“Pen to Poet Is Weapon” — the Pastoral
in Abdirahman Mirreh’s Poetry (1976-1994)

“Pen to Poet Is Weapon” — the Pastoral in Abdirahman Mirreh’s Poetry (1976-1994)

Abstract

This paper examines three collections of poetry by Abdirahman Gaileh Mirreh (1942-2000). If anything, Mirreh can be described as a poet who uses his words to advance a more democratic, more just, simpler, and greener world, not just for humans but also for the fauna and flora.

This article mainly focuses on environmental and philosophical themes developed in Mirreh’s poems from a yearning to go back to the motherland, to a nostalgia for an undemanding lifestyle, Mirreh does not limit his poetry to one theme but rather evokes all aspects of life while still questioning them, aiming to foreground a more balanced view of Somalia and the world at large.

This paper sheds light on a ‘neglected’ yet brave and daring Norwegian Somali poet by contextualizing his poetry as one driven by the idea of being a citizen of the world and the environmentalist aspects of a new greener world view.