{"id":382,"date":"2015-07-14T10:03:27","date_gmt":"2015-07-14T17:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swahilipoetry.humnet.ucla.edu\/?page_id=382"},"modified":"2026-05-27T10:48:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:48:55","slug":"sauti-kutoka-nje","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/swahilipoetry.humnet.ucla.edu\/?page_id=382","title":{"rendered":"Sauti Kutoka Nje"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Sauti Kutoka Nje<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nA plea from outside<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1. Hodi hodi enyi ndani.<\/span><\/td>\nHello, hello there, oh you people inside<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nifungulie ni’ngie;<\/span><\/td>\nOpen up for me, that I may come in<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nipate joto la ndani<\/span><\/td>\nLet me warm myself with the warmth inside<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Baridi inipungue<\/span><\/td>\nSo I may be less cold (lit. so the cold may diminish from me<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2. Hodi hodi enyi ndani<\/span><\/td>\nHello, hello, oh you inside<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nje baridi imezidi<\/span><\/td>\nThe cold outside is too much (to bear).<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nnatetemeka mwilini<\/span><\/td>\nI am shivering all over my body<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Natafunwa na baridi.<\/span><\/td>\nI am gnawed at by the cold.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3. Hodi hodi enyi ndani<\/span><\/td>\nHello, hello, oh you inside<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mimi ni mtu mwenzenu<\/span><\/td>\nI am your fellow human being<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Si mnyama wa porini<\/span><\/td>\nI am no wild animal<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nisaidie mwenzenu<\/span><\/td>\nHelp me, your companion<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4. Hodi hodi enyi ndani<\/span><\/td>\nHello, hello, oh you inside<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nina mwili kama nyie;<\/span><\/td>\nI have a body like you;<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mwili wangu si wa nyani<\/span><\/td>\nIt’s not a baboon’s.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ninaishi kama nyie<\/span><\/td>\nI exist just like you.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5. Hodi hodi enyi ndani<\/span><\/td>\nHello, hello, oh you inside<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mbona hamn’fungulii?<\/span><\/td>\nHow come you don\u2019t open up for me?<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hamtaki nije ndani<\/span><\/td>\nWhy you don’t want me to come in<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Au hamnisikii?<\/span><\/td>\nOr do you not hear me?<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6. Hodi hodi enyi watu<\/span><\/td>\nHello, hello, oh you inside<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mtu baridi yanila<\/span><\/td>\nThe cold consumes me, a human being.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nanyi mwakaa kimya tu<\/span><\/td>\nAnd you remain quiet just the same<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Utu gani, lahaula!<\/span><\/td>\nWhat kind of humanity (is this), Oh God!<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
Summary<\/h5>\n

While ostensibly a plea to be allowed into a warm house to be sheltered from the cold, the author’s voice is raised to beg for inclusion of all peoples in the benefits of the newly independent country of Tanzania in its efforts to create a more just society through\u00a0ujamaa.<\/em> At another level it’s an appeal for basic human companionship and community. Life without community is cold and lifeless whereas warmth and security come only from one’s fellow human beings.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h5>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
enyi<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n[pro.]<\/span><\/td>\nOoh you (pl.); see ewe<\/em>! (TJH). You there! I say you! (for ee nyinyi!<\/em>) (FJ). Hodi hodi enyi<\/strong> ndani<\/em>, Hello, hello there, oh you people inside (M&K-SKN1).<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
fungulia<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n[v. appl.]<\/span><\/td>\nOpen up for, open for (TJH). See\u00a0-fungua<\/em> open, etc. (FJ).\u00a0Hodi hodi\u00a0enyi\u00a0ndani<\/em>,\u00a0Nifungulie<\/strong> ni’ngie; Hello, hello there, oh you people inside, open up for me that I may come in (M&K-SKN1).<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
lahaula<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n[intr.]<\/span><\/td>\n1. blasphemy. Kila lahaula hufuatwa na adhabu ya mungu, <\/em> every blasphemy is followed by God\u2019s punishment. 2. as an expletive; Well I never! What next! Also used on hearing a person blaspheme or use unseemly words (< Arabic …. an abbreviation of \u2018there is no power nor strength but in God\u2019, etc.) (FJ). Tamko la kuonyesha mshangao (KKS). Utu gani, lahaula<\/strong>!<\/em> What kind of humanity (is this), Oh God! (M&K-SKN6).<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
nyani<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n[n. 9\/10 an.]<\/span><\/td>\nBaboon (FJ).\u00a0Nina mwili kama nyie,\u00a0Mwili wangu si wa nyani<\/strong>; I have a body like you, it’s not a baboon’s (M&K-SKN4).\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
zidi<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n[v. i.]<\/span><\/td>\nBe too much, be excessive, get worse (neg. context) (TJH). 1. become more (greater, larger, taller, longer, etc.), grow, increase, multiply, be more and more… 2. be the greater, have more power (than), outstrip, gain on (in a race), be superior (to)… 3. get the better of, beat, overwhelm, reduce to straits, e.g. kazi imenizidi sana, <\/em>the work has become too much for me, is too much for me … (FJ). Nje baridi imezidi<\/strong><\/em>, The cold outside has gotten worse (M&K-SKN2).<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sauti Kutoka Nje A plea from outside 1. Hodi hodi enyi ndani. Hello, hello there, oh you people inside Nifungulie ni’ngie; Open up for me, that I may come in Nipate joto la ndani Let me warm myself with the warmth inside Baridi inipungue So I may be less cold (lit. so the cold may … Continue reading Sauti Kutoka Nje<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":327,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-382","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/swahilipoetry.humnet.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/swahilipoetry.humnet.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/swahilipoetry.humnet.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/swahilipoetry.humnet.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/swahilipoetry.humnet.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=382"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/swahilipoetry.humnet.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":747,"href":"http:\/\/swahilipoetry.humnet.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/382\/revisions\/747"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/swahilipoetry.humnet.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/swahilipoetry.humnet.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}