DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49270#0260
178
Alice Werner
Line 45.
‘ The fourth hour ’, i. e. about 10 a. m.
Line 51.
Abdul Alim reads, ‘iwa kama wangu mimi’; wangu agreeing, I suppose, with ulimi, under-
stood. Umi, of course, is the Arabic word.
Line 54.
toshea may have this meaning according to Madan’s Swahili-English Dictionary, and
this is borne out by Abdul Alim’s explanation, voho yangu ikasikitika, ‘my spirit was
grieved’. We must suppose that in this clause the speaker after contemplating the pros-
pect of reunion, again recurs to her bereavement.
Line 58.
nasibu might also mean ‘remember’ or ‘recognize’.
Line 59.
nla: imperative in the Lamu dialect.
Line 60.
nla, Kiamu imperative of la.
kuta in the sense of shiba is found in Chinyanja, but is no longer used in Swahili.
usiyakuta = ‘(if) you are not yet satsified’.
kiri from Ar. , ‘to remain’, ‘to acknowledge ’. The meaning seems to be ‘if you
have not yet had enough (scil. when the dish is going to be removed) do not admit (that it
is so), but let them take away (the food) ’.
Line 61.
washinde ukiwepua is an unexpected contraction for wakikushinda, wepua. It is possi-
ble that washinde should be taken as the 2nd. pers. sing, of the imperative (or rather of
the subjunctive). The meaning would then be ‘overcome them by removing (getting
rid of) them’.
Line 62.
dhili from Ar. J3 , ‘abase’.
wa, the objective pronoun agreeing with fukara (pl.). The -ka- tense is used somewhat
loosely here, where one would have expected the -ki- tense.
fundia. If this is the correct reading, and not vundiu, ‘break’, the meaning seems to be
‘to mix up’ — ‘you are not to hurt the feelings of a poor man by ignoring or confusing
his exact position ’. Ahmadi read this as ukawondolea, ‘nor take away ’. This must have
been a conjectural emendation on his part, as there is no warrant for it in the manuscript.
Line 63.
The pronouns here translated as masculine are in reality common.
Alice Werner
Line 45.
‘ The fourth hour ’, i. e. about 10 a. m.
Line 51.
Abdul Alim reads, ‘iwa kama wangu mimi’; wangu agreeing, I suppose, with ulimi, under-
stood. Umi, of course, is the Arabic word.
Line 54.
toshea may have this meaning according to Madan’s Swahili-English Dictionary, and
this is borne out by Abdul Alim’s explanation, voho yangu ikasikitika, ‘my spirit was
grieved’. We must suppose that in this clause the speaker after contemplating the pros-
pect of reunion, again recurs to her bereavement.
Line 58.
nasibu might also mean ‘remember’ or ‘recognize’.
Line 59.
nla: imperative in the Lamu dialect.
Line 60.
nla, Kiamu imperative of la.
kuta in the sense of shiba is found in Chinyanja, but is no longer used in Swahili.
usiyakuta = ‘(if) you are not yet satsified’.
kiri from Ar. , ‘to remain’, ‘to acknowledge ’. The meaning seems to be ‘if you
have not yet had enough (scil. when the dish is going to be removed) do not admit (that it
is so), but let them take away (the food) ’.
Line 61.
washinde ukiwepua is an unexpected contraction for wakikushinda, wepua. It is possi-
ble that washinde should be taken as the 2nd. pers. sing, of the imperative (or rather of
the subjunctive). The meaning would then be ‘overcome them by removing (getting
rid of) them’.
Line 62.
dhili from Ar. J3 , ‘abase’.
wa, the objective pronoun agreeing with fukara (pl.). The -ka- tense is used somewhat
loosely here, where one would have expected the -ki- tense.
fundia. If this is the correct reading, and not vundiu, ‘break’, the meaning seems to be
‘to mix up’ — ‘you are not to hurt the feelings of a poor man by ignoring or confusing
his exact position ’. Ahmadi read this as ukawondolea, ‘nor take away ’. This must have
been a conjectural emendation on his part, as there is no warrant for it in the manuscript.
Line 63.
The pronouns here translated as masculine are in reality common.