Come to me softly

Notes

Somali poetry is or can be music, and music in the language is often poetry, our guide translator Ibrahim points out. This particular poem is one of those, written with both poetry and music in mind. That means repetition of verses, pastoral imagery, and a poem that conforms to a musical style that is peculiar to nomads feeding their camels in an oasis. I enjoyed the process of this group translation, learning both from our guide translator who speaks/is Somali, and a team of workshop participants from different language backgrounds, whose knowledge of poetry and of English language forms and idioms helped convert what is an unbelievably beautiful Somali love poem into what approaches an English language equivalent.

Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún, poet-facilitator