The Waswahili Community Trust UK (Wadhamini wa jumuiya ya Waswahili)

Five Women
Wanawake Watano
The language of the Poem

Presented by P.J.L.Frankl
in consultation with Yahya Ali Omar

The five verses are written in kiAmu, Swahili of Lamu. In Taylor's version a few few words are in the Swahili of Mombasa. Dialectical inconsistencies (i.e. kiMvita where kiAmu should prevail) have been resolved by referring to MS 205 Five Women (Wanawake Watano) a manuscript in Roman script was obtained from Hydar Muhammad mKilindini (Allen 1970 : MS 512).

1. Wa-kwanda huzi piya
2. sifa zake ni 'ukufu
3. Mwema mno wa labiya
4. na moyo mkinaifu
5. Ela ni mwembamba ziya
6. upeo wa wembambifiu
7. Hupati penye mnofu
8. lakini usitawile.

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9. Wa-pili ana unene
10. usokuwa na lahani
11. Ziyaze ziyaliene
12. kwa mbele na kwa nyumani
13. Usitawile ufene
14. akenda uladha gani
15. Bali sura mbwamlani
16. usowe uumbushile.

---

17. Wa-thalatha mashihuri
18. kiwanda melaalamu
19. Kamwe hapitwi uzuri
20. Siyu na Pale na Amu
21. Mwenda kwake hushakiri
22. kapotewa ni fahamu
23. Haloi t'ungu haramu
24. hana ambalo ni tule.

---

25. Wane upete ukoo
26. hamlichi mwinginewe
27. Howi hafui na nguo
28. usemi ukubaliwe
29. Wangapi wamtakao
30. fedha na dhahabu fuwe
31. Yambali naye ya kuwe
32. yat'ama yamuembele.

---

33. Wa-tano lisani mbovu
34. ya kwamba na minong'ono
35. Kit 'u si mkakamivu
36. hukupa na yuu neno
37. Hana subira ya wivu
38. kwake ni kono kwa kono
39. Hupa waume zinono
40. lakini n'la n 'kule.

A Translation

Five Women

1. The first one surpasses the others,
2. Her qualities are exalted;
3. Her character is very good,
4. And her heart content;
5. However her limbs are thin,
6. Extremely thin;
7. One cannot get a grip on any of the meaty bits,
8. But she looks lovely [in spite of being scrawny].

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9. The second one is fat,
10. But not unacceptably so;
11. Her limbs are plump [and her body too],
12. Both in front and behind;
13. She looks lovely,
14. When she walks, how sweet she is!
15. But her features are not beautiful at all,
16. Her face has been disfigured.

---

17. The third one is renowned,
18. She has learnt her trade well!
19. Absolutely nobody surpasses her in beauty,
20. Neither in Siyu, nor in Pate, nor in Lamu;
21. The man who goes to her will be thankful,
22. And will lose his senses [as if he were intoxicated];
23. She does not remove a [dead] ant, though she ought to,
24. Nothing is too low for her.

---

25. The fourth one is really filthy,
26. Not sharing [any of her filth] with another;
27. She washes neither her body nor her clothes.
28. Her conversational powers are recognized [by all].
29. How many [are the men] who want her,
30. [Offering her] finely chased gold and silver.
31. They are far from her, remote
32. Bad things distance themselves from her.

---

33. The fifth one has a vile tongue,
34. Backbiting and whispering;
35. She is not acquisitive,
36. [But] as she gives to you she adds a [bad] word;
37. She is not slow to be jealous,
38. [Jealousy] with her is instant;
39. She gives men delicious food to eat,
40. but instead of becoming fatter they get thinner

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Copyright© March 2003: The Waswahili Community Trust (UK)
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