Anyone who has come into contact with Somali culture will be aware of the central role poetry plays in that culture. For as long as we know, poetry has been the core form of cultural expression and is the basis upon which some other forms have been developed, in particular Somali theatre. Traditional life in the eastern Horn of Africa, where the Somalis live, has poetry woven into its fabric. Many of the day-to-day tasks which people carry out in the countryside have poetry associated with them in the form of work songs, each type with its own metrical structure and associated tunes. A young girl might sing songs about the sheep and goats she is tending, weaving into such a song her feelings for the animals and what they mean to her family; a young man may praise his camels in a watering song, a woman tease her neighbour in a matweaving song and so on. Many such worksongs are of common heritage, but it is also the case that people compose their own lyrics reflecting concerns and events in their lives

 

While Somalia has a long musical and artistic tradition, the Somalis are most famous for being a nation of poets. Oral poetry is central to Somali life. The alliterative, highly metaphorical Somali verse form is used for communication, for preserving history and commenting on current events. Clans use poetry in reconciliation meetings; the government hires poets to praise its achievements, while the opposition uses poems for its critique.

Many Somalis can recite poems that are centuries old. Poetic combat oral contests between competing poets have always been a feature of Somali life. Traditionally, men and women have had separate poetic traditions, and only men gained prestige and political power through their skill in poetry. However, women have recently begun to compete with men in these contests. One of the most famous literary figures in Somalia is Mohammed ’Abdille Hasan, who was also a warrior and political figure.

Since the 20th century, Somalia has also produced authors who write in English, French or Italian for their works. Nurudin Farah, an acclaimed English-language novelist, writes about Somalia and connects the mythical with the local in his work. The poet and playwright Mohamed Warsame Ibrahim was jailed during the Barré regime for his politically critical writings.

 

DABAHUWAN (constrained)This following poem shows the richness of Somali oral culture.
- Markay dani meeday tidhi
When need required
- Maxaan talo meel ka dayey
I looked wisdom for every place
- markay dani maaha tidhi
When need denied
- Weydiiyey qof meel ka dayey
I asked a fellow who before me sought counsel.
- Markay dani maaha tidhi
When need denied again
- Ku laabtay halkaan ka dayey
I returned to where I searched before
- Markay dani maaha tidhi
When need denied again
- Ka sii dayey meel la dayey
I searched once more where others failed
- maxay doqonimmo I tidhi
when imbecility whispered to me
- Ruuxaan jirin raad ku doon
Track down a spectre
- Intaan isku duubay been
I embraced falsehood
- ka buuxsaday labada dacal
Stuffing it in my inside pockets
- maxay runi daadi tidhi
then the truth assured me to discard it
- waxaan duluc sii ridnayn
how often a trivial theme
- Indhuhu ku daraandareen
My eyes owe-inspired did shine
- Maxaan dogob beer is idhi
I even transplanted a piece of dead wood
- daruuro u soo sasabay
Begging the clouds to rain
- daryeelka ku maal is idhi
to nurture myself with its fruit
- biyuhu uga sii dareen
but the water made matters worse.

The following poem in the original Somali below and in English translation is representative of buraanbur, a women's praise poetry and dance tradition.

A Mother Praises Her Beloved Daughter

My beloved girl, you are a gift from Allah.
You are sweet, bestowed on me by the Victorious One.
When you were a baby and were held on a lap,
When you became an adolescent and took your place among your peers,
And went to school and claimed success,
Your intellect and knowledge rounded in every way,
You helped me when I lagged behind,
So I pray Allah the Omnipotent on your behalf.
May your life be lived at the highest level
When you begin to date and are ready for marriage.
Do not nag him, and let not your grumbling be heard;
Open your house and spread mats for his people.
Apply incense at home, and dress and indulge him with pleasure,
But if he rewards you with mischief, move out from his home.
Accept this conclusion of my bestowing prayers to you:
I wish you paradise in the life hereafter
by Rukia Hussein, trans. Abdhirahman Dahir

Hooya Amaanaysa Gabadheeda

Gabadhii aan jeclaayeey galaddii Ilaahayeey
Gacalkii la i siiyey ee guule ii gartaay
Gaban markii aad ahayd ee laagu gardaadsanaa
Gurbood markaad noqotay ubadkii ka raacaay gees
Dugsigana aad aaday guushiina soo hantiday
Garaadkaaga iyo aqoontaada gees walbab gaasir ma leh
Markii aan gaabshay tii ii gargaartayeey
Oo guulahaan tuugay rabbigayga gacanta wayn
Giddigeeda noloshaada ha ahaato garabka sare
OO guur marka aad gaarto oo wiil is-gacashataan
Ninka ha guul gullin guryankaaga yaan la maqal
Gurboodka ururi gacalkiisa gogol u fidi
Go+yaasha u uumi oo raaxo heer ka gaar
Oo gurrac haddii aad aragto gurigiisaba uga guur
Gunaanadka iga guddoon gaamur duco gin-giman
Golaha aakhirana jannadii ku hayso gogol

All these types of poems are generally described in Somali as hees and are part of what might be termed Somali folklore. In addition there is poetry which is composed by poets with the intention that the poem be heard more widely as a comment on something of importance to the community, whether that be the immediate kin or the whole Somali nation. Such poetry is termed maanso in Somali and is characterised by the fact that any particular composition is always associated with the poet who composed it and that anyone reciting the poem must do so with the aim of reciting it word for word as the poet composed it. This verbatim memorization is a particularly important characteristic of the oral poetic heritage of the Somalis and such poetry is generally held in higher esteem than the hees type.

It is important to bear in mind that Somali poetry is still primarily experienced through listening rather than reading; there has been some publication of collections of important poetry (mostly of poets from the past), but these are not widely distributed at all. The language was first written in an officially recognized script in 1972 and, prior to that, poetry was, with a very few exceptions, composed, retained and performed solely in oral form. Most poetry composed today is still essentially oral, although instead of memorization playing the major rôle in its dissemination, cassette tape and radio broadcast are more prominent. Cassettes are particularly important and the recording of performances of poetry and subsequent duplication of the tapes is very widespread and is not regulated through copyright laws. The identity of the poet must always be made clear however and plagiarism and inaccurate recitation of a maanso poem are frowned upon and would lead to the ridicule of anyone Somali poetry trying it on. The matter of oral versus written poetry has become further blurred in recent years when we understand that some poets now use writing in the composition of their poetry. Hadraawi composes using writing and when performing his own poetry does so by reading a written text. There are other poets who continue not to use writing at all and who retain their poems in their heads and pass them on through recitation and recording on cassette.
Maanso poetry is very much of its place and time. A great amount of poetry which is composed by people throughout the Horn of Africa (as well as in the diaspora) relates to events in the life of the poet and in his or her community. Thus as time goes by poets are constantly addressing new situations, and since there is no instituted way in which poetry is preserved, it is easily lost. Little poetry is remembered from before the turn of the century, but now, given the technology of cassette recording and also the development of writing, poetry is more readily kept for posterity. Work was undertaken towards preserving the poetry of some of the most important early poets by Somali poets and scholars in the 1960s and 1970s and there are now some published collections of such early poetry. Of recent poets, few have published works. Hadraawi’s collected poems (1970-1990) were published in 1993 in Norway, (1) an important contribution to Somali literature.
Another consequence of the importance of the context of composition is that some poems are very difficult to understand if one is not aware of the people and events involved. Some poems, however, are composed on more general themes and this makes them more readily accessible to a wider audience and allows them to be understood through translation with a minimal amount of associated annotation.