A young man, who told her,

“I have come for my wife.

I cannot wait any longer; I want to return.”

67.

Mama katamka

Wewe ulofika

Wapi umetoka

Lini ulitaka

akamuambiya

sijakueleya

hebu nelezeya

mambo kama haya?

The mother spoke, asking him,

“You who have just arrived; I don’t understand.

Where are you from? Please explain to me,

When did you make this request?”

68.

Kijana mgeni

Kwa yake lisani

Mimi ni fulani

Na kwao nyumbani

mbele kasogeya

mama kamwambiya

jina kalitaya

akamutajiya

The young guest came forward,

And with these words he told the mother,

“I am so-and-so”; he mentioned his name

And he told her where he was from.

69.

Mama karadidi

Yako makusudi

Katika fuwadi

Neleza zaidi

mwana kumwambiya

bado kuneleya

hayajatuliya

henda yakangiya

The mother reiterated to the young man,

“Your intention is not clear to me;

It has not settled in my heart.

Please explain further so that I might comprehend it.”

70.

Kaanda ghulamu

Ya tangu kadimu^I

Hata dirihamu^II

Mama kafahamu

kumuhadithiya

kamtondoleya

akamtaiya

alilolijiya

The young man began telling her.

He explained his story from the beginning,

And he mentioned even the dirhams he paid;

Then the mother understood what he had come for.

I kadimu (Ar.) “beginning” (Std. mwanzo) | II dirihamu (Ar.) stands for an old unit of weight, corresponding to the Greek and Persian drachma (Scl. 168–169).; see Qur. 12:20 and the note below.

71.

Hapo kainama

Hana lakusema

Bintiye mwema

Wala dirihama^I

kaanda kuliya

huyo kumwambiya

mekuwisha poteya

hazikusaliya

She then bowed her head and began weeping;

She had nothing to say to him.

Her pious daughter had transgressed,

And the money was spent.

I dirihama—The common Swahilized form is dirahamu; in this line, the ending in -ma is used to conform to the internal rhyme in -ma.

72.

Kasubiri sana

Hata akiyona

Hapo akanena

Kwani yule Bwana

jibu kungojeya

mambo yendeleya

kujiuliziya

hakuwaambiya

He was very patient, awaiting her answer,

Until he realized that the scene was going on.

He then spoke to inquire,

“Didn’t your husband inform you?”

73.

Sikiza mwanangu

Mimi mume wangu

Akifika kwangu

Ajali ya Mngu

sasa takwambiya

hakunielezeya

bado kutuliya

ilimfikiya

“Listen my child, I will now tell you:

My husband didn’t inform me.

When he arrived at my home, before he could settle in,

God’s decree befell him.”

74.

Kijana mgeni

Matozi usoni

Mwisowe nguoni

Hata majirani

hapo akaliya

yaka mueneya

yakamuingiya

wakamsikiya

The young guest began weeping,

His face filled with tears,

And by the end, [tears] were falling on his clothes.

Even the neighbors heard him crying.

75.

Katowa kauli

Hini ndiyo hali

Mauti ni kweli

Wake na rijali

huku analiya

yahini duniya

meumba Jaliya

yatawafikiya

Between his cries, he uttered,

“This is the way of this world;

Death is a reality created by God.

It will befall both women and men.”

76.

Kisa kabaini

Sasa kwaherini

Na jamii deni

Nanyi kumbukani

hapo kawambiya

kwetu narejeya

nimewawatiya

duwa kunombeya^I

He then spoke clearly, and told them,

“I now bid you farewell; I shall return home,

And I have forgiven the family’s debt.

Please remember to pray for me.”

I duwa (Ar. duʿāʾ) (Std. dua). With this term, in conjunction with the verb kuomba “to pray,” a Swahili Muslim devotee enacts his or her supplication to God.

77.

Kapanda garini

Na huku nyumbani

Umo huzunini

Hata duniyani

kajisafiriya

mama kasaliya

hatindi kuliya

kukamtukiya

He got into his vehicle and traveled back,

And the mother was left back home;

She was in so much sadness, she couldn’t stop crying,

And she hated to exist in the world.

78.

Ingawa aishi

Hajifurahishi

Wala hajilishi

Kama kifurushi

hataki duniya

hata siku moya

akajishibiya

amejitatiya^I

Even though she is alive, she rejects the world.

She doesn’t enjoy herself, not even for a day.

Nor does she eat to satisfaction;

Like a bundle, she has tied herself.

I -jitatiya “to fold, bend, tangle, wrap.” As Mau says, the verb expresses the image of someone who “curles himself up like a weak person who is depressed” (kujikunjakunja kama mnyonge asiye na raha); another way to describe its meaning is kitu ambacho kimevunjika vunjika, namely “a thing that has been broken.”

79.

Mpaka ajali

Kandama rijali

Mengi yao mali

Kasaza kalili

ikamfikiya

alotanguliya

alimetumiya

mwane kamwatiya

She remained like that until death came for her.

She went after her husband who had preceded her;

Having spent most of their wealth,

She left only a little to her daughter.

80.

Mzaa haramu

Na ngome^I adhimu

Ali wake umu^II

Zikazidi hamu

pweke kasaliya

alotegemeya

amemondokeya

hapo za duniya

The illegitimate parent was left alone,

And the great strength that she had leaned on

Was her mother, and she too had left her.

Her worries of the world increased at that point.

I Here used as a metaphor with reference to the girl’s mother. | II umu (Ar.) “mother” (Std. mama). The choice of using the Arabic form in this line is for the sake of the internal rhyme in -mu.

81.

Huyo^I mwanamke

Mebakiya pweke

Kijitoto chake

Yeye ni mamake

akiangaliya

na wake udhiya

cha mwaka mmoya

na baba pamoya

It now dawns on the woman that

She is alone with her suffering;

With her, a one-year-old infant

To whom she is both mother and father.

I huyo “that” (Std. huyu)

82.

Wote watu wake

Na makosa yake

Ni kuteya kwake

Akazaa wake

wamemkimbiya

alowakoseya

shimoni kangiya

mwana haramiya

All of her kin have deserted her,

And the mistake that she had wronged them with

Was to slip and fall into a ditch

And give birth to an illegitimate child.

83.

Sana kafikiri

Mwisho kakhitari

Shetwani mshari

Kangata swaghiri^I

kazengeya ndiya

kwenda kujifiya

hilo kamwambiya

akashika ndiya

She pondered for long, looking for a solution.

Finally, she decided to commit suicide.

The evil Satan persuaded her to do so;

Carrying her young one, she went on her way.

I swaghiri (Ar.) “small” (Std. mdogo)

84.

Akenda haraka

Henda kizungura

Wasije mshika

Kabla kufika

mbio kikimbiya

watu changaliya

wakamziwiya

penye yake niya

She went hastily, running fast.

She kept on turning to check for people

So that they didn’t get hold of her and restrain

Her from reaching her goal.

85.

Ngomeni kifika

Alirukaruka

Mwane kamshika

Kizama kizuka

hakushawiriya^I

kajiatiliya

kamkumbatiya

na yeye pamoya

Upon arriving at the seawall, she didn’t think twice:

She jumped and threw herself into the sea,

Holding her child in a tight embrace,

Together submerging in the water and coming up again.

I shauria (Ar.). As explained by Mau, in Swahili, the meaning of this root is “to consider, not to have decided yet”; for instance, if you say mimi nashawiriya kwenda Mambasa, it translates to “I have not yet decided whether to go to Mombasa” (i.e., I am still thinking about whether to go to Mombasa).

86.

Kwalina kuhuli^I

Kaona kwa mbali

Kakita amali

Kajuwa muili

akipita ndiya

kitu chaoleya

na kuchangaliya

mwana adamiya

There was a middle-aged man passing by.

He saw something floating from afar;

He carefully looked and examined it.

He recognized it to be a human body.

I kuhuli (Ar.) “middle-aged person” (Std. mzee)

87.

Majini kashuka

Kenda kwa haraka

Hata akifika

Ruhu muhutoka^I

na nguo pamoya

kumfuwatiya

kamshuhudiya

kuwaga duniya

He descended into the water with his clothes on.

He went hurriedly to get her;

Upon reaching her he observed that

Her soul was about to leave her and abandon this world.

I muhutoka Am. “to be about to leave,” a verb with a locative subject prefix (mu-) used in Kiamu to express “to be about to.” See also Hafi asiye timiwa, stz. 7.

88.

Hapo kamshika

Dau kalitaka

Nalolikafika

Ndani kawaweka

na mwane pamoya

kumsaidiya

kwenda mpokeya

na yeye kangiya

At that point, he got a hold of her and her child.

He signaled for the dhow to come to their rescue,

And it arrived to get them;

He put them inside and then he boarded too.

89.

Kisha wapandisha

Akawatapisha

Akahakikisha

Hapo kamwamsha

nae kurukiya

mai kayamwaya

haya kusaliya

fahamu kangiya

After he had gotten them into the boat and he too had jumped in,

He induced vomiting to remove the water they swallowed.

He made sure none remained;

That is when he woke her up, returning her to consciousness.

90.

Bwana kwa makini

Kataka undani

Kwa sababu gani

Hata baharini

akamuandiya

ulomfikiya

amefanya haya

kenda kujitiya

The man began talking to her attentively,

Wanting to know depths of what had befallen her.

Why was it that she did this,

To the point of throwing herself into the ocean?

91.

Akamba mwanangu

Yote ya matungu

Kwa uwezo wangu

Kulla lema Mngu

usione haya

mimi nelezeya

takusaidiya

atatwegesheya

He told her, “My daughter, don’t be ashamed;

You can tell me all the bitterness that’s bothering you.

I will help you to the best of my ability,

And God will bring forth all goodness.”

92.

Kamwambia Babu

Tafuta kitabu

Kiswa^I ukutubu

Kisije wasibu

ukitaka haya

na kalamu piya

kipate eneya

wanoinukiya

She told him: “Oh grandfather, if you are interested in this,

Go find a book and a pen.

Then write the story so that it may spread,

So that the same thing doesn’t befall those who are still growing up.

I kiswa (Ar. qiṣṣah) “story” (Std. kisa or hadithi)

93.

Naanda usemi

Nalizawa mimi

Wala wangu umi

Mngine ghulami

babu kukwambiya

pwekee mmoya

hakujipatiya

wala bintiya

I am starting this speech to tell you, oh grandfather,

I was born as the only child,

And my mother didn’t get

Any other boy or girl.

94.

Mama na babangu

Nyonda mola wangu

Mkononi mwangu

Kulla haja yangu

wote kwa pamoya

alimewatiya

wakanitiliya

nilokizengeya

Both my mother and father in unison,

God had given them immense love for me.

They delivered into my hands

Each and every need that I sought.

95.

Salina taabu

Bila ya hisabu

Mali ya ajabu

Sina matulubu

na wala udhiya

wakaniatiya

nikiyatezeya

yasiotimiya

I had neither any problems nor any suffering.

Without counting, they left lots of money for me,

Immense amounts of wealth to toy with;

I had no wish that didn’t come true.

I salina Am. “I did not not have” (Std. sikuwa na)

96.

Kipata akili

Katiwa skuli

Chumba cha awali

Wala sikufeli

mambo kuneleya

kenda jisomeya

nikakianziya

hata mara moya

When I became of age and started to comprehend things,

I was taken to school to pursue my studies.

From the first grade I started,

And not even once did I fail.

97.

Kasoma kwa hamu

Ili nikhitimu

Chuo cha walimu

Neneze ilimu

nikakazaniya^I

nipate ingiya

na kuendeleya

nilojipatiya

I studied passionately and hard,

To graduate and enroll

In the teachers’ college to further my studies,

To spread the knowledge I received.

I -kazaniya syn.: kufanya kwa bidi “to put effort into sth.”

98.

Lakini babangu

Na mipango yangu

Kasema mwanangu

Kama radhi yangu^I

hakuniridhiya

hakufurahiya

nyumbani rejeya

unaizengeya

But my father didn’t accept this,

And wasn’t happy with my plans.

He said, ‘My child, please return home

If you are searching for my blessings.’

I radhi “blessings, approvals.” In stz. 22–23 of the Utendi wa Mwana Kupona, the approvals are recalled to Mwana Kupona’s daughter and considered to be five in number: the approval of God, the Prophet, father, mother, and husband. The stanzas reads as follows: Mama pulika maneno / kiumbe ni radhi tano / ndipo apate usono / wa akhera na dunia, stz. 22; Nda Mngu na Mtumewe / baba na mama wayuwe / na ya tano nda mumewe / mno imekaririwa, stz. 23; “Listen to me, my dear; a woman requires the approval of five before she has peace in this world and the next: Of God and His Prophet; of father and mother, as you know; and the fifth of her husband as has been said again and again”.⁴

99.

Kakoseya budi

Nyumbani karudi

Katika fuwadi

Yangu makusudi

kabadili niya

kenda jikaliya

huzuni kangiya

yalipofifiya

I had no other choice but to change my plan.

I went back home and settled down there;

In my heart, there was a sadness

When my goals began to fade.

100.

Na siku za kwanza

Sana kajikaza

Kaanza jifunza

Yote kamaliza

nyumbani kungiya

ndani katuliya

mambo moya moya

yakanieleya

And from the first day I arrived home,

I tried my best to feel settled inside.

I started to learn one thing after the other:

I completed everything, and I mastered it all.

101.

Pale jiranini

Tangu skulini

Akija nyumbani

Kinena fulani^I

kwalina jariya

twaliko pamoya

kuniangaliya

twende kutembeya

In the neighborhood, there was a young woman;

Ever since our school days, we would be together.

She used to come home to visit me;

She said ‘So-and-so, let’s go out for a walk.’

I fulani (Ar.) “such-and-such man or thing,” “quidam, quaedam” (Krp. 73).

102.

Katowa kauli

Tena kwa ukali

Na mara ya pili

Mimi afadhali

kamrudishiya

nikimuambiya

sambe kama haya

hapa kubakiya

I uttered some words in response to her,

And harshly I told her,

‘Don’t ever say that again;

It’s better for me to stay here.’

103.

Tukitoka sana

Twenda kupambana

Wasio maana

Mengi tutaona

nde kutembeya

na watu wabaya

wasoona haya

tusoyaridhiya

If we go meandering a lot,

We will meet bad people,

Without worth or shame,

And we will see a lot that we disagree with.

104.

Lakini swahibu^I

Kanza niatibu

Katika kalibu

Kasema twayibu

kanikazaniya

na kunangukiya

imani kangiya

twende mara moya

But my friend kept insisting.

She started making me feel guilty, begging me,

And my heart softened for her.

I said, ‘Alright, let’s go, just this once.’

I swahibu Ar. “friend” (Std. rafiki).

105.

Sute tukatoka

Tukenda haraka

Hata tukifika

Ni wa kula nyaka

tukandama ndiya

tupate rejeya

tulokusudiya

watu walokuya

We left and went on our way.

We went hastily, to be able to hurry back.

And when we arrived at our destination,

There were people of all ages.

106.

Kwaliko na watu

Na wana watoto

Ni ufu kwa tutu^I

Kamba twenzetu

walotimiliya

handa inukiya

wamejikaliya

siyawezi haya

There were mature people,

And young budding adolescents;

Like an ill-assorted group, they were sitting.

I told her, ‘Let us return; I can’t stand this.’

I ufu “rasped cocoa-nut which has not yet strained (kununua) or filtered” (Krp. 394); tutu “dish of cowpeas that have been boiled with maize or millet and sometimes mixed with grated coconut juice” (Mam. 768). Tutu and ufu become mixed in one dish. The metaphorical meaning here is that there is a melee of all kinds of people, including untrustworthy ones.

107.

Kanambiya ngoja

Tunaanza kuja

Ukisha ziyoja

Wewe hutotaja

kwanza angaliya

wataka rejeya

kuzishuhudiya

twende kunambiya

She told me, ‘Wait, first have a look!

We have just arrived, and you already want to return.

Once you witness the wonders,

You will not say that you want to return.’

108.

Yakanipendeza

Nami kajikaza

Kawa ninateza

Linkingiya jiza

mimi mambo haya

kibobwe^I kangiya

na kushangiliya

tukajirudiya

I was pleased with these events;

I too made an effort, and tightened my kibobwe.

I was dancing and cheering on;

When darkness befell upon us, we went back.

I kibobwe Am. “a strip of cloth, like a kanga, worn tightly around the waist by women during dances” (Std. kibwebwe).

109.

Na hapo ndiyani

Kaja insani

Akamba fulani

Neno la moyoni

sasa twarejeya

kanifuwatiya

hebu ningojeya

nataka kwambiya

While on our way back,

A man came and approached me.

He told me, ‘Oh so-and-so, please wait for me;

I want to tell you something from my heart.’

110.

Maneno matamu

Nusura^I fahamu

Nikatabasamu

Asali na sumu

aliniambiya

kuja nipoteya

kamkubaliya

nikanwa pamoya

He told me very sweet things;

I almost passed out.

I smiled and accepted his request;

I drank both honey and poison together.

I nusura “about, nearly”; “a little within a hair’s breadth” (Krp. 287).

111.

Siku hiyo nami

Kaanda usemi

Ni wengi kaumi^I

Na hata Warumi^II

niliporejeya

mama kumwambiya

pwani walokuya

walihudhuriya

And on that day, when I returned,

I began talking, recounting to my mother:

‘Many people had come to the seafront;

Even white people were there.’

I kaumi (Ar.) “people,” “crowd” (Std. watu) | II Warumi lit. “Romans,” but here referring to Wazungu “white people,” mostly tourists, according to Ustadh Mau. Interestingly, the conceptual blending of “Romans” and “white people” already has a long history. In the oldest known utendi, the Utendi wa Tambuka, the enemies of the Prophet and his allies are referred to as Warumi or Warumu, here referring to Byzantine Christians. In later poetry, the term is used interchangeably with Christians, eventually losing its religious connotation to refer to white people in general.

112.

Kashika uradi

Henda nikirudi

Sijali baridi

Mambo yakazidi

kiukaririya

kimuandamiya

na wala udhiya

mama kasikiya

I held fast to this routine, and continued repeating it,

Going back and forth in pursuit of the man.

I didn’t mind the cold or the challenges I endured;

Things intensified, and my mother heard about them.

113.

Kanikanya sana

Akamba kijana

Hayana maana

Utajitukana

na kuniziwiya

si njema duniya

hayo nakwambiya

na sisi pamoya

She constantly warned me and tried to stop me;

She said, ‘Oh child, the world isn’t a good place.

Those things are worthless, I am telling you.

You will bring trouble on yourself and on us, too.’

114.

Mimi asilani

Walinikitwani

Shetwani na jini

Mwangu akilini

sikumsikiya

wawili pamoya

menisimamiya

wameniingiya

Never did I listen to her.

They had possessed my head, the two together:

Satan and the devil stood before me.

They had completely overtaken my sanity.

115.

Na miwili nyezi

Muhibu mpenzi

Kanatiya kazi

Na kina shangazi

ikisa timiya

alinikimbiya

ya mimba kuleya

wakanitukiya

After two full months,

My dear lover left me.

He left me with the burden of caring for his pregnancy,

And the family of my paternal aunt hated me.

116.

Na wote kaumu

Ila wangu umu

Majuto adhimu

Kakonda kwa hamu

kanigeukiya

hakunikimbiya

yakanifikiya

na mwingi udhiya

And the whole community disowned me,

Except my mother—she never left me.

Immense regret befell me;

I became emaciated from all the trouble and worry.

117.

Yule mvulana

Mimi kimuona

Muwisowe kanena

Si wangu kijana

alotenda haya

alikikimbiya

wanisingiziya^I

mimba sikutiya

The boy who did this,

Every time I saw him, he would run away.

He finally said, ‘You are pinning this on me

That baby isn’t mine; I did not impregnate you.’

I kusingiziya syn.: kumzulia urongo “pinning a lie on someone”

118.

Kastahamili

Ala kulli hali

Mpaka ajali

Mwana ni rijali

nikavumiliya

nikajiziwiya

ilipotimiya

nilojizaliya

I put up with it, and I was patient.

In all matters, I put up with it.

Until the day arrived that

I delivered a baby boy.

119.

Na wala babangu

Mambo ya matungu

Ali Takaungu^I

Ninae mwanangu

hakujuwa haya

yaliotokeya

kijisomesheya

watu kiwambiya

And my father wasn’t even aware of them,

The bitter events that occurred.

He was in Takaungu, teaching;

‘I have a daughter,’ he kept telling people with pride.

I Takaungu “is the name of a large village close to Kilifi bay in Kenya; it was there the Marsue (Mazrui) dynasty fled after the capture of Mombasa by the Imam of Muscat. The place-name of this village indicates maji ya utungu, referring to its previously brackish water that later became drinkable” (Krp. 355).

120.

Mume nikapata

Na yaliyopita

Kenda kaangata

Khabari kipata

kanikubaliya

hakuyasikiya

zitu kuneteya

papo kajifiya

I got a spouse, and my father accepted him.

What had happened, he had not heard about.

He went and bought furniture for me;

When he heard the news, he died instantly

121.

Akabaki mama

Huzuni daima

Mpaka kakoma

Kabakiya nyuma

pweke kasaliya

zisomwondokeya

nae kajifiya

na mwana pamoya

My mother remained all by herself.

She was always sad; it never left her,

Until she too met her end and passed away.

I remained behind, together with the child.

122.

Nami kaamuwa

Nipate pumuwa

Lakini Moliwa

Ukaja nokowa

niwage duniya

na hunu udhiya

hakujaaliya

nipate saliya

So I too decided to leave this world

So that I too can be relieved from these pains.

But God did not will it;

You came and saved me, and I remained alive.

123.

Hiki ndicho kiswa

Chote nimekwisa

Ni mimi mkosa

Mwane ibilisa

kilonijiriya

kukuhadithiya

nilomridhiya

kunikaribiya

This is the tragedy that befell me;

I have finished recounting it to you.

I am the wrongdoer who gave in

And allowed Satan’s child to come near me.”

124.

Umefanya wema

Yote ulosema

Nami tasimama

Sitokusukuma

hili kunambiya

nimeyasikiya

kukusaidiya

hata mara moya

[The man speaking:] “You have done well by telling me this.

I have heard everything you said.

I will stand firm to help you;

I will not push you away even once.

125.

Lakini nataka

Machache tamka

Yasije wafika

Utimu waraka

kwako yambo moya

wendo kuwambiya

nao kama haya

tuwape wasiya

But I want one thing from you:

Say a few things to inform others

So that the same fate doesn’t befall them.

Let us complete this writing so as to advise them.”

126.

Ninakushukuri

Nami tadhukuri

Wala si kathiri

Wajitahadhari

hili kunambiya

machache tataya

tayowataiya

wakiyasikiya

[The woman speaking:] “I am grateful to you for telling me this,

And I will speak out, mentioning a few things—

And it is not much that I will mention,

So that they can be careful when they hear this.

127.

Mwana mwanamke

Yeye hadhi yake

Ni umwali wake

Nde asitoke

katika duniya

ya kujivuniya

kujihifadhiya

kwenda kupoteya

A girl in this world,

Her virtue to be proud of

Is to preserve her virginity.

She should not go out wandering.

128.

Hiko ni kipai

Mtu hakitwai

Kawapa mabui

Wala hachambui

Mngu mekutiya

akakitezeya

wakupita ndiya

akachatiliya

This is a gift given to you by God

A person shouldn’t take it and play with it,

Giving it to friends passing by,

Nor should she remove it and let it go.

129.

Kihifadhi sana

Sifanye ujana

Muwekee bwana

Apate kunena

na kuchangaliya

kikakupoteya

aje shuhudiya

nimejivuniya

Protect it well and take care of it.

Don’t hang around with boys, lest you lose it;

Keep it for your husband so that he can witness it,

So that he can say, “I am so proud.”

130.

Wala sighurike

Wale wanawake

Yao usishike

Hao lana yake

ukawasikiya

waliopoteya

wakikuambiya

Mngu mewatiya

Don’t get tempted to listen

To those women who have lost their way.

Don’t trust what they tell you;

They are cursed by God.

131.

Ni sisi banati

Tujengao nti

Tukijidhibiti

Ni hono wakati

wazi tawambiya

na kuvunda piya

na kujiziwiya

wa kuendeleya

It is we, the girls, I am openly telling you,

Who build the country, and we destroy it too.

If we are firm and restrain ourselves,

Only then, we can progress.

132.

Na tuiwatapo

Tukawa upepo

Aw kama tapo^I

Ndipo nchi hapo

ilo sawa ndiya

hatwendi kumoya

zote twapakiya

tunajivundiya

And when we forsake the right path,

We become like the wind; we fly in all directions.

Or like in a packsaddle, we pack in everything;

At that time, we will break down the country.

I tapo “bât d’âne en sparterie, forme besace” (Scl. 871).

133.

Musighurikeni

Ati uzunguni

Kwa kutupa dini

Wao ruhubani

wakiwaambiya

kumeendeleya

na kuitukiya

wataka kuliya

Don’t be fooled when they tell you

That the West is progressive

Because they disregard religion and hate it.

Their religious leaders want to cry.

134.

Mila ya kizungu

Wote ulimwengu

Wamefanya jungu^I

Tuzidi utungu

mingi ni mibaya

wametufujiya

watakatutiya

kwa kuteketeya

Most Western customs are bad;

They have ruined the whole world for us.

They have prepared a boiling pot, ready to throw us in

To intensify our pain, burning us.

I jungu “an earthen cooking pot” (Std. chungu) (Krp. 42); chombo cha kupikia mithili ya sufuria ambacho hutengenzwa kwa udongo “a pot to cook in, like a sufuria, but made of clay” (see also the picture in Kak. 148).

135.

Hapa namaliza

Nimewaeleza

Ili kuwafunza

Musije kuteza

mwiso nawambiya

yote mimi haya

mambo ya duniya

na watu wabaya

I hereby conclude telling you the end.

I have explained all this to you

So as to teach you the ways of the world,

So you don’t mess around with evil people.

136.

Ukiyona mtu

Mara mbili tatu

Mwambie sukutu^I

Kivue kiyatu

aanda kwambiya

maneno mabaya

asiposikiya

na kumpijiya^II

If someone starts telling you

Misguiding words, twice or thrice,

Tell the person to shut up—and if he doesn’t listen,

Take off your shoe and hit him with it.

I sukutu (Ar.) “keep silent” (Std. -nyamaza). | II Hemistich adapted from what is also found in al-Ṭanṭawi’s Yā-bintī.

137.

Atapokuona

Hapo huyo bwana

Kama mbwa maana

Atake owana

hukumridhiya

tazunguwa^I niya

nyumbani takuya

kama kishariya

When he sees that you didn’t give in,

Then that man will change his intentions.

If he is worthy, he will come home,

And he will ask you to marry him according to law.”

I -zunguwa syn.: badilisha “to change.”

138.

Asanta sana

Yako ya maana

Wenziyo zijana

Inshaallah Rabana

kwa ulowambiya

uloelezeya

wapate sikiya

tatutimiziya

[The elder person now answers:] “Thank you so much for what you have told them,

The meaningful advice that you have explained

So that your fellow youth can hear it.

God willing, the Lord will convey it for us.

139.

Wewe huna mtu

Wala huna kitu

Kheri twende kwetu

Na mwano kitutu

aliosaliya

katika duniya

tukae pamoya

tutakuyeleya

You have no one left for you,

Nor do you have anything in this world.

It’s better that we go home and live together,

And your little child, we shall care for him.

140.

Mimi nina mke

Na kijana chake

Amekwenda zake

Na badili yake

twaishi pamoya

alina mmoya

mewaga duniya

wewe umekuya

I have a wife; we live together,

And had one child.

She has passed away and left this world,

And in her place, you have come.”

141.

Ninakushukuri

Kwa kunisitiri

Nami ni tayari

Kwa zote amri

yako njema niya

katika duniya

kukuitikiya

utazonambiya

[The woman:] “I am grateful for your good intentions

Of protecting me in this world,

And I am ready to heed your word

In every demand you shall ask of me.”

142.

Hapa nimekoma

Kwa hini nudhuma

Ilahi Karima

ya kuiyandama

kuwapa wasiya

nilowandikiya

tatuonya ndiya

ilo sawasiya

Here I conclude, giving you advice

Through this composition I have written for you.

God the Most Gracious will show us the way,

The one that is straight and must be followed.

143.

Ndimi Mahmoudi

Mwane Ahmadi

Namukinirudi

Furaha tazidi

nilo sema haya

Amu mzaliya

nilipokoseya

mukiniambiya

It is me, Mahmoudi, who has conveyed this.

The son of Ahmadi, born in Lamu.

And if you correct me where I have erred,

I will be very delighted if you tell me.

Figure 18

First page of the manuscript of the “Wasiya ya Mabanati” in Ustadh Mau’s handwriting

On the occasion of the first conference on Swahili literature at the University of Naples, organized by Flavia Aiello and Roberto Gaudioso in 2016, this poem was also read aloud, with a translation into Italian by Annachiara Raia under the title “Non incolpate la madre.”

A recorded audio version of the poem is freely available online at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.20200514.

Recordings of recitations of the poem are freely available online at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.20200889.

All these recorded versions are freely available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.20200889

See Kai Kresse, “Enduring Relevance: Samples of Oral Poetry on the Swahili Coast,” Wasafiri 66 (2011): 46–49.

John Williamson T. Allen, Tendi: Six Examples of a Swahili Classical Verse Form with Translations & Notes. (New York: Africana Pub. Corp. 1971), 70–71.

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In This Fragile World

Swahili Poetry of Commitment by Ustadh Mahmoud Mau

Series: Islam in Africa, Volume: 25

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004525726

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 05 Dec 2022

Subjects

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Part 1 Poetry as Intellectual Practice

Part 2 Poems by Ustadh Mau

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Huruma: Social Roles and Responsibility

Figure 16

1 Mama msimlaumu (“Don’t Blame My Mother”)

2 Jilbabu (“Veil”)

3 Mchezo wa kuigiza (“Play”)

4 Haki za watoto (“Children’s Rights”)*

Figure 17

5 Wasiya wa mabanati (“Advice to Young Women”)*

Figure 18

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In This Fragile World

Swahili Poetry of Commitment by Ustadh Mahmoud Mau

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4 Haki za watoto (“Children’s Rights”)^*

5 Wasiya wa mabanati (“Advice to Young Women”)^*