Muyaka bin Haji — Untitled — translated by Alex de Voogt 


Final_Muyaka_TQ33-1

Author & Translator Bios

Muyaka bin Haji was a nineteenth century poet, known as the father of Swahili poetry. His strict mashairi verse form is partially represented in the translation to maintain the particular rhythm of the original while this example highlights his proximity to the sea in his home city of Mombasa.

Alex de Voogt is a poet translator with an MFA Poetry-in-Translation from Drew University. He published translations primarily from Greek and Swahili in journals such as the Massachusetts Review, Plume, Poetry Magazine, Cordite Review and Hunger Mountain, and recently added a microchapbook by Ghost City Press.