Thirteen sourced Yorùbá proverbs on shame, disgrace and reputation, presented with the original, a literal gloss, and a named translation, honestly reflecting how thin this theme is in the digitised record available to this corpus.
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.
Ìtìjú na shame, and di idiom wey dem dey use pass for am, ojú tì, literally mean say "eye push" or "dem close eye against," di feeling say person no fit raise face look people wen dem dey look am. Dis file gather thirteen Yorùbá proverbs wey shame, disgrace, or di fact say people dey look and judge person na im be di main topic. Dem no treat shame like just feeling wey person go manage, but like social event wey get schedule and cost: e dey happen within one day but person go dey feel am every day after, person fit avoid am if e no put body for situation wey dey bring am, and e dey hook anybody wey forget di boundary wey suppose keep am far.
Na dis file small pass for inside dis batch of di corpus, and di fact say e small na finding wey make sense to talk clearly instead of to dey beg apology for am. Owomoyela digitised Yorùbá Proverb Treasury , wey be di primary source wey dem mine across sibling files 01, 03, 04, 05 and others for dis section, no get separate section for shame or reputation di way e get for truthfulness, humility, or patience. Di vocabulary of shame for Yorùbá, ìtìjú, ojú tì, tijú, dójútì, scatter enter Owomoyela sections on humility, self-restraint, daring, and character, mostly as di penalty clause for di end of proverb wey im main topic na anoda thing: overreach, laziness, debt, or to forget person level. Wen dem check two of Owomoyela digitised parts well-well, on humility and self-knowledge and on fortitude and daring, dem find thirteen entries wey shame or disgrace, no be anoda fault, na im di proverb really dey talk about, and wey no repeat material wey dey already inside owe-iwa-character, owe-truthfulness-lying-integrity, or owe-pride-humility-self-knowledge.
Whether dat scarcity dey show sometin real about how Yorùbá proverb-makers treat shame, as sometin wey dey follow other faults instead of topic wey stand on im own wey deserve im own proverbs, or whether e dey show gap for wetin Owomoyela fieldwork record and wetin dem come digitise later, person no fit conclude from dis evidence alone. Di two na live possibilities and dis file no pick one over di other. Wen dem search for extra academic sources wey specifically discuss Yorùbá shame or reputation proverbs with original text and translation, dem see several peer-reviewed candidates, including one 2012 Journal of African Cultural Studies article wey analyse Yorùbá proverbs about leprosy and social exclusion, and one 2017 Africology article on omoluabi virtue, but all of dem dey behind paywall or access wall (403 responses from academia.edu and ResearchGate, subscription-gated for di publisher side) wey dem no fit clear within dis session. Instead make person quote proverbs second-hand from search engine summary of paper wey dis corpus no fit actually read, dem name dose sources here as leads for future work and dem no carry anything from dem. Di count below truly short pass di other files for dis section, and e short for documented reason no be by accident.
Di proverbs wey dey below come from Owomoyela digitised The Good Person: Excerpts from the Yorùbá Proverb Treasury, wey dey hosted by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries Electronic Text Center: Part 1, "On humility, self-control, self-knowledge, self-respect, and self-restraint," and Part 4, on fortitude, daring, and related conduct . Di two parts print each proverb for standard orthography with full tone mark-dem, followed by Owomoyela own English translation and usage note inside bracket. Di Yorùbá text and di quoted idiomatic English below na Owomoyela own, wey dem reproduce as dem print am. Di literal glosses na di compiler own, wey e build from di Yorùbá, except where dem quote Owomoyela usage note directly as di Used when line. None of di thirteen entries below duplicate proverbs wey dey already inside owe-iwa-character (including im entries 39 and 40, on suspicion and on shame as self-protection) or inside di pride and humility cluster of owe-pride-humility-self-knowledge (including im ojú kì í pọ́n / tẹ́ series, entries 45 and 48 to 55, wey near disgrace but dey filed there because di organizing idea na di limit of dignity under hardship instead of shame itself).
Literal: Àgbà an-elder tó mọ ìtìjú who knows shame kì í folè ṣeré does-not play at-theft.
Idiomatic: "An elder who is wary of disgrace will not play at stealing."
Meaning: To know wetin shame be, and to refuse to risk am, dey make person wey get respect stay far from behavior wey go bring am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Anything that smacks of stealing will disgrace an elder"
Notes: Mọ ìtìjú, to know shame, treat shame like knowledge wey person fit get or lack, wey follow how all dis set of proverbs dey handle am as fact about person judgement instead of just feeling. "Play at stealing" cover anything wey resemble theft reach to make people confuse am for am, no be only theft itself; elder suppose hold higher standard to avoid wetin go look like am.
Literal: Àgbà tí kò nítìjú an-elder who has-not shame, ojú kan ni ìbá ní one eye is-what-he-would-have; ojú kan náà that-same one eye a wà lọ́gangan iwájú-u rẹ̀ would-sit directly on-his-forehead.
Idiomatic: "An elder without self-respect might as well have only one eye, that one eye being in the center of his forehead."
Meaning: Person wey no fit feel shame dey, practically, disfigured: di faculty wey normal people get wey dey make dem dey presentable no just dey for im body.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Shamelessness does not become an elder"
Notes: Owomoyela collection get one version of this proverb wey dey very close to this one, wey dem apply to any person instead of to elder specifically, Èèyàn tí ò nítìjú ojú kan ni ìbá ní; a gbórín a tó tẹṣin, "person wey no get shame deserve to get only one eye, and that eye go big like horse own," wey dem explain say "human blessing dey waste for person wey no get character" The two version different for whose deformity dem imagine, one single eye for middle of face against one oversized eye, but the two dey turn inner lack of shame into outer deformity wey eye fit see, and this move dey very striking: the proverb no just show say e bad to no get shame, e insist say person wey no get shame suppose carry the look.
Literal: Àgbàlagbà akàn an-elderly crab tó kó sí garawa yègèdè that gets-carried into a-bucket, ojú tì í the-eye pushes it (it-is-disgraced).
Idiomatic: "The elderly crab that enters into a bucket; it is thoroughly disgraced."
Meaning: Creature wey get age and standing, if dem catch am and lock am the way dem suppose only catch young or careless creature, e go face disgrace wey match how far the capture dey beneath im dignity.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person suppose avoid action wey fit bring disgrace"
Notes: Ojú tì, the idiom wey give this file im Yorùbá vocabulary, dey used here as full verb form instead of noun ìtìjú: eye na wetin dem describe say dem push or shut, wey be the physical picture wey dey under the abstract noun wey dem use for entry 1 and 2. Old crab, specifically, suppose know the trick wey dey save younger crab from bucket; the disgrace for the proverb heavy pass normal because of the age of the crab, no be just say dem catch am.
Literal: Ìjàkùmọ̀ the-wild-cat kì í rin ọ̀sán does-not walk-about in-daytime, ẹni a bí ire one who was-born to-good-fortune kì í rin òru does-not walk-about at-night.
Idiomatic: "The wild cat never roams in daylight; a well-bred person does not wander around in the night time."
Meaning: Person wey get reputation wey reach to protect dey avoid the kind time and situation wey name fit spoil, the way night hunter animal dey avoid the time wey people fit see am and hunt am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "People wey care about their reputation suppose stay far from questionable action"
Notes: The parallel balance and e reverse: the wild cat caution na about hunting, to dey unseen so e fit survive, while person wey dem train well caution na about reputation, to dey unseen so e no go face suspicion wey dey follow person wey dem catch for outside for time wey no get good explanation. Dem talk the two side of the proverb as simple fact instead of instruction, and na the person wey dey hear am dey bring the command by himself.
Literal: Ọjọ́ kan là ḿbàjẹ́ on-one day is-how-one is-disgraced, ọjọ́ gbogbo every day lara ńtini is-how the-body aches-one.
Idiomatic: "Only one day brings disgrace to a person; the shame is felt every day."
Meaning: Disgrace dey happen for one single event, but the price no dey finish that same day; e dey repeat.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Action wey person do without thinking for one small moment dey spoil person reputation for long time"
Notes: Owomoyela cross-reference this one directly to entry 6 for under as companion text, and e make sense make person read the two together instead of to take dem as duplicate: this one call the mechanism body pain, ara ńti ni, wey put the recurring cost inside physical feeling instead of only for social standing.
Literal: Ọjọ́ kan ṣoṣo là ńtẹ́ on-one single day is-how-one is-disgraced; ojoojúmọ́ every-single-day lojú ńtini is-how the-eye aches-one.
Idiomatic: "It takes one day only for one to disgrace oneself; the shame is a daily affair."
Meaning: The same claim wey entry 5 make, but dem restate am with ojú, the eye, as the body organ wey dey carry the recurring cost instead of the whole body generally.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Small careless mistake dey get long-lasting effect"
Notes: Where entry 5 use bàjẹ́, to spoil or get ruined, this one use tẹ́, the proper verb for disgrace wey also show for owe-pride-humility-self-knowledge ojú kì í pọ́n cluster. Owomoyela record the two as pair wey match each other, wey show say the single-day-versus-every-day structure na productive template rather than one single fixed text; the choice of organ, whether body or eye, na the only major difference between dem.
Literal: Ìbàjẹ́ ọjọ́ kan the-disgrace of-one day ò tán bọ̀rọ̀ does-not finish easily.
Idiomatic: "The disgrace one incurs in one day does not disappear that soon."
Meaning: Disgrace dey last pass the event wey cause am, by very wide margin.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Reputation dey easy to destroy but e hard pass anything to repair"
Notes: The shortest and plainest statement about timing wey entry 5 and 6 elaborate with organ and repeated rhythm; this version drop the imagery and state the asymmetry, quick to get and slow to comot, as plain fact. Three separate texts wey dey make the same point about timing, wey come from two different parts of Owomoyela collection, na evidence by itself say the asymmetry between how fast disgrace dey arrive and how slow e dey comot na point wey Yorùbá proverb-speakers dey return to plenty times.
Literal: Bí ojú kò bá ti olè if the-eye does-not push the-thief (if the-thief feels-no-shame), a ti ará ilé ẹ̀ it pushes the-people of-his-house.
Idiomatic: "If the thief feels no shame, members of his household should."
Meaning: Shame wey no catch person wey do bad no dey just disappear; e dey transfer go meet the family wey bring am up.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person disgrace must concern im relatives"
Notes: Na this one be the clearest statement for inside this set wey show say shame na something wey dey spread across the whole family instead of to stay inside only one person, and e match the way Yorùbá put moral training inside the compound as owe-iwa-character record am well-well for the entries about household responsibility (compare especially entry 19 for there, about how the household na the organ wey dey see wetin person no fit see for body). The proverb believe say shame must land somewhere, and e just redirect am when the main target no dey.
Literal: Èèyàn ìbáà kúrú a-person even-if-short, ìbáà búrẹ́wà even-if-ugly, gbèsè ò sí debt is-not-there, ìtìjú ò sí shame is-not-there.
Idiomatic: "Whether a person be short or ugly, if there is no debt, there can be no disgrace."
Meaning: Physical defect no dey carry shame; na debt wey person never pay dey bring shame, and if person no dey owe debt, na that one dey really protect person level.
Used when: Owomoyela: "As far say person no dey owe debt, other things about how person condition be no really matter"
Notes: The proverb arrange things clear-clear: e list two things wey person fit think say dey bring shame, to short and to no fine, and e dismiss the two say dem no matter before e mention the only one thing, debt, wey really dey decide whether shame dey. This one separate Yorùbá ìtìjú sharply from shame about how person look: the proverb clearly remove physical appearance from that category.
Literal: Ẹ̀tẹ́ disgrace bá ọ̀lẹ meets-up-with the-lazy-person.
Idiomatic: "Disgrace comes upon the shiftless."
Meaning: Laziness and disgrace na two things wey dey waka together; one na the sure result of the other.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Disgrace dey follow laziness"
Notes: Na three words dey inside Yorùbá, and the short way e talk am make the pairing look like law instead of warning: disgrace no be just risk wey lazy person dey take, na companion wey dey already on the way. Ẹ̀tẹ́ na the same noun for disgrace wey dem use for owe-pride-humility-self-knowledge entry about tortoise, lizard, and yam wey each forget theirself (entry 53 for that file); for here dem attach am to one kind of person, lazy person, instead of to one specific story of failure.
Literal: A kì í ṣe ọ̀jẹ̀ one does-not perform the-ọ̀jẹ̀-masquerade ṣe ojú tì mí and-do the-eye-pushed-me (act-bashful); konko lojú alágbe flint is-the-eye of-a-beggar.
Idiomatic: "One does not carry the ọ̀jẹ̀ masquerade and yet affect bashfulness; the mendicant's eyes must always be like flint."
Meaning: Some kind roles dey demand say make person put shame aside as condition to do dem at all; person wey take that kind role and still dey show shame no understand wetin the role dey demand.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person must get the kind mind wey im work dey demand"
Notes: Ọ̀jẹ̀ na masquerade performance, public work wey demanding, and dem put am beside beggar work as second example of work wey structurally no fit stand together with eye-shame. Na this entry be the only one for the set wey treat the ability to feel shame like something wey person fit, and sometimes must, turn off for role, wey stand against entry 40 of owe-iwa-character (Ẹni tó tijú tì í fún ara-a rẹ̀, the ability to feel shame as thing wey dey protect person): that proverb praise that ability as general good thing, but this one mention specific works wey if person deploy shame for inside, e go be like professional failure. The two no dey contradict each other as such; na different situations dem dey address, and this one match the way all these proverbs dey pick proverb according to occasion.
Literal: Kó wó, kó wó let-it fall, let-it fall, àràbà ò wó the-silk-cotton-tree does-not fall; ojú tìrókò the-eye pushes the-ìrókò-tree (the-ìrókò is-disgraced).
Idiomatic: "'May it crash! May it crash!' The silk-cotton tree does not crash; the ìrókò tree is shamed."
Meaning: When people wey dey expect make person fall see say e no fall, the shame of that prediction wey fail dey land on top the people wey dey watch, or anyone wey join body with that wish, no be on top the person wey no fall. The proverb put two of the biggest trees for Yorùbá forest against each other: people wey dey wish say make the silk-cotton tree fall dey disappointed when e stand, and the disgrace of that prediction wey fail come attach instead to the ìrókò, wey stand near am and by implication dey associated with that wish.
Used when: Owomoyela: "The person wey im enemies dey wish and expect make e fail no fail; na the enemies come shame"
Notes: Na this entry be the only one for the file wey clearly make shame be the outcome for the party wey dey wrong for dispute instead of for person wey do bad, and e make disgrace be consequence of public prediction instead of character: the ìrókò no do anything except say e stand near tree wey dem dey wish bad thing, and that near wey e stand dey enough to transfer the disgrace of the failed wish go meet am. The ìrókò (Milicia excelsa) also appear as object of ritual respect for inside owe-iwa-character untoned-source entry 58, where to insult am dey invite judgment wey go come later; for here dem put am for opposite role, as the party wey get disgrace because of other people hostility wey fail, instead of to be source of punishment.
Literal: Oníṣú the-owner-of-yams fiṣu ẹ se ẹ̀bẹ uses his-yams to-make yam-pottage; ojú ti atèèpojẹ the-eye pushes the-eater-of-peel-scrapings (the-scraping-eater is-disgraced).
Idiomatic: "The owner of the yams makes yam pottage out of the yams; the person who eats the yam scrapings off the peels is shamed."
Meaning: Pesin wey dey survive on top di crumbs of wetin anoda pesin get, wey dem no even owe anytin from di main store, dey face shame di moment di owner clear or arrange di store well and di small-small remnant disappear.
Used when: Owomoyela: "The parasite is shamed when the host finds a way to shut him out"
Notes: Atèèpojẹ, pesin wey dey chop scrape-scrape from peel, na compound noun wey dey name one specific parasitic position: pesin wey join body put for anoda pesin food supply for di side wey no get value at all, without any legitimate right to di main store. Di shame for here no be moral issue say dem catch pesin dey do bad tin; na structural shame, di clear loss of position wey no solid from start once di pesin wey dem depend on begin act for im own interest.
Two tins stand out across dis thirteen proverbs, and di third tin na di number of di proverbs demsef.
Shame for dis material na social event wey get timetable, no be private feeling. Entry 5, 6 and 7, three separate texts wey dey make di same point from two different parts of Owomoyela collection, all insist on di same balance problem: disgrace dey land sharp-sharp, for just one single day, but di cost dey last long, dey show every day after dat. None of di thirteen proverbs here describe shame as internal feeling wey pesin study for im own sake; every one of dem look di timing of shame, how e dey transfer between people (entry 8, di family wey dey carry wetin di thief wey no get shame refuse to feel; entry 12, di people wey dey look wey inherit di shame of dia own prediction wey fail), or how e dey switch on and off based on person role (entry 11, di egúngún and di beggar wey shy-shy face dey spoil dia work instead of to be good virtue). Dem handle shame as fact about pesin position in front of other people wey dey look, no be emotion wey dem describe from inside.
Di record itself na di finding. Thirteen proverbs na small file for topic wey dey central like dis to Yorùbá social life, and wen pesin compare am to di fifty-eight, thirty-nine, and fifty-five proverbs wey dem assemble for character, truth, and pride and humility inside di other files for dis same batch, di difference clear well-well. Di reason wey likely pass, base on di evidence wey dey ground, be say Yorùbá proverb-makers fold shame enter inside other topics instead of treating am as topic wey stand on im own: almost every entry wey dey here join bodi with proverb wey main focus na elder dignity, wetin lazy pesin dey face, or thief household, where shame na di consequence instead of to be di main subject. Weda genre-wide search outside Owomoyela selected parts, or better access to di peer-reviewed scholarship wey dem mention above, go fit bring out larger set wey focus strictly on dis na real question wey dis file no fit answer, and dem report am here as limitation on di file instead of painting am to look complete wen e no complete.
Fifty-eight Yorùbá proverbs on character, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.
Sourced Yorùbá proverbs about telling the truth, the mechanics of lying and self-deception, and the value placed on a person whose word is reliable.
Fifty-five Yorùbá proverbs on pride, arrogance, humility, and the limits of what a person can know about themselves, each given with the original, a literal gloss, and a named translation.
Forty-eight Yorùbá proverbs on the ọmọlúàbí ideal, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.
Forty-three Yorùbá proverbs on sùúrù, patience, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.
Twenty-one Yorùbá proverbs on doing and receiving favors, the risk that kindness goes unrewarded or turns to harm, and the moral weight of ingratitude, drawn from a thinner sourced record than most themes in this corpus.