Fifty-one Yorùbá proverbs in which death, burial, mourning and the masquerade of the ancestors carry the argument, each with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation it is spoken in.
The Yorùbá wey dem quote, the proverbs, oríkì, ẹsẹ Ifá, word list headwords, Odù names and citations dey exactly as the corpus record dem, for every language.
Ikú na death, and Yorùbá dey treat am like wetin dey act instead of just wetin happen: di normal way to report death na ikú pa á, death kill am, with death as di subject of di verb. Dis file gather fifty-one proverbs where death, burial, mourning, or di egúngún masquerade of di ancestors dey do di work of di argument. Most of dem no really dey talk about mortality on its own. Dem na proverbs about caution, restraint, family relations and reputation wey bring in dead body, grave, or masquerade ancestor because dose pictures dey settle point wey ordinary gentle talk no fit settle.
Dis difference dey important for how dis file stand beside owe-death-ancestors-beyond, wey bring out everything from Owomoyela dedicated section on mortality. Dat file gather di proverbs wey di main topic na death itself: how e dey sure, how e no dey take side, and how e no fit reverse. Dis file gather di far bigger scattered body of proverbs where death na di instrument instead of di main topic, wey dem gather from five oda thematic parts of di same collection. No proverb appear for di two places.
Dem give di proverbs inside Owomoyela texts and translations unless dem name anoda source. Owomoyela notes wey dey inside bracket na di foundation of di Used when lines, and where di words inside di note na im own, dem quote am. Anything wey dem mark say na di compiler own come from dis collection itself and e confidence level lower.
Di Yorùbá texts from Owomoyela dey reproduced exactly as dem print am inside di digitised Good Person collection, in standard orthography with full tone marks and subdots . Dat collection encode im diacritics character by character instead of plain text, and dem bring out di readings here directly from dat encoding, so Owomoyela elisions and compressed forms, like A-ká-ìgbá-tà-á for entry 3 and bẹ́ṣín for entry 31, appear as dem print am instead of to make am normal.
Four texts inside dis file come from sources wey print Yorùbá without tone marks: entries 8, 9, 24 and 48, join with di funeral song inside di closing section, from Osoba socio-pragmatic study and Ademiluka article on funeral mourning . Dem copy dem without tone and flag dem for place, because to add diacritics to text wey no get tone dey add meaning wey di source no give. Neither Osoba nor Ademiluka name separate translator for di texts wey dem print, so dem give credit for di English inside dose entries to di author of di article.
Twelve proverbs here turn on egúngún, di masked figure wey people understand inside Yorùbá practice as ancestor wey return in form wey eye fit see. Di proverbs assume dat institution instead of to explain am, and dis file follow dem: e document wetin di proverbs take as given and e no dey argue for or against wetin di tradition talk about itself. Three things dey important to separate. Wetin di tradition talk about itself na say di pesin inside mask na di dead pesin wey return, na why di greeting for entry 12 na Baba kú àbọ̀, welcome back, father. Wetin di proverbs document as social fact na masquerade wey get cult head, di Alágbaà, yearly festival with fixed end, secret grove, and strict rules about wetin people wey dey look fit talk say dem see. Wetin historians and ethnographers document dey treated inside 06-orisa/24-ancestors-and-the-dead.md and dem no repeat am here. Di proverbs demsef often no dey show respect to di masker, as entries 13, 14 and 21 show, and dat lack of respect na part of di record.
Owomoyela own caution apply all through. E no attach any informant, date or place to any proverb, because proverbs na communal property .
Literal: Kò sí ikú there-is-no death tí kò rọ adìẹ that does-not suit the-chicken lọ́rùn at-the-neck.
Idiomatic: "There is no manner of death that is inconvenient for the chicken."
Meaning: For creature wey e sure say dem go kill, di method no be question wey dey open.
Used when: Owomoyela: "One is game for whatever propositions might be made to one"
Notes: Lọ́rùn, for di neck, call di real place where chicken dey die and make di proverb concrete instead of abstract. Di Yorùbá dey darker pass Owomoyela usage note, wey turn fatalistic observation into statement of willingness. Di two readings dey available because di proverb never talk whether di chicken lack of care na courage or say e no get any alternative, and dat ambiguity na di point.
Literal: Kàkà kí ilẹ̀ kú rather-than the-earth dies, ṣíṣá ni yó ṣàá becoming-bare is-what it-will-become.
Idiomatic: "Rather than die, the earth will only become bare."
Meaning: Di thing wey dem attack go lose cover, but e no go destroy.
Used when: Owomoyela: "One may be inconvenienced by one's enemies' machinations, but one will not be destroyed by them"
Notes: Di kàkà kí structure, rather-than, dey set up false alternative and come reject di bigger term, wey be standard Yorùbá way to reduce threat without denying say e dey. To choose ground as di subject make di point hard to argue against, since ground na di only thing inside di landscape wey pesin no fit comot, na only to uncover am. Compare entries 4 and 35, wey use di same frame reach di opposite conclusion.
Literal: A-ká-ìgbá-tà-á one-who-plucks-locust-bean-pods-to-sell náwó ikú spends death's-money.
Idiomatic: "He-who-plucks-the-African-locustbean-tree-seeds-to-sell spends death's money."
Meaning: Money wey pesin earn for work wey fit kill pesin na death money, wey dem collect against di earner life.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Whoever engages in a dangerous venture more than earns his/her pay"
Notes: Locust bean tree dey tall and di pods dey grow for di crown, so di person wey dey harvest am dey climb reach where hand no fit reach safely and di danger wey dem mention na real work danger, no be just figure of speech. Náwó ikú, to spend death money, dey make death be di creditor and di payment come be like advance salary, wey be stronger claim pass wetin Owomoyela note talk: e no dey talk say di work get good pay, but say di payment, dem already owe am for another place. Owomoyela print di proverb two times, under sharp eye (perspicaciousness) and under perseverance, wit di exact same words and note .
Literal: Ẹní dúró de erín whoever stands waiting-for an-elephant dúró dekú waits for-death; ẹní dúró dẹfọ̀n-ọ́n whoever waits for-a-buffalo dúró dèjà waits for-a-fight; ẹní dúró de eégún alágangan whoever waits for a-fleet-footed masquerader, ọ̀run ló fẹ́-ẹ́ lọ it-is-heaven he wants to-go-to.
Idiomatic: "Whoever waits in a charging elephant's path waits for death; whoever waits in a buffalo's path waits for an attack; whoever tarries before a fleet-footed masquerader hankers for a trip to heaven."
Meaning: To stand your ground for front of some kind things na decision to die.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Whoever sees trouble approaching and does not flee courts disaster"
Notes: Di three clauses dey escalate as e dey make di danger look like wetin no too fit kill person immediately, while di consequence dey come worse pass wetin person expect. To put di masquerader for di third position put ancestral figure for di same line wit elephant and buffalo, and di proverb no even send or shame about am. Ọ̀run here na di destination, di place beyond, and lọ sọ́run, to go heaven, na di normal indirect way to talk say person die.
Literal: Bí èṣù ikú when the-imp-of-death bá ńṣe ìgbín afflicts a-snail nìgbín ńyẹ́yin is-when the-snail lays-eggs.
Idiomatic: "It is when the snail wants to invite death that it lays eggs."
Meaning: Di action wey dey expose creature na di one e dey do just before dem catch am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "A person who knows an action will be disastrous but carries it out anyway deserves what he gets"
Notes: Èṣù ikú na death messenger or agent, and di phrase make death be like employer wey get workers instead of just ordinary single force. Di observation behind am na say snail wey dey lay egg dey stay one place and people dey see am, so di act of reproduction na still di moment wey e expose pass. Owomoyela note add moral of blame wey di Yorùbá no talk, since dem no describe di snail as wetin know anything; di text only observe fatal timing and di note turn am to judgement.
Literal: Ẹlẹ́dẹ̀ tó kú légbodò the-pig that dies at-the-new-yam-season ló ní is-who says ká fòun jẹyán we-should eat-pounded-yam with-it.
Idiomatic: "It is a pig that dies at the time of the harvesting of new yams that asks to be eaten with pounded yam."
Meaning: Di victim choose di season wey dem go chop am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "If one puts oneself in harm's way one deserves what one gets"
Notes: Ẹgbodò na new yam season, when pounded yam dey plenti and people dey find meat to follow am, so pig wey die dat time dey die enter high demand. Di joke na grammar joke: dem make di pig di subject of ló ní, na-who say, so dem give di animal credit say na im choose wetin dem go cook for im own funeral. Yorùbá proverbs dey give victim power to choose wetin happen to am well well, and most times, like as e dey here, na way to withdraw sympathy.
Literal: Ẹní bá pé whoever says kí àkàlà má jòkú that-the-ground-hornbill should-not eat-carrion, ojú-u rẹ̀ his-eyes lẹyẹ ńkọ́kọ́ yọ jẹ are-what the-bird will-first pluck-out and-eat.
Idiomatic: "Whoever says the ground-hornbill should not eat carrion, he or she will be the first to lose his or her eyes to the bird."
Meaning: If you stop creature from doing wetin dey inside im nature, na you e go first attack chop.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Whoever tries to prevent the inevitable will be trampled in the process of its occurring"
Notes: Di bird wey dey chop dead things dey first chop di eyes, and na correct observation of how animals dey feed on dead body, wey make di threat sharp well well: di person wey dey complain go lose di exact eye wey e take see wetin dey vex am. Jòkú, to chop dead body, na single join-body verb-object for Yorùbá and English need three words to talk am. Di proverb na warning make person no preach moral to process wey go continue weda you agree or you no agree.
Literal: Iku Ogun the-death of-war ni ipa akikanju is-what kills the-brave-one, Iku odo the-death of-the-river ni ipa Omuwe is-what kills the-swimmer.
Idiomatic: "A brave man perishes in battle at last, so too, a skilful swimmer often ends his life by drowning in water."
Meaning: Di thing wey person sabi pass na im dey kill am.
Used when: Osoba list am among proverbs of education and belief instead of to give situational note .
Notes: Osoba print this one without diacritics and na dat same way dem take reproduce am here. Di proverb give each death owner for grammar, iku Ogun and iku odo, di death wey belong to war and di death wey belong to river, wey be Yorùbá structure wey dey treat different kinds of death like categorized set instead of just one end wey be di same. Owomoyela collection use di same structure for entry 39 of this file. Osoba English na im own translation and e no mention any separate translator.
Literal: Bi eegun ban le ni if a-masquerader chases one k'ama r'oju let-one persevere, boti nre ara aye as it tires the-earth-dweller be lo nre ara orun so it tires the-heaven-dweller.
Idiomatic: "If the masquerade chases one, one should not give up because as human beings can get tied, so an the heavenly beings." The sentence is garbled in the printed source and is reproduced exactly as printed, including "tied" for tired and the incomplete final clause.
Meaning: Di person wey dey pursue from di other world dey tire di same way as di person wey im dey pursue.
Used when: Osoba arrange am under sympathy and advice, among proverbs wey dem dey use comfort person wey dey face hardship .
Notes: Osoba print dis one without tone mark and na so dem copy am put here, including di printing error dem, wey dem no correct here because di translation rule of dis corpus no allow make person silently correct source. Ará ayé and ará ọ̀run, di people of di world and di people of di beyond, na di standard paired terms for di living and di dead. Dis claim dey striking for theological matter and di proverb talk am plainly: di ancestor inside di mask dey tire too, so to endure na working strategy against am. Owomoyela print complete version wey get full tone mark for di same proverb, wey dem use for owe-work-farming-diligence and na why dem no repeat am here.
Literal: Eégún ju eégún masquerader surpasses masquerader; òrìṣá ju òrìṣà god surpasses god; Pààká lé oníṣàngó wọ̀gbẹ́ Pààká chases the-Ṣàngó-worshipper into-the-bush.
Idiomatic: "Some masqueraders are greater than others; some gods are greater than others; the masquerader Pààká chases the Ṣàngó worshipper into the bush."
Meaning: Rank dey inside di category of sacred beings, and dem dey show di ranking for public.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Every company get im hierarchy; make each person know im place"
Notes: Pààká na specific type of egúngún, and Ṣàngó na major òrìṣà, so di third clause no be just general illustration but specific claim about which cult dey give way for which one for street. Di proverb take am say dem dey settle dis hierarchy by practical demonstration instead of doctrine. Di normal way dem dey use am na purely secular, about precedence among human beings, and no person wey dey use am dey make theological argument.
Literal: Eégún ò na obìnrin lágọ̀ the-masquerader did-not strike the-woman with-his-shroud; obìnrín tú kíjìpá ìdí-i rẹ̀ the-woman unwraps the-home-woven-cloth at-her-waist, ó fi na eégún and-with-it strikes the-masquerader.
Idiomatic: "The masquerader did not hit a woman with his shroud, but the woman unwraps her home-woven wrapper and hits the masquerader with it."
Meaning: Trouble bypass am, but im go start am by imself.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person get luck say trouble overlook am, but im go deliberately provoke am"
Notes: Kíjìpá na di rough cloth wey dem weave locally, di ordinary wrapper instead of fine cloth, and dis detail matter because di woman dey use everyday cloth answer ritual costume. To hit egúngún na serious offence, so di comedy inside di proverb dey on top real offence. E belong to proverbs of caution and dem dey use am for anybody wey turn near-miss to direct hit.
Literal: Eégún pẹ́ lóde the-masquerader stayed-long outdoors, ó fètè òkè dáhùn he answers with-the-upper-lip-only; wọ́n ní they say, "Baba kú àbọ̀" "Father, greetings-on-your-return," ó ní he says, "Hì ìì."
Idiomatic: "The masquerader stayed too long on parade and is reduced to speaking with his upper lip. They said, 'Welcome, father,' and he responded, 'He-e-e-e.'"
Meaning: Person wey don overstay no fit answer properly again, and everybody dey hear am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person wey don disgrace imself dey talk softly"
Notes: Baba kú àbọ̀ na di formal greeting to di masquerade as ancestor wey return, so di crowd dey do di full ritual address and na grunt dem dey receive back. Di voice of egúngún na something wey dem dey normally disguise, na why tiredness dey first show for di voice. Di proverb na accurate observation say performer wey don pass im limit, na im voice dey expose am instead of im movement, and dem dey apply am to anybody wey im authority don stay pass im capacity to hold am.
Literal: Eégún wọlé the-masquerader enters-the-house, ó ní òun ò rí Ejonto he says he did-not see Ejonto; Ejontó ní Ejonto says, "Àkísà ni, àbí kíní wọlé?" "Is-it-a-rag, or what-thing entered?"
Idiomatic: "The masquerader enters a house and claims he did not see Ejonto; Ejonto asked, 'Is that a rag that entered the house, or what?'"
Meaning: Disrespect person and dem go call wetin you really be.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person wey disregard person go get disregard back"
Notes: Àkísà, wey mean rag, na di insult, and e dey exact instead of just to insult anyhow: dem dey join strips of cloth together take make egúngún costume, so to call am rag dey describe am correctly while e dey strip di costume of im status. Di proverb na model of Yorùbá insult technique, wey prefer true description wey dem deliver for wrong level pass make dem invent lie. Di dignity of di masquerade depend on make people no see am as ordinary cloth, and Ejonto comove dat dignity with question instead of direct claim.
Literal: Ẹ̀gbẹ̀rì ò mọ̀ pé the-uninitiated does-not know that arẹwà kì í gbé ẹ̀kú a-handsome-person does-not wear the-masquerade-shroud; gbogbo ehín kin-kìn-kin all the-gleaming-white teeth lábẹ́ aṣọ are-beneath the-cloth.
Idiomatic: "The novice does not know that a good-looking person does not wear a masquerade; all his perfectly white teeth are concealed beneath the cloth."
Meaning: Wetin make sense to show, na costume cover am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Na person wey no get sense dey hide wetin e get"
Notes: Ẹ̀gbẹ̀rì na person wey never join, person wey dey outside the cult, and the proverb talk am straight say na knowledge wey people outside no get, and dis one na rare instance wey proverb dey show say wetin dey inside no be for everybody. Kin-kìn-kin na ideophone for bright white wey clean. The argument na say the mask dey waste the person wey wear am, and dem dey use am tell person say the position wey e dey don hide wetin e fit do.
Literal: Ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ òjò a-great-deal-of rain ní ńlé eégún wọlé is-what drives the-masquerader indoors kẹri-kẹri for-good.
Idiomatic: "It is a deluge that chases the eégún masquerader indoors indefinitely."
Meaning: Na only power wey pass power fit comot person wey ordinary power no fit comot.
Used when: Owomoyela: "When wahala too much, person no go get choice pass to give up"
Notes: Na the masquerade normally dey pursue person and nobody dey pursue am, wetin entry 4, 9, and 22 all assume, so to make rain be wetin defeat am na well-calculated talk about scale. Kẹri-kẹri na ideophone for complete or final matter. The costume na cloth and rain dey spoil am, so the way e dey happen na practical matter instead of symbolic matter, and na so these proverbs dey normally handle sacred figures.
Literal: Bí eégún ó bàá wọlẹ̀ if a-masquerader is-about-to enter-the-ground, orò ni ńṣe it-is "orò" that-it-cries.
Idiomatic: "If a masquerader wishes to disappear into the ground, it cries 'Orò!'"
Meaning: Dem dey announce extraordinary thing before dem do am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person wey wan do extraordinary thing suppose give warning first"
Notes: Wọlẹ̀, to enter ground, na the disappearing act wey people believe say some masquerade dey do, and orò na the shout wey dey follow am. Wetin concern the proverb na the procedure instead of the belief: e no dey argue whether the masquerade disappear, e just talk say announcement must come first. Dem dey use am for anybody wey wan do drastic thing without warning.
Literal: Ẹni tó bá sọ pé whoever says that ẹsẹ̀ eégún ńhàn the-masquerader's legs are-showing ní ńwá abẹ́rẹ́ lọ is-who goes looking-for a-needle.
Idiomatic: "Whoever announces that the legs of the masquerader are showing is the one who goes in search of a needle."
Meaning: If you report the problem, na you go fix am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Some things dey wey eye see, but mouth no suppose talk say eye see am"
Notes: The leg wey show na failure of the illusion say masquerade no be human being, so to talk am aloud na to break the rule wey the whole institution stand on. The penalty simple well well: no be punishment but na to go sew cloth. Owomoyela note explain the underground rule clearly, say some things wey person see, person no suppose talk am, and na dis rule dey guide plenty of Yorùbá public behaviour beyond the masquerade matter.
Literal: Ọ̀kánjúwà alágbaà the-greedy Alágbaà ní ńgarùn wo eégún is-who stretches-the-neck to-watch a-masquerader.
Idiomatic: "It is an insatiable chief of the masqueraders cult that stands on tiptoes to watch a performing masquerader."
Meaning: Person wey get the thing dey stretch neck to look am join the crowd.
Used when: Owomoyela: "E no fine to do long throat, especially when everything already dey your hand anyway"
Notes: The Alágbaà na the head of the egúngún cult, so e get access to the grove, the costume, and the performer, and to stretch neck for street show say e no senior ordinary spectator again. Garùn, to stretch neck, na the physical sign. The proverb dey talk about how person dey lose respect when e dey rush in public to get wetin e already dey control in private.
Literal: Ẹlẹ́mùn-ún the-apprehender ò mú eégún does-not seize a-masquerader.
Idiomatic: "An apprehender does not apprehend a masquerader."
Meaning: Some people dey beyond the reach of whoever suppose enforce law.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Certain people pass who person fit control"
Notes: Four words, and e state jurisdictional fact: the officer wey e work na to catch person no get power over the masquerade, because for dis matter, the masquerade no be human being. Dem dey use the proverb for anybody wey e position dey protect from normal process, and e dey describe wetin dey happen instead of to support am. Compare am with entry 21, where dem talk about the same immunity with open disrespect.
Literal: Kí eégún tó dé before the-masquerader arrived lAlágbaà-á ti ńfọ̀lẹ̀lẹ̀ jẹ̀kọ the-Alágbaà was-already eating corn-loaf with-steamed-bean-loaf.
Idiomatic: "Long before the arrival of masqueraders the Alágbaà had been eating corn-meal with steamed bean loaves."
Meaning: The office and the food wey dey follow am don dey before the person wey think say na because of am dem gather show face.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person don dey do well before the other person show face"
Notes: Ẹ̀kọ and ọ̀lẹ̀lẹ̀ na ordinary everyday food, no be festival food, and dat na wetin di main point be: di head of di cult don dey chop normal food long time before di spectacle come exist. Di proverb na di standard Yorùbá answer to new person wey dey claim say na him make place be wetin e be. E assume say di people wey dey listen know say Alágbaà senior pass di masquerade wey e dey dress.
Literal: Ohun títán a-thing-that-ends lọdún eégún is-the-annual-masquerade-festival.
Idiomatic: "The annual egúngún festival is not endless."
Meaning: Even big event wey dey happen every year get last day.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Every condition dey end one day"
Notes: Owomoyela record one variant, Ohun títán leégún ọdún, wey e translate as "Di outing of di yearly egúngún na sometin wey get end," and di two arrangements dey carry di same meaning . Di festival na di biggest and longest public event for di year, and dat na wetin make am di correct example: if dat one dey end, no tin wey no go end. Dem dey use di proverb as comfort during hard times instead of to just talk about ritual.
Literal: Ẹni tó bá fi ojù àná wòkú whoever looks-at-the-dead with-yesterday's-eyes, ẹbọra a bọ́ ọ láṣọ the-spirit will strip him of-clothing.
Idiomatic: "Whoever looks at the dead with yesterday's eyes will be stripped naked by the spirits."
Meaning: If you treat sometin wey don change like wetin e be before, e go disgrace you.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person dey treat people according to di level wey dem don reach, no be according to how dem dey before"
Notes: Ẹbọra na spirit or supernatural power, and di punishment, wey be to pull person cloth for public, na di exact opposite of di mask wey turn di dead person into egúngún for di first place. Di proverb dey talk about to recognise status, and normal use na purely social, dem dey talk am about person wey still dey call anoda person by old play-play name wey don pass him current level. Say e use di dead as example dey show how Yorùbá thought treat death as complete change of standing.
Literal: Ọlọ́tọ̀ọ́ ní tòun ọ̀tọ̀ Ọlọ́tọ̀ says his-own-way is-separate; ìyá ẹ̀-ẹ́ kú nílé his mother dies at-home, o gbé e lọ sin sóko he carries her away to-bury on-the-farm.
Idiomatic: "Ọlọ́tọ̀ says his ways are different; his mother dies at home and he takes her to the farm for burial."
Meaning: Person wey like to do opposite go break rule for di exact place wey breaking am go cost pass.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person wey no dey follow normal way go always do tins different"
Notes: To bury person inside or beside compound na di Yorùbá norm and na wetin dey keep di dead inside family care, so to carry mama go bury for farm no be just say person dey do different, e mean say person cut tie. Di name Ọlọ́tọ̀ọ́ come from ọ̀tọ̀, separate or different, so di man name predict him character and di proverb partly dey crack joke about how name dey determine person behaviour. Owomoyela note dey softer pass di text, wey report real scandal.
Literal: adie-Irano the-fare-fowl kii se is-not ajegbe a-thing-eaten-without-return.
Idiomatic: "The fare-fowl is not eaten without reciprocation."
Meaning: Anybody wey chop for dis burial go provide di same tin for him own burial.
Used when: Ademiluka give am as di proverb wey follow di adie-Irano rite, and explain di custom wey e dey refer to: immediately after old person die, di first rite na to kill one fowl wey dem dey call adie-Irano, di fare-fowl, wey dem kill "to make di road to him ancestors easy for am," and wey "di undertakers chop ceremonially." E explain di saying say: "person wey join chop adie-Irano go provide di same tin one day when e die"
Notes: Ademiluka print dis one without tone marks and na so dem reproduce am. E credit di description of di rite give Awolalu and Dopamu, so dem document di custom through anoda source and di English explanation na Ademiluka own . Àjẹgbé na di regular Yorùbá term for sometin wey person chop without consequence or payback, and di proverb talk say dat kind tin no apply here. Wetin e dey show na funeral economy wey dey run on obligation instead of payment: to attend burial dey create debt wey dem go clear for your own. Whether di rite as dem describe am na general Yorùbá practice or e dey local to di communities wey Awolalu and Dopamu use, dis source no clear am. Confidence: medium.
Literal: Ẹlẹ́kún sunkún the-one-with-cause-to-weep weeps ó bá tirẹ̀ lọ and-goes-on with-his-own; aláròpa the-one-whose-mind-never-leaves-a-matter ìbá sunkún kò dákẹ́ would-weep and never-stop.
Idiomatic: "The person with a cause to cry cries and departs; if it were a person whose mind never leaves a problem he or she would never have stopped crying."
Meaning: Real grief get end. Overthinking no get.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person no suppose dey continuously hold onto him pain"
Notes: Ẹlẹ́kún, di owner of weeping, na di person wey get legitimate claim to mourn, category wey Yorùbá funeral practice recognise formally. To put am against di aláròpa accept di sorrow completely and only complain about how e dey drag, and na why dis one na consolation instead of blame. Di proverb na one of di few inside di collection wey see mourning wey get boundary as sign of good health instead of coldness.
Literal: Bí a kò bá lè kú if one cannot die, ìpẹ̀ là ńgbà consolation is-what one accepts.
Idiomatic: "If one is unable (or unwilling) to die, one accepts consolation." The parenthetical is Owomoyela's.
Meaning: Since you no go die from dis tin, take heart.
Dem dey use am when: Owomoyela: "Unless person wan die sake of grieving, make e gree make dem comfort am"
Notes: Dem dey talk dis proverb give person wey lose somebody, and di way e dey work na by mentioning di only other option apart from to accept comfort, wey be to die of grief, and dat one dey make am clear say to accept comfort na di obvious choice. Wetin Owomoyela put wey be "(or unwilling)" maintain one real double meaning inside kò lè kú, wey cover both say person no fit and say person refuse. Ìpẹ̀ specifically na di consolation wey other people dey bring when somebody die, wey be formal social act instead of just private feeling, so wetin dem dey encourage na to participate inside di ritual.
Literal: Ọmọ orogún ẹ-ẹ́ kú your co-wife's child dies, o ní you say ẹní rí ẹ lọ́run ò purọ́ whoever-said-they-saw-you-in-heaven did-not lie; bí tìẹ́ bá kú ńkọ́? what-if your-own dies?
Idiomatic: "The child of your rival-wife dies and you say the person who saw you in heaven did not lie; what if your own child dies?"
Meaning: You don use all your grief show finish for another person loss, come remain nothing for your own.
Dem dey use am when: Owomoyela: "Person no suppose overdo when e dey share other people sorrow"
Notes: Orogún na rival-wife (co-wife), so from di start di too much mourning don dey suspicious, and di proverb no talk whether na real or eye-service. Rí ẹ lọ́run, to see you for heaven, na claim say person mourn reach ground well-well, almost like say di person die sef. Di question wey end am na di main point of di proverb: e no dey accuse person, e dey ask wetin dem keep for reserve, and dem dey use am for anybody wey dia reaction pass di matter wey happen.
Literal: Bí olóde ò kú if the-owner-of-a-yard does-not die, òdee rẹ̀ kì í hu gbẹ́gi his yard does-not sprout wild-grass.
Idiomatic: "If the owner of a yard does not die, his yard is not overgrown with wild grass."
Meaning: Compound wey nobody care for mean say di person wey dey maintain am don go.
Dem dey use am when: Owomoyela: "If person no die, e go fit take care of im own matter"
Notes: Di proverb dey reason from wetin dem see go back to wetin cause am, na why person fit use am as accusation and also as ordinary observation: compound wey nobody maintain na either somebody die or say na wetin dem dey report as death. Dem dey sweep Yorùbá compound everyday and how di ground be na public information about di household. Compare entry 22, where dem apply dis same logic of reading status from surface to di dead people demsef.
Literal: Ẹni tí ó mú u lórí the-one holding it by-the-head ní ó kú says it is-dead, ìwọ tí o mú u lẹ́sẹ̀-ẹ́ you who hold it by-the-feet ní ó ńjòwèrè say it is-convulsing.
Idiomatic: "The person holding it by the head says it is dead; you who are holding it by the feet say it is going through death throes."
Meaning: Di person wey dey di head get di correct information. Di person wey dey di leg get ordinary opinion.
Dem dey use am when: Owomoyela: "Novice no suppose claim say e sabi pass expert"
Notes: Di scene na two men wey dey carry dead body or animal wey dem kill, and di argument depend on position: na for di head dem dey confirm death, and movement for di leg na just remaining shake-shake wey anybody fit misread. Jòwèrè na di twitching of creature wey dey die or wey dem just kill. Di proverb clear well-well on why one witness get authority pass another, as e put authority inside access instead of status, wey no be di regular Yorùbá arrangement.
Literal: Kí a baà lè pẹ́ níbẹ̀ just-so-that one may-delay there, abuké ní the-hunchback says bí òún bá kú if he dies, kí wọ́n ti ẹ̀hìn tú ìfun òun they-should from-the-back remove his intestines.
Idiomatic: "Just to delay people deliberately, the humpback says when he dies his intestines should be removed from the back."
Meaning: Di instruction wey no fit happen na plan to delay everybody.
Dem dey use am when: Owomoyela: "Dem dey talk am about people wey dey use clear delaying tactics"
Notes: Di instruction na burial instruction, na wetin give am power be dat: normally dem dey follow burial instructions without argument, so instruction wey no fit work dey turn dat obligation into weapon. Di proverb dey at di expense of hunchback person and e belong to one class of Yorùbá texts wey dey use physical difference do comedy; dem record am here as part of di documented material, no be say dem endorse am. Owomoyela print am without any comment on dat side.
Literal: Gba-n-gba là ńṣe gbàǹgbà openly is-how one does open-things; bẹ́ṣín bá kú if-a-horse dies, ìta gbangba là ńsin í sí it-is in-the-open that we bury it.
Idiomatic: "One performs one's great feats in the open; if a horse dies, one buries it in a wide open space."
Meaning: Big matter no fit conclude for secret.
Dem dey use am when: Owomoyela: "Person no suppose try hide weighty matters"
Notes: Di reasoning first be physical before e be moral: horse too big to bury inside house or inside compound yard, so na di dead body force di matter come outside, no be say dem choose am to show off. Horse na prestige property inside di Yorùbá savannah kingdoms, wey make dead horse be public loss and also logistical problem. Di way dem repeat gbangba, openly, three times inside different forms na di rhythm of di proverb, and English no carry any of am.
Literal: Ẹyẹlé ní the-pigeon says òun ò lè bá olúwa òun jẹ it cannot eat with its-owner, kí òun bá a mu and drink with-him, kí ó di ọjọ́ ikú-u rẹ̀ and-then when it-becomes his day-of-death kí òun yẹrí it ducks-its-head.
Idiomatic: "The pigeon says it cannot share its owner's food and drink, and then, when the day of his death arrives, duck its head."
Meaning: As di bird don chop join di man for table, e no go draw bodi back for im burial.
Used when: Owomoyela: "If pesin follow anoda pesin enjoy good times, e suppose dey ready to follow am bear bad times too"
Notes: Yẹrí, to bend or draw head back, na di gesture to avoid sacrifice, and pigeon na standard bird for sacrifice and burial, so di bird dey refuse to refuse. Di proverb put di argument for di mouth of di animal wey dem wan kill, wey come make loyalty look like wetin di victim choose to do, no be wetin dem force on top am. Na di clearest statement for inside dis file on top wetin dem understand say e dey cost to attend burial.
Literal: Ẹni tí ó sùn the-person who sleeps tó ní òún kú yet says he-is dead, tó bá jí when he wakes, ta ni yó wìí fún? whom will-he tell-it-to?
Idiomatic: "The person who is asleep but spreads the word that he or she is dead, when he or she awakens whom will he or she tell?"
Meaning: Announce say you don die, and you don remove di pipo wey suppose see say you recover.
Used when: Owomoyela: "If pesin paint imsef put for corner, e don really trap imsef"
Notes: Owomoyela print dis one immediately afta anoda related text wey e translate as "Anybody wey wan die decent death, make e live decent life," with di explanation say "Di way pesin take live, na so e go die, and na so dem go take remember am" Di proverb dey talk about wetin e dey cost pesin when e exaggerate word, and e choose di one claim wey pesin no fit take back without looking foolish. Di Yorùbá joke na grammar matter, since dead pesin no get anybody to correct di record with.
Literal: Bí olókùnrùn yó bàá kú if the-invalid is-going-to die, kó má purọ́ mọ́ àlapà let-him not lie against the-melon-seed-loaf; omitooro kì í korò broth is-never bitter.
Idiomatic: "If an invalid is approaching death, he should not lie about the melon-seed loaf; stew is never bitter."
Meaning: Blame di correct tin. No be di food do wetin dey worry you.
Used when: Owomoyela: "If pesin must make excuses for im weakness, make e give excuse wey make sense"
Notes: Di second part na di refutation and e be direct statement of fact about cooking, wey make di excuse scatter. Àlapà na steamed melon-seed loaf, ordinary food for sick pesin. Di proverb na one of di few for inside di collection wey catch pesin wey dey die for small lie, and wey no dey complain about di lie itself but say di excuse no make sense at all, wey be clear Yorùbá way to rank di offence.
Literal: Onígbèsè èèyàn-án ti kú the-debtor person has-already died; a ò tíì sìnkú ẹ̀ ni it-is-only that we-have-not-yet buried him.
Idiomatic: "The habitual debtor is already dead; except that he has not yet been buried."
Meaning: Pesin wey dey live on top anoda pesin money don finish, and di burial na just formality.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Pesin wey normal life na to dey borrow debt no beta pass dead pesin"
Notes: Sìnkú, to do burial, na combination of sin, to escort or accompany, and ikú, death, so for grammar, Yorùbá burial na to escort di dead, no be just to dispose bodi. Di proverb use dat one draw line between two tins wey normally dey go togeda, to die and to get buried, and e put di debtor for di middle. E belong togeda with di debt proverbs for owe-wealth-poverty-money, where dem take debt as loss of standing instead of just financial state.
Literal: Ẹní du ara-a rẹ̀ lóyè Apènà whoever deprives himself of-the-title Apènà: kó tó jẹ ẹran ọ̀fẹ́ before he eats free meat, ó dọ̀run he-has-reached heaven.
Idiomatic: "Whoever deprives himself of the title of Apena will wait until he dies before tasting free meat."
Meaning: Reject di position and you go don die before di benefits reach you.
Used when: Owomoyela: "If pesin no grab opportunities when dem show face, hard life dey wait for am"
Notes: Apènà na titled post for inside Ogbóni society, and di pipo wey hold am dey get share of sacrifice meat, so ẹran ọ̀fẹ́, free meat, na specific benefit wey dem fit count, no be just figure of speech. Ó dọ̀run, e don reach di beyond, na di soft word wey dey do di work: di proverb describe whole life of being excluded by naming where e go end. Dis na proverb about institutional advantage wey present imsef as advice about food.
Literal: Owó kì í lóye money is-never so-counted kọ́mọ kú sẹ́rú that-a-child dies in-slavery.
Idiomatic: "If the amount of money is known, a child cannot die in slavery."
Meaning: Anywhere wey price dey, way to redeem pesin dey.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Pesin no dey endure bad condition when e get power to try escape am"
Notes: Di proverb assume say redemption system dey where dem fit pay fixed amount buy back pesin wey dey for pawn or slavery, wey make di argument work: price wey dem know na problem wey get solution. Kú sẹ́rú, to die for inside slavery, na di outcome wey di family fail to prevent. Di text na evidence about di institution as much as about effort, and e treat di failure like family own, no be owner own.
Literal: Owó kì í yéye money is-never so-plentiful kọ́mọ ó kú that-a-child dies.
Idiomatic: "If money is available in abundance, a child does not die."
Meaning: Anywhere wey resources dey, make pikin die na failure to spend dem.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Pesin no suppose spare money to take care of im pikin or im affairs"
Notes: Owomoyela record this one as variant of entry 37 , and e make sense to keep the two of dem together because to change lóye (counted) put yéye (plenty) dey shift the claim from redemption go medical and material care. If pesin read the proverb direct as e dey, e no be true and every Yorùbá speaker know this one, since pikin from rich family dey die normally; e dey work as standard for effort instead of wetin the final result be. Level of confidence on the force of the claim: medium.
Literal: Dídán là ńdán ọ̀ràn wò boldly is-how one tries a-matter out; bí olówó ẹní kú if one's creditor dies, à lọ ṣúpó one goes to-inherit-the-widow.
Idiomatic: "One should give everything a try; if one's owner dies one goes to claim his wife."
Meaning: Make pesin try even the claim wey im no get right to make.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Pesin suppose try even wetin no dey possible"
Notes: Ṣúpó na the widow-inheritance tradition wey make dead man wife dey pass give pesin for im family lineage, so the mind wey the pesin get dey clear: debtor or pesin wey dey depend on person no get any place for that succession, but e still dey propose imself anyway. The proverb dey happy about the bold face instead of to condemn am. E document the tradition as by the way, and na the tradition, no be the bold face, dey show how old the text be.
Literal: Jẹ́ kí ọmọ ó ti ọwọ́ ìyá-a ẹ̀ kú wá let the-child die from his-own-mother's hand.
Idiomatic: "Let a child die at his/her own mother's hands."
Meaning: Leave the destruction for the pesin wey get the matter.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Pesin no suppose put mouth for the matter of pesin wey set im mind to destroy imself"
Notes: The proverb na to pull hand comot, no be instruction to kill anybody, and the power of the proverb dey come from naming the one help wey nobody go try make. Ti ọwọ́ ... wá, wey mean "to come from the hand of", dey put responsibility without saying the pesin plan am, so the mama na the direct cause instead of the killer. Na bystander wey refuse to put hand for family matter dey talk am, and the harshness na the main point: for some level, to help pesin na to put mouth for wetin no concern you.
Literal: Aláìnítìjú the-shameless-one lọ kú sílé àna-a rẹ̀ goes to-die in the-house of-his-in-laws.
Idiomatic: "A shameless person goes to die in his relative-in-laws' house."
Meaning: E carry the one load wey pesin no fit reject go put for the house wey im get least claim on.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Pesin no suppose ever lower imself with bad character"
Notes: Death for house dey force the house owner to bear all the cost and ritual of burial, and in-law na marriage relation no be blood lineage, so the duty dey fall on people wey no fit reject am and no be dem get the responsibility before. Ìtìjú na the ability to feel shame wey dem treat as natural sense, wey dem talk more about for owe-shame-reputation-being-seen. The proverb make dying look like action wey get place wey e happen, and therefore e be something wey pesin fit do with bad manner.
Literal: Kàkà kí àgbò ké rather-than the-ram cries-out, àgbò a kú the-ram will die.
Idiomatic: "Rather than cry out, the ram will die."
Meaning: To keep quiet under knife na the whole standing of ram, and e go spend im life for am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Grown man must know how to hide im pain"
Notes: Dem dey slaughter ram without the noise wey goat dey make, and na that observation the proverb rely on, and the animal na the standard Yorùbá symbol for man dignity. Owomoyela state the moral as wetin dem expect from men, and e make sense to note how plenty material for this file dey assign calm behavior to men and loud crying to women, just as entry 25 and 27 do. That sharing na fact about the recorded corpus.
Literal: Bí mo bá torí oko kú if I die on-account-of a-farm ng ó rò fáhéré I-will lay-the-case before-the-farm-hut; bí mo bá torí ọ̀gẹ̀dẹ̀ kú if I die on-account-of bananas ng ó rò fódò I-will lay-the-case before-the-river; bí mo bá torí alábàjà òkíkí kú if I die on-account-of the-famous-scarified-woman, ng ó rò fórí-ì mi I-will lay-the-case before-my-own-orí.
Idiomatic: "If I die on account of a farm, I will lay my case before the hut; if I die on account of bananas, I will lay my case before the river; if I die on account of the famous woman with facial scarification, I will lay my case before my head."
Meaning: Every death get authority wey fit hear the complaint, and for death over woman matter, the authority na pesin own destiny.
Used when: Owomoyela: "If I die for woman matter, the powers wey dey arrange my fortune go know why"
Notes: Rò fún, to carry case go meet pesin, na the language of formal complain to elder or court, so the proverb imagine say pesin fit carry death matter go court and then e assign jurisdiction. The step-by-step increase na the argument: farm to hut, banana to river, woman to orí, the inner head wey choose the destiny. To name orí as the final court agree say na before birth dem choose this death and therefore e no be any other pesin fault, wey be defense wey dem dress like travel steps. Alábàjà na name for specific pattern of tribal mark for face.
Literal: O sá fún ikú you fled from death, o bọ́ sí àkọ̀ idà you dropped into a-sword's-scabbard.
Idiomatic: "You run from death and seek refuge in a scabbard."
Meaning: The hiding place wey dem choose na the cover of the thing wey dey kill.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Dem dey talk am about pesin wey enter worse wahala pass the one wey im dey run from"
Notes: Wetin the proverb dey describe straight well-well, e no just be ironi: scabbard na where blade dey stay, so the person wey dey run don climb enter inside the weapon house. Bọ́ sí, to drop or slip enter inside, dey show say the move no even be intentional, wey make the matter worse. Na this one tight pass among all the proverbs for this file wey talk about running away, and na him people dey quote pass.
Literal: Kàkà ká dọ̀bálẹ̀ fún Gàm̀bàrí rather-than we prostrate ourselves for-a-Hausa-person, ká rọ́jú ká kú let-us set-our-face and die.
Idiomatic: "Rather than prostrate oneself in homage or obeisance to a Hausa person, one should rather die."
Meaning: E better make person die pass make e surrender that kind way.
Used when: Owomoyela explain the proverb himself say na "an expression of Yoruba superciliousness towards the Hausa"
Notes: We put this one here because Owomoyela record am and label am, and we bring am out here as documented ethnic attitude instead of advice, as e dey follow how this corpus dey report record instead of choosing wetin e like. Dọ̀bálẹ̀ na the full prostration wey Yorùbá man dey do for elder or person wey senior am, so the proverb no just dey talk about respect generally, but about doing the Yorùbá gesture for non-Yorùbá. Gàm̀bàrí na the Yorùbá word for Hausa person and e carry that looking-down wey Owomoyela identify. Compare entry 42, where the same kàkà frame no carry that kind meaning.
Literal: Odídẹrẹ́ the-parrot kì í kú does-not die sóko ìwájẹ in-the-field-of-foraging.
Idiomatic: "The parrot never dies in the grazing field."
Meaning: The bird wey go outside go find food dey come back house.
Used when: Owomoyela: "A prayer that just as the parrot always returns home from grazing, the subject of the prayer will return home safely from a business venture away from home"
Notes: This one na prayer instead of ordinary observation, as Owomoyela note show clearly, and e dey among the type of Yorùbá talk wey dey use proverb form make the wish strong and work. The grey parrot na valuable bird for trade and e sabi fly well wey dey return go roost, so no be just random say dem choose am. Dem dey tell person wey dey travel or go trade.
Literal: Ẹlẹ́jọ́ kú sílé the-party-to-the-case dies at-home, aláròyé kú síta gbangba the-spokesman dies out in-the-open.
Idiomatic: "The person involved in an affair dies at home; the spokesperson dies out in the open."
Meaning: The person wey get the quarrel dey die inside house. The person wey carry the matter for his head dey die for street.
Used when: Owomoyela: "The busybody's fate is worse than that of the person involved in the affair"
Notes: To die for house na the good death for Yorùbá eye, say people dey around and dem bury person well, and to die síta gbangba, for open, na shame and disgrace, so the proverb arrange the two death without explaining the ranking to anybody wey suppose understand am. Aláròyé na person wey dey talk plenty for another person matter. The proverb na warning against putting mouth for person matter, and na the person wey volunteer to carry the matter e target, no be the main owner of the problem.
Literal: Iku ti yoo pani the-death that would kill-one, b'o ba si ni if it merely brushes one, ni fila takes-the-cap, k'ama d'upe let-us give-thanks.
Idiomatic: "The death that should kill us, if it removed our caps, we should be grateful."
Meaning: The disaster wey for take your life take only your cap, so count am say God save you.
Used when: Osoba put am under sympathy and advice, and e report am for his main text as the way Ifẹ̀ people dey use "of sympathizing with and advising themselves" when "a man falls into the hand of thieves and his good are stolen" The quoted wording, plus the printing mistake dem, na his own.
Notes: Osoba print this one without tone marks and na so we take reproduce am. The proverb dey compare wetin lost against the biggest loss wey fit happen and e see say e small, wey be the normal way Yorùbá people dey take console person: e no dey deny say bad thing happen, e just dey value the loss differently. The cap make sense as dem choose am because na the thing wey person dey wear wey dey show pass and wey easy pass to snatch, so the picture na robbery wey stop exactly where e for fit continue. Osoba no mention any different translator and the English na his own.
Literal: Ọ̀mọ̀rán bèèrè ọ̀ràn wò the-knowledgeable-one asks about-a-matter to-test-it; Àjàpá ní Tortoise says, "Ẹni tí wọ́n pa lánàá "the-person they killed yesterday, kàà kú tán?" is-he-not completely dead?"
Idiomatic: "The sage asks for information; Àjàpá the trickster asks, 'About the person who was killed yesterday, is he already dead?'"
Meaning: Difference dey between question wey person ask to get information and question wey person ask to do show.
Used when: Owomoyela: "If you know the answer to a question already, don't ask it"
Notes: Àjàpá the tortoise na the Yorùbá trickster, wey dem discuss well for owe-tortoise-ijapa-trickster, and his question dey show his character: technically nothing wrong with am, but socially people no fit take am. Kú tán, to finish die, na the completive wey make the question no make sense, since say dem kill person yesterday don settle the matter. The proverb dey separate enquiry from mockery, and dem dey use am when person ask question wey the answer dey stand right in front of am.
Literal: Ẹní bá na Ọ̀yẹ̀kú whoever whips Ọ̀yẹ̀kú á ríjà Ogbè will find the-quarrel of-Ogbè.
Idiomatic: "Whoever whips Ọ̀yẹ̀kú will have Ogbè to answer to."
Meaning: Touch the person wey dem dey protect, and you don call the protector.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "If pesin attack pesin wey get protector, make e ready to answer to di protector"
Notes: Ogbè and Ọ̀yẹ̀kú na di fest two odù, di sixteen main figures for Ifá divination, and dem normally dey pair dem togeda, so di proverb dey assume sey di listener sabi sey if you touch one, you go face di oda one. Ọ̀yẹ̀kú na di odù wey dem take connect death and darkness pass for Ifá literature, na why di proverb dey inside dis file, even though di text itself no tok directly about death. For hia, dem treat di odù like personified agents instead of just ordinary configurations, and na normal tin for how dem dey use proverb. Dem document di divination system of Ifá inside owe-ifa-babalawo-divination.
Literal: Adìẹ ò lè a-chicken cannot ti ìwòyí at-this-hour sunkún ehín weep-for teeth.
Idiomatic: "Chicken cannot at this late date bemoan its lack of teeth."
Meaning: Di taim wey you for don want dat tin na bifor dem make you without am.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "Evritin get im own proper taim"
Notes: Sunkún, wey mean to krai, na di verb for mourning throughout dis file, and to apply am to permanent condition instead of loss na wetin make di proverb absurd: di fowl dey krai for wetin e neva get bifor and wetin e no fit don lose. Ìwòyí na dis hour or dis stage, and e show sey di complaint late inside di sequence, no be just sey e wrong. Dem dey use di proverb take reject grievance based on taiming, and e match entry 25 wey reject grief based on duration.
Four tins dey clear across all dis fifty-one proverbs wey no go show if pesin look only one of dem.
Death na majorly tool hia, e no be topic. Na only few of dis texts dey try tok somtin about mortality. Di rest dey reach for dead bodi, grave, burial or masquerade bikos dat kain image dey close argument wey noting else fit close: entry 35 make debtor die to settle question about credit, entry 41 make death rude to settle question about imposition, entry 44 make sword sheath fatal to settle question about flight. Owomoyela own arrangement na di evidence, bikos every proverb inside dis file na under humility, wisdom, caution, perseverance or honesty e file dem, instead of under mortality. Any collection wey gather all di death-imagery proverbs put inside one chapter wey dem call "death" dey produce false impression of wetin Yorùbá speakers dey tok about wen dem use dem.
Di masquerade proverbs dey irreverent, and dat one no be contradiction. Twelve proverbs hia turn on egúngún, and dem show di masquerade wen e taya (12), wen dem call am rag (13), wen im own cult head dey stretch neck look am (18), wen rain drive am enter house (15), and wen im leg dey show (17). None of dis read as scepticism about di institution. Di same set assume without argument sey nobody fit arrest am (19), sey to wait for am na way to die (4), and sey e must announce imsef bifor e disappear (16). Wetin di proverbs record na tradition wey fit crack joke about di mechanics of im sacred figures without doubting dem, and to read di jokes as evidence of disbelief dey bring distinction wey di texts no make at all.
Burial na obligation wey get named owner, and di proverbs dey exact about who suppose carry am. Dem dey escort dead bodi, dem no dey just dispose of am, na wetin sìnkú literally tok for entry 35. Na family people dey do di escorting, na why entry 41 identify dying for in-law house as shameless tin and why di adie-Irano saying for entry 24 make eating for funeral look like debt wey pesin must pay for im own funeral. Owomoyela fuller text on kinship, wey dem quote inside owe-family-lineage-compound, make di same point positively: na pesin own family dey bury am. Di proverbs treat funeral as transaction between identifiable parties instead of just rite wey whole community dey perform.
Dem expect grief make e get boundary, and na proverb dem dey take enforce dat boundary. Entry 25 allow di weeper im weeping and only object wen e refuse to stop. Entry 26 offer consolation by pointing out sey di alternative na to die. Entry 27 ask wetin di excessive mourner leave for im own pikin. Entry 42 require man make e die silently. Wen you take dem togeda, dem describe mourning culture wey get formal permission to grieve and formal pressure to finish, and na through dis exact texts dem dey apply di pressure. Sey di composure proverbs name men and di excess proverbs name women na pattern inside di recorded corpus instead of claim wey dis file fit settle, and e match di asymmetry wey dem note inside owe-iwa-character.
Wetin follow no be òwe. Na funeral dirge, different oral genre wey get different rules, and dem add am hia bikos e show wetin di proverbs above leave out: di proverbs no dey ever console for long, but na almost only dat console dis dirge dey do.
Original (printed without tone marks) :
Baba lo gbere a ko rii mo / Erin wo, erin lo / Ajanaku subu ko le g'oke / Eni rere lo s'ajule orun / O d'arinako, o d'oju ala / K'a to tun f'oju ganni ara wa / Ma j'okun, ma j'ekolo / Ohun won nje l'ajule orun ni k'o je / Sun're, eni rere, orun re o.
Literal gloss:
Baba lo gbere father has-gone forever a ko rii mo we do-not see-him anymore / Erin wo elephant collapses, erin lo elephant goes / Ajanaku subu elephant falls ko le g'oke it cannot climb-up / Eni rere good person lo s'ajule orun goes to-the-realm-of heaven / O d'arinako it becomes meeting-on-the-road, o d'oju ala it becomes face-of a-dream / K'a to tun f'oju ganni ara wa before we again see each-other with-eyes / Ma j'okun do-not eat millipede, ma j'ekolo do-not eat earthworm / Ohun won nje l'ajule orun the-thing they eat in-the-realm-of heaven ni k'o je is-what you-must eat / Sun're sleep-well, eni rere good person, orun re o heaven is-good o.
Idiomatic English:
"Papa don go forever, we no dey see am again / Elephant don fall, elephant don go / Elephant don fall, e no fit stand up / Good person don go heaven / Na for road, inside dream / We go see again / No chop millipede or earthworm / Chop anything wey dem dey chop for heaven / Sleep for peace, good person; farewell!"
Translator: S. O. Ademiluka
Notes: Ademiluka print di text without tone marks, e talk say na from Daramola and Jeje e take am, and na so dem reproduce am here . E describe am as popular Yorùbá dirge wey dem dey sing during burial, for di compound gathering wen dem announce death, and throughout di feast wey dey follow am, and e note say dirge dey narrate "di good deeds of di person wey die, im genealogy, im praise names, and im farewell" Di elephant na di standard oríkì figure for great person, and Ajanaku na praise-name for elephant, so line two and three na praise poetry wey dey inside di lament. Di instruction say make e no chop millipede or earthworm na instruction say make e no chop di way person wey dem bury dey chop, wey dey tell di deceased make e take im place among di ancestors instead of make e remain inside ground. Di proverbs inside dis file assume say na dis world; di dirge address am directly, and di two genres dey do different work.
Twenty-six Yorùbá proverbs on mortality, ìkú (death), and ọ̀run (the beyond), drawn from Owomoyela's dedicated section on the subject, showing how ordinary speech treats death as certain, undodgeable, and impartial.
Fifty Yorùbá proverbs on ọ̀run-àpáàdì, orí and àyànmọ́ (fate and destiny), drawn from Owomoyela's dedicated section "On fate (and reciprocity)," showing destiny as chosen before birth, unappealable, yet compatible with real human effort.
Forty-five Yorùbá proverbs on childhood, youth, elderhood and the passage of a life from one station to the next, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.
Sourced Yorùbá proverbs about the household, the lineage, the father's house and the obligations that follow from being born into a particular family.
Thirty-eight Yorùbá proverbs in which kinship is argued through the body, blood as substance and as evidence, bone and marrow as the limit of what can be extracted, flesh and the breast, and resemblance as the proof of descent, each with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation it is spoken in.
Fifty-eight Yorùbá proverbs on character, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.