SWAHILI: Shairi hili linazungumzia umuhimu wa kuchunga wakati usitupite ovyo ovyo. Lazima tutumie kila dakika ipaswavyo kwani kila mda ukienda haurudi. Ustadh Mau anakumbuka beti moja kwa moyo "mapigo ya moyo wa binadamu ni ukumbusho kwamba maisha ni dakika na sekunde".<br>ENGLISH: This poem is about the importance of time and being aware of the passing of time and not letting it pass unknowingly. The poem emphasizes that we should make every minute count since once time passes it cannnot be recovered again. Ustadh Mau still remembers one of the verses by heart ("the heart beat of a human being reminds the heart that in fact life is all about minutes and seconds").
SWAHILI: Waraka huu uko na mashairi manne tofauti: Mama musimlaumu ni shairi kuhusu mwanamke aliyetupa binti yake mchanga vichakani. Mtoto huyo aliokolewa na mbwa na jambo hili lilizua tafaruku katika jamii. Ustadh Mau aliandika shairi hili kupitia kwa muonekano wa yule binti aliyetupwa na mamake akiambia jamii isimhukumu mamake. Mwalimu ni shairi linalopendekeza kuwahusisha walimu katika mambo ya kijamii kwani wao ndio wenye kufunza jamii ijayo, wajibu wa walimu katika elimu na jamii lazima ieleweke na isisitizwe. Shairi pia linazungumzia umuhimu wa elimu na kupeleka watoto mashuleni. Kiswahili ni shairi lililoandikwa kwa mtindo wa ubinafsishaji. Mama kiSwahili analalamika jinsi wanae (waswahili halisi) walivyo kipuuza kiSwahili mpaka kunakiliwa na kuekwa viwango kwa kiSwahili kumetawaliwa na wageni wasiokuwa waswahili. KiSwahili kinaita wanawae wawe ni wenye kukiwajibikia na kukitilia juhudi kama zamani. Shairi hili limechapishwa. Yamechapishwa kwenye: In this Fragile World: Swahili poetry of commitment by Ustadh Mahmoud Mau. Leiden; Boston: Brill [2023], uk. 329-354.<br>ENGLISH: This manuscript contains Three different poems : Mama musimlamu (page 1-2); Mwalimu (page 3-4); Kiswahili (page 5-6). Mama musimlaumu is a poem regarding a woman who threw out her newborn daughter in the bushes, meaning to abandon her there. The newborn was saved by a dog and it caused a big spark of rage across the nation. Ustadh Mau's poem is written from the perspective of the daughter, telling the nation not to criticize her mother. Mwalimu, touches on how teachers should be involved in the community as they are teaching the next generation of kids. The role of teachers in both education and the larger community should be well recognized and emphasized. The poem also mentions the importance of education and schooling for children. and Kiswahili the poem is written from the perspective of a personified Swahili. ''Mother Swahili'' criticizes the way her children (native Swahili speakers of the coast) have long neglected the language and that the documentation and standardization of Swahili has been dominated by foreigners instead. It calls on her children to make an active effort for Kiswahili again. Published in: In this Fragile World: Swahili poetry of commitment by Ustadh Mahmoud Mau. Leiden; Boston: Brill [2023], pp. 329-354.
SWAHILI: Hati hizi ziliandikwa na Ustadh Mau alipotembelea Italia. Katika kulinganisha shairi la mwanamke wa kiarabu anayeitwa Umamah bint Al-Harith Al-Shaybany na mwanamke wa kibajuni anayeitwa Mwana Kupona binti Bwana Mataka. Wote waliishi nyakati tofauti na walitokea familia tofauti ilhali waliandikia wasichana wao shairi lenye funzo moja kuhusiana na kuchunga na kuwa heshimu mabwana zao.<br>ENGLISH: These are notes written by Ustadh Mau for a conference in Naples, Italy. He was comparing the poems of an Arab woman by the name of Umamah Bint Al-Harith Al-Shaybany and a poem by a Bajuni woman named Mwana Kupona bint Bwana Mataka. Both women lived during different periods and had differing backgrounds, yet both wrote a similar poem for their daughters on how to live with and please their husbands.
SWAHILI: Shairi hili linazungumzia kuhusu desturi na turathi za asili kuzingatiwa hususan lugha za mama. Shairi hili linasisitiza umuhimu wa kujua lugha ya mama na kuipitisha kwa vizazi vijazo. Na sio vizuri kudharau kipengee hichi cha utamaduni. Shairi hili liliandikwa kwa minajili ya uwasilishaji Mombasa.<br>ENGLISH: This poem is about traditional customs and heritage, especially in regards to linguistic heritage and one's mother tongue. The poem emphasizes the importance of knowing your mother tongue and passing it on. One should not neglect this part of their culture. This poem was written for a paper presentation in Mombasa.
SWAHILI: Karatasi hii ni maelezo ya mkutano kuhusu mashairi ya kiSwahili ambapo Ustadh Mau alikua mmoja wa walioalikwa na kuhudhuria. Mkutano huu ulifanywa kwenye ukumbi wa Mwanarafa, Lamu.<br>ENGLISH: This document is a production concept for a workshop about Swahili poetry which Ustadh Mau was invited to teach at. This event took place at Mwana Arafa in Lamu.
SWAHILI: Shairi hili lilitungwa kwa niaba ya waalimu wa Mkomani primary likielekezwa kwa wanafunzi wa Mkomani likiwatakia kila la kheri kwenye maisha yao ya mbele na pia kuwaaga baada ya kukamilisha mitihani yao.<br>ENGLISH: This poem was composed on behalf of the teachers of Mkomani school and was addressed to their students at Mkomani primary. It wishes them all the best in their future endeavours after completing their primary education and bidding them farewell.
SWAHILI: Daftari la Kimwondo lina mashairi mawili tofauti (namba 6 na 7). Kimwondo cha kwanza kinazungumzia hofu ya Ustadh Mau ya kupotea lahaja ya kiamu. Ustadh Mau anawataka wananchi wa Lamu kuelewa thamani ya Lugha yao na kuitumia lugha hiyo hasa kwa kuisoma, kuiandika na kuifundisha kwa vijana. Anabainisha kuwa lugha yetu ndio utambulisho wetu na tusipoilinda basi tuko kwenye hatari kubwa ya kupoteza utambulisho wetu. Shairi la pili ni shairi la kisiasa linalosawiri uzalendo na uaminifu wa watu wa Lamu kwa rais wa Kenya. Ustadh Mau anawalinganisha wanasiasa walafi na wanyama pori ambao ni wakorofi na wasio na amani. Anamlinganisha mbunge wa Lamu ambaye hakuwahi kuwakilisha masilahi yao bungeni na yule wa hivi majuzi ambaye ana masilahi ya watu wa Lamu moyoni.<br>ENGLISH: The notebook Kimwondo has two different poems (number 6 and 7). The first Kimwondo talks about Ustadh Mau's fear of the kiamu dialect getting lost. Ustadh Mau urges the people of Lamu to understand the value of their Language and to put the language in use especially by reading, writing and teaching it to the young ones. He notes that our language is our identity and if we do not protect it then we are at a higher risk of loosing our identity. The second poem is a political poem portraying the patriotism and loyalty of the people of Lamu to the president of Kenya. Ustadh Mau compares the greedy politicians to wild animals who are chaotic and unpeaceful. He compares the Lamu member of parliament who never represented their interests in parliament to the recent one who has the interests of the people of Lamu at heart.
SWAHILI: Kimwondo lina mashairi mawili tofauti (shairi nambari 6 na 7). Tenzi zote mbili zinahusu kampeni za siasa za hapa lamu. Utungo wa mashairi haya mawili yametafautiana baina ya moja na lingine.<br>ENGLISH: The notebook Kimwondo has two different poems (number 6 and 7). They were both written for a political campaign on Lamu. The structures of the two poems are different from one another.
SWAHILI: Shairi hili lilitungwa na Abdallah Mohamed Bakathir kwa ajili ya watoto na marafiki zake alipokuwa mgonjwa sana na hakuweza kusema neno lolote na alitaka kuacha ushauri huu kabla ya kifo chake. Anatoa ushauri muhimu wa maisha ya jumla kwa watoto wake, jinsi ya kuishi vizuri katika jamii. Anatoa ushauri juu ya kutopoteza wakati, marafiki wabaya, jinsi ya kujiendesha unapoalikwa mahali fulani, jinsi ya kuishi na mke/mume, jinsi ya kutambua tabia za watu, jinsi ya kuchagua msaidizi wa nyumbani, jinsi ya kulinda siri, usafi, adabu ya kula, jinsi ya kushughulikia wageni na mengi mengineyo.<br>ENGLISH: This poem was composed by Abdallah Mohamed Bakathir for his children and friends when he was very sick and could not utter a word and he wanted to leave behind this advice before his death. He gives important general life advice to his children on how to live well in society. He gives out advice on time wasting, bad companies, how to conduct oneself when invited somewhere, how to treat a spouse, how to tell someone's character, how to choose a househelp, how to protect a secret, hygiene, eating ettiquette, how to handle guests and so much more.
SWAHILI: Shairi hili limetungiwa Bahassan aliyefariki. Alikua mwalimu na Imam wa Msikiti wa Riyadha. Bahassan alikua kitukuu wa muanzilishi wa mskiti wa Riyadha. Shairi hili lilikaririwa na Ustadh Mau siku ya tatu baada ya mazishi yake kama ukumbusho yake.<br>ENGLISH: This poem was written for a man named Bahassan who passed away. He was a teacher and an imam at Riyadha mosque. Bahassan was the great-grandson of the founder of Riyadha mosque. This poem was recited by Ustadh Mau on the third day after his passing in memory of him at the Riyadha Mosque in Lamu.
SWAHILI: Waraka huu uko na mashairi matatu. Shairi la kwanza linaitwa "Kitanda" na linazungumzia wajibu wa mwanamke kwa kutayarisha kitanda wanachotumia na mume wake. (Kwa mfano kiwe safi na kunukia vizuri, kueka maua). Pia linaongelea umuhimu wa kutayarisha chakula kizuri na mwanamke kumpikia mume wake. Shairi la pili kwa jina la "Harusi ya Zulfa" linazungumzia kuhusu ndoa na wajibu wa wanandoa. Shairi la tatu "Wasia kwa Rukia" linazungumzia kutojibizana na watu maneno mabaya na kuzungumza mambo yasiyo na faida, poa linazungunzia umuhimu wa kuweka nyumba safi na kuheshimu wakwe zako.<br>ENGLISH: This manuscript contains three poems. The first one is titled Kitanda and talks about a wife's duty to prepare the bed well (e.g. make it smell nice, putting flowers on the bed) they are sharing together. It also mentions the importance of good food and cooking for one's husband. The second poem is titled Harusi ya Zulfa. It discusses marriage and the responsibilities within marriage as partners. The third poem is titled Wasiya kwa Rukia. It discusses how it's good manners to not badmouth people and talk negatively, as well as keeping the house clean and respecting your in-laws.
SWAHILI: Shairi hili lilitungwa kwa ajili ya siku ya ukimwi duniani inayokua tarehe moja mwezi wa December kila mwaka. Shairi hili lilikaririwa katika la Mwanaarafa mwaka wa 2014 ili kuwajuza wanajamii juu ya madhara ya ukimwi. Wanawake walio olewa pia wana jukumu la kuwaridhisha mabwana zao ndio wasiende nje kutafuta na kueneza gonjwa hilo.<br>ENGLISH: This poem was composed for the national HIV day, on the 1st of December every year. It was recited at Mwana Arafa in 2014 to alert the community on the dangers of the disease and in order to create awareness. Married women also have a responsibility which is to keep their husbands satisfied so they do not seek out and spread the illness from or with other women.
SWAHILI: Hili ni shairi la utumbuizo lililokusanywa na Ustadh Mau kutoka kwa wanawake wa Shella. Walimuandikia Ustadh Mau shairi hili kwenye karatasi. Utumbuizo kama huu hupitishwa kutoka kizazi kimoja hadi kingine, kutoka kwa mama hadi kwa mwanae. Ustadh Mau alikusanya mashairi haya kuyahifadhi kwa vizazi vijavyo fahari ya kiswahili na waAmu. Shairi hili limeandikwa na mwanamke kwa jina la Binti Rahmaan Sultan ila mtunzi mwenyewe hajulikani.<br>ENGLISH: This poem is a lullaby collected by Ustadh Mau from women in Shela. They wrote it down on paper for Ustadh Mau to keep, as these lullabies are passed on from generation to generation, from mother to daughter, meaning they know it by heart. Ustadh Mau sought out the lullabies to document and preserve this particular aspect of Swahili, coastal and Lamu heritage. It was part of a competition (mashindano) on lullabies. The women who participated were gifted kanga for their participation. This piece was written down by a woman who went by the family name of Binti Rahmaan Sultan. The original composer of the poem is unknown.
SWAHILI: Waraka huu uko na mashairi manne tofauti: Ukimwi (ukurasa 1-3); Harusi (ukurasa 4); Harusi Mombasa (ukurasa 5-6); Maombolezi (ukurasa 7-8). Ukimwi ni kuhusu hatari ya maradhi ya Ukimwi, Harusi and Harusi Mombasa ni mashairi ya harusi yaliyoandikiwa wanandoa tofauti na Maombolezi ni shairi la maombolezi lililoandikiwa Hamid Khalfan aliyefariki juu ya uzee.<br>ENGLISH: This manuscript contains four different poems: Ukimwi (pages 1-3); Harusi (page 4); Harusi Mombasa (pages 5-6); Maombolezi (pages 7-8). Ukimwi is about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. Harusi and Harusi Mombasa are both wedding poems written for different couples. Maombolezi is a mourning poem for Hamid Khalfan from Lamu who passed of old age.
SWAHILI: Mashairi ya harusi yaliyoandikwa na Ustadh Mau. Mashairi haya yanashauri jinsi ya kuwa na amani na ndoa zinazodumu. Kwa mfano ni kutomuacha mwenzako kuendelea na hasira ikiwa umemuudhi na kumuomba msamaha badala ya kumuacha na hasira.<br>ENGLISH: Various wedding poems written by Ustadh Mau. The poems all advice on how to keep a peaceful and long-lasting marriage. Examples are to not let your partner continue in their anger when one has wronged them and to ask for forgiveness instead of letting the partner sit in their anger.
SWAHILI: Ustadh Mau alialikwa katika warsha ulioandaliwa na RISSEA (Research Institute of Swahili Studies of Eastern Africa) iliyokuwa Mombasa. Aliombwa atayarishe maombi akaonelea atunge shairi la dua. Katika shairi hili anawaomba wasomi wakuze na waendeleze lugha ya kiSwahili, umuhimu wa kiSwahili na jinsi tutakavyo jihusisha na Kiswahili.<br>ENGLISH: Ustadh Mau was invited to a workshop organized by RISSEA (Research Institute of Swahili Studies of Eastern Africa) in Mombasa. He was asked to prepare something for the workshop and decided to write a prayer in the form of a poem. In this poem he urges the learned and educated to expand and enhance the Swahili language, the importance of Swahili and how we should actively engage with Swahili.
SWAHILI: Hili ni shairi la harusi aliloandikiwa mwanamume aitwae Mahdi. Linaongelea wasia wa harusi kama umuhimu wa kuoneshana mapenzi kati ya mke na mume ndio mapenzi yaweze kuregeshwa baina yao. Shairi hili lina beti ishirini na nne.<br>ENGLISH: This is a wedding poem that was written for a man named Mahdi. It contains general marriage advice, such as making sure to show love in order for that love to be reciprocated between man and wife. This poem has 24 stanzas.
SWAHILI: Jini la Faza liliandikiwa watu wa kijiji cha faza kilichoko kisiwa cha Pate. Kulikuwa na uvumi unaozunguka kijijini kwamba kuja jini linalosumbua watu ndani ya majumba yao wakati wa usiku. Baadhi ya watu waliingiwa na uoga hadi wakaamua kulala familia nzima ndani ya chumba kimoja. Ili kupunguza wasiwasi, Ustadh Mau aliandika shairi hili na kulikariri Faza. Shairi lenyewe linaomba Mungu awalinde kutokana na mashetwanii na afunge milango ya akhera ili majini wasipitie milango hayo na kuingia dunia yetu.<br>ENGLISH: The jinn of Faza was written for people of Faza town on Pate Island. There were rumours (uvumi) going around town that a jinn (spirit) was harrassing people inside their houses during the night time. Some people in town were so scared they resorted to having the family sleep in one room together. In order to reduce this fear, Ustadh Mau wrote this poem and recited it in Faza. The poem asks God to protect and save us from bad spirits and to close the doors from the spiritual world so the jinns may never enter through our own doors again.
SWAHILI: Shairi hili limeandikiwa Fatima, binti yake Ali Bilal aliyemuomba Ustadh Mau amtungie shairi hili kuhusu wasia wa ndoa. Ustadh Mau na Ali Bilal walikua kwenye chuo kimoja madrasa. Shairi hili linazungumzia mafunzo muhimu unapoingia kwenye ndoa, kama vile, kuchumga hisia zako kutokumiliki. neno 'miuya' limetumika kuashiria bahari inapochafuka kwa lafudhi ya KiAmu. Ndoa inafananishwa na bahari iliyochefuka kwani zote zina wakati wa juu na chini na tunazipitia hizi nyakati kila mda.<br>ENGLISH: This is a poem written for Fatima, the daughter to Ali Bilal who asked Ustadh Mau to compose a poem on his behalf containing marriage advice. Ustadh Mau and Ali Bilal were classmates at the same madrasa. The poem discusses necessary lessons to remember when stepping into married life, such as not letting your emotions take you over. In the poem the word 'miuya' was used, which is how rough waters are sometimes described in the Kiamu dialect. Marriage is thus compared to rough seas, as both can have rough patches to work through from time to time.
SWAHILI: Hili shairi lilikua ombi la mke kuandikiwa mume wake Khalid aliyekua anategemewa kuanza safari ya kwenda kuhiji Makkah. Kwani wakati huo msafara ulikua mrefu na wenye shida nyingi. Shairi hili linadhamiriwa kama la kusema kwaheri iwepo mumewe akose kurudi nyumbani. Shairi hili linaonyesha mapenzi na nia njema kwa mume wake asafiri na kurudi salama na Mungu amsaidie safarini kwake.<br>ENGLISH: This poem was written as a request from a wife to her husband Khalid, who was about to make the holy pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj). As travel was long and much more difficult during this time. The poem serves as a final goodbye in case the husband might not make it back home. It expresses love and well wishes for the husband to travel and return safely and for God to help him on the way.
SWAHILI: Shairi hili linasisitiza juu ya umuhimu wa Turathi zetu. Haswa linazungumzia madhara ya Bandari ya Lamu na madhara yake kwa utamaduni wa Lamu. Linazungumzia jinsi wakaazi wa Lamu halisi walivyopungua kwa sababu ya kuingia kwa watu wasio waAmu halisi kupitia mashirika ya Bandari ya Lamu.<br>ENGLISH: This poem emphasizes on the importance of heritage. More specifically, it is about the effect that the Lamu Port has had on local Lamu culture. It discusses the issue of locals becoming fewer and fewer in Lamu Town with the arrival of non-local people entering through this port.
SWAHILI: Shairi hili liliandikiwa rafiki yake Shadya, mtoto wa kike Ustadh Mau. Fatma rafiki yake Shadya alikua anaolewa hivyo akamuomba babake amuandikie shairi hili kumpa wasia kuhusu ndoa.<br>ENGLISH: This poem was written for a friend to Shadiya, the daughter to Ustadh Mau. Her friend Fatma was to get married. Therefore, Shadya requested this poem in order to give marriage advice to Fatma.
SWAHILI: Shairi hili la beti 8 ni toleo la rasimu ya Kundi la Bwana Zahidi. Shairi hili liliandikwa na Ustadh Mau kwa ajili ya kuwapongeza kundi la wanazuoni waliosafiri hadi Bayreuth nchini Ujerumani mwaka 2015. Kikundi kilitafsiri mashairi mbalimbali ya Bwana Zahidi Ngumi al-Makhzumi. Kikundi (pamoja na Ustadh Mau) kilifanikiwa kutafsiri kazi za Bwana Zahidi. Alikuwa mtu muhimu katika historia ya Lamu, kwani alikuwa nyuma ya kuanzishwa kwa Ngome ya Lamu. Kando na kuwa mwanasiasa Bwana Zahidi alikuwa mshairi stadi.<br>ENGLISH: This 8-stanza poem is the draft version of Kundi la Bwana Zahidi. The poem was written by Ustadh Mau in order to congratulate the group of scholars who travelled to Bayreuth in Germany in 2015. The group translated various poems by Bwana Zahidi Ngumi al-Makhzumi. The group (including Ustadh Mau) succeeded in translating Bwana Zahidi's works. He was a key figure in Lamu history, as he was behind the establishment of Lamu Fort. Aside from being a politician Bwana Zahidi was a skilled poet.
SWAHILI: Shairi hili la beti 16 liliandikwa na Ustadh Mau kwa hafla ya maonyesho maalum katika turathi ya Lamu. Maonyesho hayo yalihusu mapambo na vifaa vya asili vya wanawake wa Uswahilini. Vifaa hivyo na mapambo hayo bado hutumiwa mpaka sasa. Shairi linasisitiza umuhimu wa kipengele hiki cha utamaduni wa Waswahili na kwamba maonesho yanahitajika ili kuonyesha vitu hizi za kitamaduni.<br>ENGLISH: This 16-stanza poem was written by Ustadh Mau for the occasion of a special exhibition at Lamu Museum. The exhibition was about the traditional ornaments and accessories of Swahili women. Most of these accessories and ornamentations are still in wide use. The poem emphasizes the importance of this aspect of Swahili culture and that it is needed to display these cultural markers.
SWAHILI: Shairi hili lenye beti nane lilitungwa na Ustadh Mau kwa niaba yam toto wa mwanamke jina lake Shekha aliporudi kutoka Makka. Wakati huyu mama aliposafiri kwenda hijr Makka watu wengu walikufa na watu wengi nyumbani walianza kuwa na wasiwasi kwa jamaa yako. Huyu mtoto alimwuliza Ustadh Mau atungie shairi hili kwa furaha kumwona mamake tena nyumbani.<br>ENGLISH: This 8-stanzas poem was composed by Ustadh Mau on behalf of the son of a woman called Shekha upon her return from Macca. Back then when the mother travelled for pilgrimage to Mecca many people lost their lives and their relatives back home got worried about their parents there. The son asked Ustadh Mau to compose this poem for the joy of having his mother back home again.
