Farah Hussein Sharmarke

Farah Hussein Sharmarke فارح حسين شر ماركئ
Born	Faarax Xuseen Sharmaarke 1926 Bardera, Somalia
Pen name	abwaan Farah
Occupation	poet, philosopher
Alma mater	Sarinley Moalim Sarmaale
Subject	patriotism, faith, mortality
Notable works	Alif-ka-ya, Nin la Dilay, Bahalaley, Atoor Guunyo, Lix iyo toban haloo deela

Farah Hussein Sharmarke (Somali: Faarax Xuseen Sharmaaarke; Arabic: فارح حسين شر ماركئ) was a Somali poet who composed poems during the 1940s and early 1950s whilst living in Isiolo, Kenya.

Biography

Farah was born in 1926 in the city of Bardera in Gedo region in southwestern Somalia. He studied poetry from other famous Gedo region poets and playwrights including Guled Jufe and Mohamed Nur Shareco.

Farah Hussein became an established poet in the early 1940s. He composed most of his poems in either Bardera, Garbahare, or Isiolo in the NFD region.

Quitting Poetry

Farah stopped composing poems at the height of his poetic outburst. He composed an often-quoted poem wherein he indicated why he quit, explaining the reason in 16 lines, all starting in the letter D.

Farah Hussein Sharmarke composed some of the best Somali poems in its classic wisdom form. He is in this category with great poets such as Haji Aden Ahmed Af-Qalooc and Osman Yusuf Kenadid, Farah Hussein achieved greatness in poetry at such an early age and the type of work he has left with us is currently classified under philosophic and wisdom by writer Mohamed Sheikh Hassan.

Works

Farah Hussein Sharmarke composed his last poems in 1952 while in Kenya. Voice recorded poems are available for his last half dozen poems just before his death in the early 1950s.

First numbered lines from 1-3 are in Af Somali while lines underneath from 1 to 3 are their English translations.

1- Shimbir duulis badanoow haddaad, degi aqoon weydo

• The bird which is always flying around, not knowing where to land.

2- Mar unbaad libaax labadii daan, dalaq tidhaahdaaye

• Once will land in the mouth of the lion

3- Iney edebtu shay doora tahay, yaan isaga daayey

• For that good behaviour is something important, I have stopped to compose
• Lix iyo Toban Haloo Deela, better known as "Shimbir Duulis badanoow", most referenced line from Farah Hussein Sharmarke's poems.
• Alif-ka-ya
• Nin la Dilay
• Bahalaley
• Atoor Guunyo