Here are 25 half-lines of Somali poetry written in a metre known as masafo:
1. |
ogaadeen ha ii dirin
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2. |
duul haad amxaaraa
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3. |
kaa dooni maayee
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4. |
amba waa ku daba geli
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5. |
dakanka iyo qaankee
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6. |
anaa been dabaadee
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7. |
galbeed uga dareershaan
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8. |
dalkaad adigu joogtiyo
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9. |
dar alliyo heshiis iyo
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10. |
mase waa dayoobeen
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11. |
dacalkaaga kuma shuban
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12. |
miyaan duudsiyaayaa
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13. |
doodaye maxaad oran
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14. |
daliilkii ku siiyaye
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15. |
miyaad iigu duurxuli
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16. |
dorraad adigu kama dhigin
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17. |
ma deldelin raggoodii
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18. |
deelqaadkan aad tiri
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19. |
diigaanyo ciidana
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20. |
wax ma kala dillaallaa
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21. |
duunyada ka qaadoo
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22. |
diinkiyo dugaaggiyo
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23. |
dildillaaca waaberi
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24. |
dibnahaaga kama qiran
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25. |
hobyo wixii ka soo degey
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To help you understand the structure of masafo, here are 10 half-lines which were constructed from genuine masafo half-lines by random rearrangement of words within the halfline. Some of them might conform to the rules of the versification, but the majority do not:
26. |
u anigaa lehe diin
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27. |
waad nimankaad ma diidi
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28. |
qoran daftarkaaga kuma
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29. |
fuushaan kaama dusha
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30. |
helo dabacayuun kulaan
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31. |
kuu miyuu tari wax dafir
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32. |
kuu daalasaayee nin
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33. |
shareecada dikrigiyo
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34. |
dumarkii furayaan ma
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35. |
ogaadee diyaar kuu
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(a) Describe the structure of a masafo half-line.
(b) Here are 10 more masafo half-lines. Five of them are genuine, and five are obtained by random rearrangement. Which is which?
36. |
war ismaaciil daarood
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37. |
dir miyaad wadaagtaan
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38. |
labadaad ka duudiye
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39. |
ka jannadaad daahiye
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40. |
adiga iyo deriskaa
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41. |
digaxaarka mariyoo
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42. |
ciid iyo doolo diraac
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43. |
nooma keeneen darka
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44. |
kala deyaayaa miyaan
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45. |
wuxuun kaa danqaabaan
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—Alexander Piperski