photograph by Angelique Schreiber
KAWALWALNIYA (WISHFUL GROPER)
A Hausa poem accompanied by its English translation.
Ina amfanin kogin da ke gudana
‘kishirwa na kisa.
ina amfanin ‘kwaryar kogin
da tururuwa ba za su yi nin’kaya ciki ba, balle su walwale
She wouldn’t want to be brimful river that quenches no thirst rather shallow where ants cling for taste
can fall swim drink bask and rest in
Ina amfanin hadarin kaka,
lumus ba hus
ai gara bakan-gizon ko ba komi, ya zo bayan laima
she wouldn’t want to be dark shawls in skies with menacing looks that fail to release drops
but Rainbow that emerges after heavy downpour
Ina amfanin inuwar giginya, ko ba giringirin ba…
ko farin wata, ba-kallo, ko ya’ke.
ai gara ta zama kanarin da ke fama da mura
ko rurin jaki a tsakar dokar daji
she wouldn’t want to be just shadows and echoes crescent silhouettes or feigned smiles bird with sore throat like drum that can’t make sound
but the real deal that roars echoing thunder
Ina amfanin ‘kamshin abinci ga mabaraci, kwano bihim,
ko sha’awar gizo ga budurwa, gara ta zamo falke a kasuwar ilimi.
ana zundenta da zama juya, abar ‘kyama
alhali ta kasance kaza, uwar kyankyasa
she wouldn’t want to be hunger of beggar or of lustful desires but thirst of knowledge seeker still, she’d rather be goat or hen that delivers
than barren object of pity or despise
Ina amfanin mafadin mutuwa, mai dugunzuma rayuwa
gara gudar unguwarzoma, tafkin farin ciki
mene amfanin ta zamo rawani ko turken-wawa,
ba basaraken ba, sai ‘yar kallo
gara dai ta zamanto ganga, fadi ko ba a tambaye ki ba
she wouldn’t want to be announced with sad tears like death, but new born baby bearer of jubilations she wouldn’t want to make the titles, or be them much more than onlooker, she wishes to write them
on skies illuminated by moon
Ina amfanin zama ra’kumi da akala,
da gafiya kan ja har rami, dubalen da bai da alfanu
mene ne dadin amon da amadun kunne ke kokawa
gara ta zamo mayya, ta ci dubu sai ceto, a dokar daji
kuda wajen kwadayi zai mutu; a bakin akushinta
she wouldn’t want to be a tamed sheep that could win world cup of obedience that never cries but creaks like old door or rickety chair but the one that eats lions for breakfast elephants for dinner
that no fly dares touch her plate
Ina amfanin jirgin ruwa da bai da matuki, a tsakiyar teku
gara kwale-kwalen Annabi Nuhu, komin tsufansa
kyan shigifa, ai jinkarta
sararin samaniya ko don inuwarta
gara rikon lema, kariyar rana da ruwan sama
also she’d rather be rafter that carries all to safety than big ship lost in Bermuda. or room with no roof above to shelter like skies cover but give no cover
she’d rather be umbrella or raincoat that protects.
Gara ta zamo dila, sarkin dabara
ko kuma zaki, sarki, ko kun gardi
ko damisa, kura, baiwarki, a fagen cizgar nama
kai ko ma mage, mai ban tsoro gun ‘beraye.
she’d rather be fox that senses foreboding lion that scares foes leopard that guzzles preys
a cougar maybe even cat that pounces on rats
Fatanta kullum, kada ta zama kwallon kaddara
mai fadowa daga iccen rimi, sai cikin rijiya
ko kuma ta yi abota da mujiyoyi, masu wasa cikin duhun dare.
she wishes not to tumble from hands of fate again into dark engulfing hole with nothing
or to date owls who silently prowl
ba ta fatan hawayenta su su’ke ta,
ta fi son ta ji suna mayar da martani,
in ko ba haka ba, kushewa ce ‘kar’konta,
kamar yadda fa’duwar rana ke shigar giza-gizai
tsakaninta da rumbun dare, a duniya,
she wouldn’t want her tears to suffocate but speak yell if they must else her demise shall go unnoticed unlike Sunset who plunges the world in
blissful trance of beautiful darkness
ko kuma ta yi ta renon duniya, har ta yi barci
cikin murmushin saniya da kunyar jimina
idan kuwa har za ta ci gaba da lalube a cikin duhu
ko ba kome ta yi abota da wata, dan daren sha hudu
farin wata kyal-kyal….
or sinks the Earth into short slumber with sheepish grin and wild blush for if she must grope in dark she would in the least befriend Moon for companionship and a wisp of light…
Maryam Gatawa is a young poet from Northern Nigeria. She is a passionate lover of arts. Some of her literary works have been published in the African Writer Magazine, Praxis Magazine, Ink Sweat and Tears, PIN Quarterly Magazine, Tuck Magazine, Better Than StarBucks, Anthology Of Best New African Poets 2017, The Arts Muse Fair, Kalahari Review, and local papers.
When she is not writing poetry, she is talking to her parrots or playing snooker, watching Netflix, or reading other poets. She can be reached on Twitter @meegat12.
- TAGS
- Hausa Poetry
- Hausa Translation
- Maryam Gatawa
- Poetry
