The cover of an edition of his diwan (collected poetry)
A famous poem by the Kurdish poet and Islamic scholar Mahwi (1836 – 1906 CE, full name: Mullah Muhammad son of Mullah Uthman Balkhi)
In impiety–woe to me!–my life has passed;
O God, let me go on living till I die at a pious man’s doorstep.
Wasted in meaninglessness my whole lifetime has gone:
I must even pray for time to die in from the Lord of Time.
The hour of death has come: “Be ready! It is the time of resignation and submission!”
Yet I, in obliviousness, am only starting to busy myself with childish matters.
The empty thoughts of the worldly life have so overcome me,
Only on the Day of Judgment will I be able to remember the Day of Judgment.
I have become a cripple, yet like a child I desire the world:
The frailty of old age prevents me from holding my head up, yet in worldliness my ego feels as if it is just beginning to walk.
What is its sin and crime that it has become a home of torment?
My grave, to the gravedigger, will be complaining thus until the Day of Judgment.
Tomorrow is the Day of Resurrection, my friends, it is your chance today:
Disown me–let no one’s judgment be with mine!
I do not know what my villainous ego can want of me anymore:
I am already an evil-doer, evil-mannered, evil-minded and evil-natured.
My only hope is that His attribute of the Coverer of Sins covers me with a wave of the sea of His Mercy
Otherwise my correction is unlikely, the covering of my sins impossible.
Kurdish text:
له ناکه‌سکاریا خاکم به‌سه‌ر، رۆیی به‌با عومرم
خودا، تۆ بمژێنه تا له‌به‌ر قاپی که‌سێ ئه‌مرم
به ظایع چو له مالایه‌عنیا، وه‌قتم هه‌مو یه‌عنی
ئه‌بێ وه‌قتێ له‌بولوه‌قتێ بخوازم، تا تیابمرم
ئه‌جه‌ل ده‌ورم ده‌دا، حاظڕبه واده‌ی ده‌وروته‌سلیمه
منی غه‌فڵه‌تزه‌ده، تازه خه‌ریکی مه‌سئه‌له‌ی ده‌ورم
خه‌یاڵی پوچی دنیا، وا ده‌ماغو دڵمی پێچاوه
قیامه‌ت هه‌ر مه‌گه‌ر رۆژی، قیامه‌ت بێته‌وه فکرم
له‌پێ که‌وتومو نه‌فسم بۆ هه‌وا ده‌شنێ وه‌کو منداڵ
له‌به‌ر پیری سه‌رم خۆی ناگرێتو، تازه پێده‌گرم
چیه سوچو گوناهی؟ بۆچی ده‌یکاته جه‌زاخانه؟
له قه‌برهه‌ڵکه‌ن هه‌تا رۆژی جه‌زا، ده‌عوه‌ت چییه قه‌برم
سبه‌ینێ (یحشر المرء)ه براگه‌ل، فورسه‌ته ئه‌مڕۆ
ته‌به‌ڕابن له من، با که‌سنه‌بێ حه‌شری له‌گه‌ڵ حه‌شرم
!له من نازانم ئیتر، نه‌فسی به‌دخو چی ئه‌وێ (مه‌حوی)؟
که به‌د کردارو به‌د ره‌فتارو به‌د ئه‌فکارو به‌د طه‌ورم
مه‌گه‌ر به‌ر مه‌وجی به‌حری ره‌حمه‌تمکا، وه‌سفی سه‌تتاری
وه‌گه‌رنا، زه‌حمه‌ته پابونه‌وه‌م، نامومکینه سه‌ترم
Salam, I have been looking for this book for a very long time but because I live in the UK I haven’t been able to get how of one. But, I somehow came across your webpage and I was wondering if you by any chance know anywhere that sell this book?
Than you
Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,
I do not know where it can be bought in the West. I can email you a PDF version of his diwan if you are interested.