Òwe on Oorun and Àlá: Sleep, Dreams and Rest
Thirty-six Yorùbá proverbs on sleep, waking, dreaming and bodily rest, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.
Oorun na sleep, sùn na the verb to sleep, jí na to wake, and àlá na dream. The Yorùbá proverb record no really treat sleep as rest, but as set of conditions: na wetin must wait till dem don deal with the danger for the day, na the condition wey person dey wey e no go fit be reliable witness again, na wetin people wey sleep together dey pass give each other, and na the standard measure wey dem dey take compare death and see say death better pass am. Dream almost no dey at all, and anywhere wey e appear, the main point na always say dream dey stay inside the person wey dream am.
Thirty-six proverb dey here inside four group: sleep as something wey the day must work earn, sleep as when person slack for vigilance, wetin dem fit hold sleeper for and wetin dem no fit hold am for, and mat, bed and night as place instead of condition. The dream material no plenty at all, and as e small reach na so dem report am instead of to add anything join to cover am.
Dem present the proverbs inside Owomoyela text and translation . Owomoyela usage note inside bracket na im form the base of the Used when lines; where the wording of a note na him own exact words, dem put am inside quote. Anything wey dem mark say na the compiler own na this corpus own, and e no carry full certainty.
A note on sources
Owomoyela print full standard orthography with tone mark and subdot dem, and dem reproduce him text here exactly as e print am . E no attach any informant name to any proverb, as e hold say proverbs na community property , so the text dem get backing but dem no get specific place or date. The working text wey dem use here na plain-text extraction from the book wey the printed diacritics still dey intact, but the space between words inside each Yorùbá line no survive, so the compiler don adjust the spacing for every Yorùbá line below using normal Yorùbá grammar and vocabulary. Dem no add, remove, or change any diacritic. Where extracted usage note cut for middle of sentence, dem state am for that entry and mark the usage line as the compiler own.
Sleep as something the day has to earn
1. A kì í fi ejò sórí òrùlé sùn.
Literal: A kì í fi ejò one does-not with a-snake sórí òrùlé on-top-of the-roof sùn sleep.
Idiomatic: "One does not go to bed while a snake is on the roof."
Meaning: Person no suppose rest when danger wey dem know about still dey overhead.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Never let down your guard while danger still lurks," with cross-reference to entry 2 .
Notes: Roof na the only part of Yorùbá compound wey dey directly above person wey dey sleep, so snake wey dey there don already enter inside the boundary of safety instead of just to dey nearby, and the proverb dey exact on where danger suppose dey before e go make sense to lose sleep on top am. Compare entry 16, where to sleep for person own house na exactly wetin dey keep person comot from danger.
2. A kì í fi iná sórí òrùlé sùn.
Literal: A kì í fi iná one does-not with fire sórí òrùlé on-top-of the-roof sùn sleep.
Idiomatic: "One does not go to bed while there is a fire on one's roof."
Meaning: Danger wey dem never settle dey stop rest until dem deal with am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Better take care of problems before relaxing," with cross-reference back to entry 1 .
Notes: Owomoyela print the two proverbs as pair wey match each other, where fire replace snake, and fire for thatched roof dey more urgent pass snake among the two because e dey catch the whole house at once instead of just one sleeper, so the pair dey move from the danger wey slow go the one wey fast pass. This kind substitution pattern, one proverb with middle word wey dem fit swap, na the same format wey appear for entries 1 and 2 of owe-beauty-ugliness-appearance.
3. Kí a re odò ká sùn; kí ni ará ilé yó mu?
Literal: Kí a re odò that we go-to the-river ká sùn and sleep; kí ni ará ilé yó mu what is-it the-household will drink?
Idiomatic: "If we go to the river and sleep there, what will the people left at home drink?"
Meaning: Person wey go fetch wetin other people dey depend on no get right to rest for where the water dey and leave the message without completing am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "We must not fail those who depend on us"
Notes: To sleep for river instead of to carry the water come back na message wey person abandon at the exact point wey e suppose finish, and the power of the proverb comot from how e call the people wey dey wait instead of just to blame the person wey dey sleep. To carry water na the daily work of women and children, so the proverb get specific household for mind.
4. Nítorí-i ká lè simi la ṣe ń ṣe àì-simi.
Literal: Nítorí-i ká lè simi because-that we-may be-able-to rest la ṣe ń ṣe àì-simi is-why we do not-resting.
Idiomatic: "It is to be able to rest that one forgoes rest."
Meaning: Person dey do today work because of the rest for future wey that work go make possible.
Used when: Owomoyela: "One labors in the present to provide for one's future"
Notes: Dem form Àì-simi with the negative prefix àì- on top simi, to rest, so e name the rest wey person forego as one single noun instead of to just describe am, which na the productive clause-to-noun pattern wey dem note for entry 42 of yoruba-owe-proverbs. The proverb treat rest as resource wey person spend now to earn am later, wey different from the idea for entry 5, where rest na wetin dem owe person at the end of road.
5. Akẹ̀sán ló pin Ọ̀yọ́; ilé ọkọ ni ibùsinmi obìnrin.
Literal: Akẹ̀sán ló pin Ọ̀yọ́ Akẹ̀sán is-what bounds Ọ̀yọ́; ilé ọkọ the-husband's house ni ibùsinmi obìnrin is the-resting-place of-a-woman.
Idiomatic: "Akẹ̀sán is Ọ̀yọ́'s city limit; a spouse's home is a woman's place of rest."
Meaning: As landmark dey mark where town end, na so marriage dey mark where woman journey suppose end.
Used when: Owomoyela note read say just as Akẹsan na Ọ̀yọ́'s city limit, na so husband house na the final destination for woman .
Notes: Akẹ̀sán na real market and boundary point of old Ọ̀yọ́, so di first clause na local geography before e turn figure of speech, and wetin di proverb dey do na to borrow di certainty of place name take make social claim. Ibùsinmi, resting place, dey built on simi like for entry 4, and di argument dey about where woman dey go rather than her comfort. Dis na evidence of particular social arrangement instead of neutral observation, and e no get male counterpart for inside di collection.
6. Àtètè sùn làtètè jí; ẹní tètè kú ló mú lẹ̀ lọ́run.
Literal: Àtètè sùn going-to-sleep-early làtètè jí is rising-early; ẹní tètè kú whoever dies first ló mú lẹ̀ lọ́run is-who took the-ground in-heaven.
Idiomatic: "Going-to-sleep-early is rising early; the first to die is the homesteader in heaven."
Meaning: Person wey reach there first get di choice to pick wetin dey there.
Used when: Owomoyela: "The first arrival has the richest choice"
Notes: Di second clause apply di logic of sleep to dying, and mú lẹ̀, to take ground, na di language of claiming land for new settlement, so dem treat di first person wey enter afterlife like pioneer wey dey secure plot. Dis na one of di very few places for inside di collection where dying early get advantage, and di joke depend on di reader wey go first hear di normal advice to sleep early. Compare owe-death-ancestors-beyond.
7. Bí a bá yó tán orun ní ń kun ni.
Literal: Bí a bá yó tán when we have-become-full, orun ní ń kun ni sleep is-what fills one.
Idiomatic: "When one is satiated, sleep claims one." Translator: Owomoyela, rendering the second half of a two-clause proverb .
Meaning: Sleep dey naturally follow full belle.
Used when: Owomoyela: "When a matter has been taken care of, one turns one's attention in the appropriate direction"
Notes: Owomoyela print dis clause two times as di second half of two proverbs wey get different first half: for 825 Bí a bá jẹ̀wọ́ tán ẹ̀rín làá ń rín, after joke person dey laugh, and for 833 Bí a bá sọ̀rọ̀ tán, ẹrín làá ń rín, when person don finish to discuss matter, person dey laugh . Di verb kun, to fill, na di same one dem dey use when smoke full house, so dem describe sleep say e flood person instead of say e just arrive. Compare entry 24 of owe-eyes-seeing-blindness, where dem talk say burning house no dey fill eyes with sleep.
8. Àjí mú kì í tì.
Literal: Àjí mú what-one-wakes-and-takes-hold-of kì í tì does-not fail.
Idiomatic: "The task one takes on upon waking in the morning does not flounder."
Meaning: Wetin person face first as e wake na wetin dey serious to am, and na dat seriousness dey make am succeed.
Used when: Owomoyela: "The task to which one gives the highest priority does not suffer"
Notes: Àjí mú na compressed nominal wey dem build from jí, wake up, plus mú, hold, wey take two syllables name di whole first action of day, and Owomoyela English need eleven words for am. Di proverb turn di order of morning to evidence about wetin person truly take serious, wey be di same kind reasoning move like for entry 26, where wetin person do for small matter dey show wetin e go do for serious matter.
9. Bí ojú bá mọ́, olówò a gbówò; ọ̀ràn wú a gbé kẹ́kẹ́; ajagun a gbé apata; àgbẹ̀ a jí tòun tọ̀rúkọ́.
Literal: Bí ojú bá mọ́ when the-eye brightens [day breaks], olówò a gbówò the-trader takes-up his-trade; ọ̀ràn wú a gbé kẹ́kẹ́ the-cotton-spinner takes-up the-spindle; ajagun a gbé apata the-warrior takes-up the-shield; àgbẹ̀ a jí tòun tọ̀rúkọ́ the-farmer wakes together-with his-hoe.
Idiomatic: "When day breaks, the trader takes up his trade; the cotton spinner picks up the spindle; the warrior grabs his shield; the farmer gets up with his hoe."
Meaning: To wake no be ordinary state but na di start of specific work, and dem dey name each person work by dia tool.
Used when: Owomoyela: "When morning comes, everybody should embark on something useful"
Notes: Owomoyela full text continue with hunter pikin wey dey wake with im quiver and bow, and with ajíwẹṣẹ, person-wey-wake-dey-bath-with-soap, dey go river . Bí ojú bá mọ́, literally when eye clear, na di normal Yorùbá phrase for daybreak, so di day dey start with eye wey open and di whole proverb na list of wetin dat eye come see. Di catalogue form, one clause per trade, na di same as for entry 9 of owe-beauty-ugliness-appearance.
Sleep as lapse for vigilance
10. Bí ẹja bá sùn, ẹja á fi ẹja jẹ.
Literal: Bí ẹja bá sùn if fish sleep, ẹja á fi ẹja jẹ fish will use fish to-eat.
Idiomatic: "If fish sleep, fish will devour fish."
Meaning: For group where everybody na predator, di person wey stop to watch na im dey turn di meal.
Used when: Owomoyela: "If one does not wish to be taken advantage of, one must be ever watchful"
Notes: Di proverb use one noun three times and allow di syntax do all di work, so di Yorùbá dey read almost like formula and e no give any party name. Dat anonymity na di point: e no identify predator and victim, e dey talk say na who sleep dey determine who take which role.
11. Ẹni tí Orò-ó máa mú ḿ ba wọn ṣe àìsùn Orò.
Literal: Ẹni tí Orò-ó máa mú the-one whom Orò will take ḿ ba wọn ṣe àìsùn Orò is-joining them in the-sleeplessness of-Orò.
Idiomatic: "The person who will be the sacrificial victim of Orò is joining in the revelry on the eve of the sacrifice."
Meaning: Di person wey dey destined for one outcome dey unknowingly join hand bring am come pass.
Used when: Owomoyela note read say di victim wey dem target dey innocently help prepare for im own demise, and say if small chance of danger dey at all, person no suppose dey careless .
Notes: Orò na men cult wey dem tradition dey include night wey person no go sleep, so àìsùn, wey mean not-sleeping, na proper ritual occasion name here instead of just figure of speech, and dat same negative nominal still show for entry 4 for di normal meaning of sleep wey person forgo. Di cold part of di proverb na say di victim dey awake, dey present, and dey willing through di whole preparation. Compare entry 22 of owe-age-youth-passage-of-life on who get right to invoke Orò, and owe-taboo-pollution-forbidden.
12. Ẹni tó ránṣẹ́ sí Orò-ó bẹ̀wẹ̀ fún àìsùn.
Literal: Ẹni tó ránṣẹ́ sí Orò whoever sends a-message to Orò ó bẹ̀wẹ̀ fún àìsùn has-contracted for sleeplessness.
Idiomatic: "Whoever sends for Orò is contracting for sleeplessness."
Meaning: If you call power, you must face anything wey dey follow am, and for Orò case, dat thing na to stay awake through di night.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Whoever deliberately provokes trouble should be prepared for a difficult time"
Notes: Bẹ̀wẹ̀ na to hire person or pay for service, ordinary commercial verb, and to apply am to cult summons make di arrangement sound like person dey hire labour, wey be di dry humor of di proverb. When you put am beside entry 11, di two cover di two ways person dey take stay awake for Orò: because na him call am, and because na him di thing come find.
13. Àdàbà ń pògèdè, ó rò pé ẹyẹlé ò gbọ́; ẹyẹlé gbọ́, títiiri ló tiiri.
Literal: Àdàbà ń pògèdè the-dove recites incantations, ó rò pé ẹyẹlé ò gbọ́ it thinks the-pigeon does-not hear; ẹyẹlé gbọ́ the-pigeon heard, títiiri ló tiiri it-was-merely-keeping-still that it kept-still.
Idiomatic: "The dove recites incantations, thinking that the pigeon cannot hear; the pigeon hears, only pretending to sleep."
Meaning: To keep quiet no mean say person no dey, and di person wey keep quiet fit be di one wey dey take note.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Never mistake a person's easygoing demeanor for cowardice or folly"
Notes: Owomoyela translation put "pretending to sleep" for where di Yorùbá get títiiri, wey be di reduplicated form of tiiri, to stay still, to dey calm or dey humble, di same word wey dem use for entries 27 and 28 of owe-age-youth-passage-of-life for di respect wey young person dey show elder. So di pigeon no dey pretend to sleep for di Yorùbá, na modesty e dey show, and Owomoyela English collapse social posture join physical one. Ògèdè na spoken incantation, wey dem treat for owe-aje-medicine-hidden-power.
14. Olóògbé ò jẹ́ wọ́; a tan ni jẹ bí orun.
Literal: Olóògbé ò jẹ́ wọ́ the-dozing-one does-not answer; a tan ni jẹ bí orun nothing deceives one like sleep.
Idiomatic: "The dozing person does not confess; nothing deceives like sleep."
Meaning: Sleep na di only condition wey dey excuse person from to answer, so na di most useful thing to pretend.
Used when: Owomoyela: "One can always feign sleep to avoid engaging in discussions"
Notes: Di proverb different for di corpus because e dey recommend wayo instead of to dey warn against am, and di second clause call sleep itself di deceiver instead of di sleeper, wey quietly comot di pretender from di sentence. When you read am beside entry 20, where di collection insist say na only person wey really dey sleep dem fit wake, di two come form pair on top di same problem wey dem look from opposite side.
15. Ìjà ḿ ba ṣolè, onílé tají.
Literal: Ìjà ḿ ba ṣolè trouble befalls the-burglar, onílé tají the-householder has-woken.
Idiomatic: "A great disaster befalls the burglar: the homeowner wakes up unexpectedly."
Meaning: Di exact moment person wey dey sleep wake up na di moment wey another person plan dey end.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Said of an evildoer who is beset with his or her comeuppance"
Notes: Tají, from tì plus jí, na to wake up with shock instead of to wake up small-small, and dem pack di whole event of di proverb put inside dat single verb: nothing else happen for di sentence. Di sleep of di householder, wey be weakness for other places for inside dis file, na him be di burglar whole operating condition here, wey be di cleanest reversal for di file.
16. A kì í sùn sílé ẹni ká fọrùn ṣẹ́.
Literal: A kì í sùn sílé ẹni one does-not sleep in-one's-own house ká fọrùn ṣẹ́ and break-one's-neck.
Idiomatic: "One does not sleep in one's own home and break one's neck."
Meaning: Person wey dey face him own business for house no dey meet di harm wey person must go find for outside.
Used when: Owomoyela: "A person does not get into trouble while minding his or her own business"
Notes: Sleep here dey stand for ordinary blameless character instead of vulnerability, wey be di opposite of him role for entries 1, 10 and 15, and di two readings just sit down side by side inside di collection without any comment. Dem choose broken neck because na di kind domestic accident wey hard pass to happen, so di claim almost absolute.
17. Ẹni tó bá obìnrin kó lọ sílé-e rẹ̀ yó sùn nínú ẹ̀rù.
Literal: Ẹni tó bá obìnrin kó lọ sílé-e rẹ̀ whoever goes-with a-woman to her house yó sùn nínú ẹ̀rù will sleep inside fear.
Idiomatic: "A man who goes with a woman to her house will sleep in fear."
Meaning: Illicit arrangement wey person do for another person territory dey chop di sleep wey e suppose give.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Illicit acts carried on indiscreetly are attended by great anxiety"
Notes: Sùn nínú ẹ̀rù, to sleep inside fear, dey treat fear like di container wey di sleep dey happen inside instead of something wey person dey feel, wey be di standard Yorùbá construction for state wey surround person. Di practical content of di proverb dey talk about place: di danger dey come from staying inside house wey di owner fit return, and dat same locational reasoning dey drive entry 16 for di opposite direction.
18. Sán ọ̀bẹ sùn, fi apó rọrí; ìwà ọmọ ní ḿmú ọmọ jẹ òkígbẹ́.
Literal: Sán ọ̀bẹ sùn tie-on a-knife and-sleep, fi apó rọrí use a-quiver as-a-pillow; ìwà ọmọ ní ḿmú ọmọ jẹ òkígbẹ́ it-is a-person's character that makes-a-person take blade-proofing-medicine.
Idiomatic: "Tie a knife on you before you sleep; use a quiver as your pillow: your character forces you to resort to charms for rendering cutlasses harmless against your flesh."
Meaning: Person wey must arm imself before im sleep, dem don tell am something about im own character.
Used when: Owomoyela: "People wey get bad character get good reason to fear say people go attack dem"
Notes: Di first two clause come like instruction, and di third one give di diagnosis, so dem build di proverb like advice wey turn to accusation for middle. Òkígbẹ́ na prepared medicine to turn blade wey dem discuss for owe-aje-medicine-hidden-power, and di fact say dem mention am put di text for period wey e normal to buy dat kind protection. Di connection wey dem make between ìwà, character, and how person fit sleep safe na di file link to owe-iwa-character.
19. Bí ará ilé ẹní bá ń jẹ kòkòrò tí kò sunwọ̀n, tí a kò sọ fún un, hùrùhẹ̀rẹ̀-ẹ rẹ̀ ò níí jẹ́ ká sùn lóru.
Literal: Bí ará ilé ẹní bá ń jẹ kòkòrò tí kò sunwọ̀n if a-member of-one's household eats bad insects, tí a kò sọ fún un and one does-not tell him, hùrùhẹ̀rẹ̀-ẹ rẹ̀ ò níí jẹ́ ká sùn lóru his coughing will-not let one sleep at-night.
Idiomatic: "If a member of one's household is eating bad insects and is not cautioned, his or her hacking cough will not permit one any sleep during the night."
Meaning: Mistake wey you no correct for person wey you and am dey live go turn to problem wey you go pay for by yourself for night, as sleep go take loss.
Used when: Owomoyela: "If person no advice im brother, im go join follow suffer im misfortune"
Notes: Hùrùhẹ̀rẹ̀ na ideophone for dry cough wey dey repeat, and e carry di sound of di thing wey English fit only describe. Di proverb choose di most direct way wey another person mistake fit take reach you, wey be sound wey person fit hear through wall wey dem share, and e follow entry 20 and 21 wey treat sleeping space as place where other people condition dey enter.
Wetin dem fit hold person wey dey sleep for
20. Ẹní bá sùn là ń jí, a kì í jí a-pi-rọ́rọ́.
Literal: Ẹní bá sùn whoever is-sleeping là ń jí is-whom one wakes, a kì í jí a-pi-rọ́rọ́ one does-not wake one-who-feigns-limpness.
Idiomatic: "One wakes only those that sleep, not those pretending to sleep."
Meaning: Effort wey person spend to wake person up na waste if di person dey only pretend say im need am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Deal with people wey dey serious, no be with people wey dey play games"
Notes: A-pi-rọ́rọ́, person-wey-pretend-say-im-body-weak, na compressed agent-noun wey name di pretender exactly, and di difficult part of di proverb na say real sleep and fake sleep dey look di same from outside. Di test na after di matter: person wey dem wake up properly na person wey really sleep. As dem put am against entry 14 wey recommend di pretence, di collection give both di tactic and di way to counter am.
21. A kì í sùn jẹ́rìí ìdí.
Literal: A kì í sùn one does-not sleep jẹ́rìí ìdí and-bear-witness-to the-buttocks.
Idiomatic: "One cannot be asleep and also be able to vouch for one's anus."
Meaning: Witness wey dey sleep no fit confirm wetin happen when im dey sleep, no matter how close to home e happen.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Talk only wetin you sure of"
Notes: Di raw way dem take talk am na di argument: di proverb choose di most intimate thing wey person get and show say sleep still disqualify dem to bear witness about am, wey make di epistemic claim strong well well. Jẹ́rìí na di legal verb, to bear witness, so dem frame di sentence like rule of evidence and e belong with di hearing procedure for entry 3 to 5 of owe-ears-hearing-mouth.
22. Àjàpá ní òun tí ì bá só ló sùn yí, bẹ́ẹ̀ ni ẹní bá sùn kì í só.
Literal: Àjàpá ní òun tí ì bá só the-tortoise says it that might-have farted ló sùn yí was-asleep at-the-time, bẹ́ẹ̀ ni ẹní bá sùn kì í só and-besides whoever is-asleep does-not fart.
Idiomatic: "Tortoise argues that it that might have farted but was sound asleep, and, surely, those that sleep do not fart!"
Meaning: Defence wey accept and still deny di act, and wey depend on false general rule, dey destroy itself.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Some defence dey so clear say dem be nothing"
Notes: Tortoise na di trickster for Yorùbá story, wey dem discuss for owe-tortoise-ijapa-trickster, and im argument here na caricature of legal pleading in alternative: say im dey sleep, and people wey dey sleep no dey do dis kind thing. Di proverb still be joke on top entry 21, because e use sleep as alibi for where entry 21 dismiss sleep as testimony, and di collection know about di two.
23. Ó ti ojú orun wá ó ń fọ ẹnà; ó ní, "Ẹ jẹ́ ká máa jí ní mẹ́mu-mẹ́mu."
Literal: Ó ti ojú orun wá he came from the-face of-sleep, ó ń fọ ẹnà he was-speaking scrambled-language; ó ní he said, "Ẹ jẹ́ ká máa jí ní mẹ́mu-mẹ́mu" "let-us keep-waking in moos."
Idiomatic: "He woke up from sleep and spoke in scrambled language; he said, 'Let us wake it in moos.'"
Meaning: Person wey just wake up from sleep dey talk nonsense and person no suppose trust am for serious proposal.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Ignorant person go always make stupid suggestion," with cross-reference to entry 24 .
Notes: Ojú orun, face of sleep, na di normal Yorùbá name for di state just after waking up, and ẹnà na real Yorùbá secret language wey dem form by inserting syllables, so di man no just dey mumble, e dey try talk code and e dey fail am. Na wetin make di proverb be about pretension instead of grogginess.
24. Ọmọdé jí ti ojú orun wá, ó ní "Àkàrà kéjì-kéjì"; wọ́n ti ḿmú u kẹ́ẹ̀kó tójí, ìkáká ní kẹ̀?
Literal: Ọmọdé jí ti ojú orun wá a-child woke out-of the-face of-sleep, ó ní "Àkàrà kéjì-kéjì" it said "bean-fritters two-by-two"; wọ́n ti ḿmú u kẹ́ẹ̀kó tójí they had-been taking-them one-by-one before-it-woke, ìkáká ní kẹ̀ would-a-single-one have-been-left?
Idiomatic: "A child wakes from sleep and says in code, 'Bean fritters two-by-two.' Had the others been taking them thus before he woke, would any have been left?"
Meaning: Demand wey person make afta tin don happen, wen betta arrangement don already run finish, no dey repair anytin and e for don finish di same tin wey person dey claim now.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Make you neva misuse wetin di pipo bifo you make available for you through di wise way dem take manage tins," wit cross-reference to entry 23 .
Notes: Di explanation wey Owomoyela give dey focus on how to manage tins well instead of late demand, and na reading wey di Yorùbá support even though e no say na must: wetin di pikin dey propose for don finish di akara if na so di rule bin dey since, and di proverb dey ansa im own question. Di pikin dey talk "in code," ẹnà again like for entry 23, na why Owomoyela print di two of dem as pair: di two of dem na pipo wey wake up and straight away begin speak language wey pass dia level.
25. Ẹni tí ó sùn tó ní òún kú, tó bá jí, tani yó wìí fún?
Literal: Ẹni tí ó sùn the-one who is-asleep tó ní òún kú who claims he-has-died, tó bá jí when he wakes, tani yó wìí fún whom will-he tell?
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: Claim wey remove you comot from di middle of living pipo no go leave anybody for you to explain give say you no die.
Used when: Owomoyela: "If person paint imsef put for corner, e don really trap imsef"
Notes: Di proverb dey turn on fact about audience pass about death: di man dey alive and awake, and e just lose di right make pipo listen to am, since anybody wey e dey talk to don already hear say e don die. Sleep na di center point because na di only state wey person fit spread dat kind report and den come back.
26. Ẹní fẹ́ẹ́ rí òkú kó sùn; àtúnra rí dojú àlá.
Literal: Ẹní fẹ́ẹ́ rí òkú whoever wants to-see the-dead kó sùn let-him sleep; àtúnra rí dojú àlá seeing-one-another-again has-become a-matter-of dreams.
Idiomatic: "Whoever wants to see the dead should go to sleep; such encounters happen only in the realm of dreams."
Meaning: Di dead pipo dey available inside dream and nowhere else.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Once pipo die, nobody fit see dem again for dis life"
Notes: Na dis proverb only for di file make dreaming di way to reach anytin, and e dey careful to make dat access only for dream: dream na where di meeting dey happen because nowhere else dey. Yorùbá tradition dey take dream meeting wit dead pipo as real communication, wey dem discuss for owe-death-ancestors-beyond, so di proverb no dey discard dream but e dey draw boundary for am.
27. Ẹni tó ó sùn-ún sàn ju ẹni tó kú lọ.
Literal: Ẹni tó ó sùn-ún the-one who is-sleeping sàn ju ẹni tó kú lọ is-better-than the-one who has-died.
Idiomatic: "The sleeping person is better off than the dead person."
Meaning: Two condition wey resemble each oda from outside no be di same tin, and di difference big well well.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Condition dem wey look like di same tin for outside fit really dey very different; sleep betta pass death"
Notes: Di proverb dey exist because di comparison clear so tey e come be like say e no necessary, wey be di sign say dem dey use am for anoda tin: two situation wey careless observer take as di same tin. Wen you put am side by side wit entry 28, wey say sleep no dey give warning about death, dis file hold say sleep resemble death reach make person confuse di two, but sleep still categorically betta pass death.
28. Oorun ò mọ ikú.
Literal: Oorun sleep ò mọ ikú does-not know death.
Idiomatic: "Sleep does not know death."
Meaning: Person wey dey sleep no get any way to know say death dey come.
Used when: Owomoyela note read say person wey dey sleep no dey know wen death go come .
Notes: Three words for di Yorùbá, and di whole claim stand on top personifying sleep as sometin wey for fit warn di sleeper but e no do am. Na sleep be di grammatical subject instead of death, na why di proverb dey dis file instead of owe-death-ancestors-beyond, and na di direct statement of wetin entry 27 dey argue around.
29. Àlá tí ajá bá lá, inú ajá ni ń gbé.
Literal: Àlá tí ajá bá lá whatever dream a-dog dreams, inú ajá ni ń gbé inside the-dog is-where it lives.
Idiomatic: "Whatever dream the dog dreams remains inside the dog."
Meaning: Dream belong completely to di dreamer and e no dey available for anybody else as evidence or as property.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Keep your own counsel"
Notes: Dem also give dis proverb for entry 26 of owe-stomach-appetite-inner-person, wey dem read there for wetin e talk about inú, di inside. Dem repeat am here because na di only proverb for di collection wey dem build on àlá as e be, and because di argument here na about di dream pass about wetin carry am. Di cognate accusative àlá ... lá, to dream a dream, na di same intensifying construction wey dey throughout di corpus.
Di mat, di bed and di night as place dem
30. Ayé kì í di pọ̀lọ̀rú ká fẹsẹ̀ rọ orí sùn.
Literal: Ayé kì í di pọ̀lọ̀rú the-world does-not become so-upended ká fẹsẹ̀ rọ orí sùn that-we rest head on-legs to-sleep.
Idiomatic: "The world is never so disrupted that one rests one's head on one's legs to sleep."
Meaning: No mata how tins bad reach, person no dey end up dey sleep di way fowl dey sleep.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela note tok sey no mata how di world take turn, pesin no dey suffer di same tin wey fowl dey suffer .
Notes: Owomoyela print di opposite version for 4828, Ayé kì í di pọ̀lọ̀rú kádìẹ má fẹsẹ̀ rọ orí sùn, "Di world no fit scatter reach wetin go make fowl no put head for leg sleep," wey he explain sey e mean sey di condition of fowl self no go change . Dis two proverb show clearly how one pattern fit bring out two proverb wey get opposite subject but di same style, and dem dey use each of dem take encourage different pesin.
31. Èèyàn ò rí bi sùn, ajá ń hanrun.
Literal: Èèyàn ò rí bi sùn people have-nowhere to-sleep, ajá ń hanrun a-dog is-snoring.
Idiomatic: "Humans have no place to sleep, and a dog is snoring."
Meaning: Pesin wey no get level dey enjoy wetin people wey senior am no fit get.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "Pesin wey no get level dey claim wetin people wey pass am no get"
Notes: Hanrun na to snore, wey na di main tin wey cause di offense: di dog no just sleep, e dey snore well-well dey enjoy, for earshot of people wey no fit sleep. Di proverb dey complain about status instead of dog, and di collection put am under inequality.
32. Ilé tí a tó lọ sùn lọ́sàn-án, a kì í tó òru lọ sùn ún.
Literal: Ilé tí a tó lọ sùn lọ́sàn-án a-house one is-entitled to-go-and-sleep-in by-day, a kì í tó òru lọ sùn ún one does-not wait-for night to-go and-sleep-in-it.
Idiomatic: "A house one has the right to sleep in during the day, one does not wait for the cover of night to go sleep in it."
Meaning: If pesin do wetin e get right to do for corner, e go look like say e dey trespass, so make pesin do am for open or make e no do am at all.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "Pesin no suppose dey hide do wetin e get right to do"
Notes: Di proverb dey depend on di fact sey di same action dey get different meaning for different time, wey make di time of day become part of di action itself instead of just di place where e happen. Compare entry 27 for owe-beauty-ugliness-appearance, where early morning na di time wey dem choose to check display, and owe-doorway-threshold-boundary about who get right to pass which doorstep for which time.
33. Ojúlùmọ̀ ò níí jẹ́ ká ahun ó sun ìgbẹ́.
Literal: Ojúlùmọ̀ acquaintance [the community of those who know one] ò níí jẹ́ ká ahun ó sun ìgbẹ́ will-not permit that the-miser sleep in-the-bush.
Idiomatic: "The community will not let the miser sleep in the wild."
Meaning: Even pesin wey no give anytin, dem go still take am in, because di duty come from di community itself instead of wetin di pesin don do before.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "Even pesin wey no dey follow people associate go still benefit from community care"
Notes: Ojúlùmọ̀ na network of people wey know each other instead of formal organisation, so di proverb no point to one particular pesin as di one wey do di rescue, but e make am look like wetin dey happen because dem know di pesin. Na dis proverb make sense pass for generosity for di collection and na mirror image of owe-family-lineage-compound, where di duties of di compound dey clearly stated as duty instead of charity.
34. Bí a kò bá lówó aládìn-ín, à jẹun lójúmọmọ, à gbálẹ̀ sùn wàrà.
Literal: Bí a kò bá lówó aládìn-ín if one has-no money for lamp-oil, à jẹun lójúmọmọ one eats in-daylight, à gbálẹ̀ sùn wàrà one sweeps-the-floor and-sleeps promptly.
Idiomatic: "If one has no money for lamp oil, one eats in the daytime and sweeps the house and goes to sleep in good time."
Meaning: Adjust how you dey spend your day according to wetin you fit actually afford, without to complain and without to borrow.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "Pesin plan and action suppose fit wetin e get"
Notes: Lamp oil na di main expense to get evening life at all, so household wey no get am, their day dey end as night fall, and di three verbs inside di proverb describe how house time change completely because of one item wey dem no get. E no get any abuse inside, wey make am different from di poverty proverbs inside owe-wealth-poverty-money. Compare entry 36 for under, where na di same lamp oil fool dey burn enter debt as e dey do vigil wey no get point.
35. Ẹní máa rí àti-sùn akàn á pẹ́ létí ìsà.
Literal: Ẹní máa rí whoever will see àti-sùn akàn the going-to-sleep of-a-crab á pẹ́ létí ìsà will be-long at-the-edge of-its-hole.
Idiomatic: "Whoever wishes to see a crab go to sleep will stay long by its hole."
Meaning: To wait make you see sometin wey pesin no fit see when e want na to accept wait wey no get end.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela note start with "Whoever seeks the ..." and e cut for di source wey dem check; he explain for entry 36 wey follow am sey pesin wey dey wait for wetin impossible go wait forever . How di compiler understand di usage follow dat pair. Confidence on di usage: medium.
Notes: How crab dey enter inside e hole no dey give any moment wey pesin fit see sey e don sleep, so di vigil wey dem describe no get natural end, and àti-sùn na di nominalised to-sleep, di action itself instead of di condition. Di pattern of impossible-task common for di collection and here dem attach am specifically to sleep as wetin pesin no fit see.
36. Ẹní máa rí àti-sùn-ún pẹ́pẹ́yẹ á jẹ gbèsè àdín.
Literal: Ẹní máa rí whoever will see àti-sùn-ún pẹ́pẹ́yẹ the going-to-sleep of-a-duck á jẹ gbèsè àdín will run-up debt for lamp-oil.
Idiomatic: "Whoever wishes to see ducks go to sleep will go into debt paying for [fuel] oil."
Meaning: To wait throughout di night for sometin wey pesin no fit see na debt wey pesin choose for body.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "Pesin wey dey wait for wetin impossible go wait forever," with reference to entry 35 .
Notes: Àdín na di oil wey dem dey burn for lamp, di same commodity wey im absence dey reorganise whole household for entry 34, so di two proverb put di identical shilling to opposite use: one household no fit afford evening at all, and dis watcher dey borrow to extend one indefinitely. As e join with entry 35, di collection supply two animal and two price, time and money, for di same vigil wey no yield anything.
Reading dis set
Three tins stand out across dis thirty-six proverb dem.
Sleep for dis file na condition wey get obligation wey join am, no be neutral pause. Entry 1 reach 4 make am be sometin wey di day must earn, entry 3 make am be dereliction, and entry 10 reach 19 treat am as di time wey anoda pesin dey take act. Even entry 16, wey use sleeping for house as di image of blameless conduct, dey argue about exposure pass as e dey argue about rest. Di only proverb wey treat rest as sometin wey dem just owe pesin, entry 5, spend im argument on where woman journey dey end pass di rest itself.
Di collection use sleep as im standard boundary case for wetin dem fit hold pesin to. Entry 21 rule sleeper out say e no fit witness to im own body, entry 22 show tortoise as e try use sleep do alibi but e fail, entry 23 and 24 disqualify pesin wey just wake up say e no fit make proposal, and entry 25 show man wey talk so tay e lose im audience. Wen pesin put am beside entry 14 and 20, wey turn on weda sleeper na real one, di group bring out one consistent position: sleep dey suspend pesin standing as competent party, and di wahala na say dem no fit verify am from outside.
Dreaming almost no dey at all, and di two dream proverb dem no agree on wetin dream dey for. Entry 29 talk say dream dey stay inside di pesin wey dream am and e no dey prove anything to anybody. Entry 26 talk say dream na di only place wey pesin fit still meet dead people, wey be claim say dream dey carry real content from outside di dreamer. Yorùbá practice dey treat dream encounter with dead people as genuine communication, so di tension dey between proverb about discretion and proverb about access, no be contradiction about metaphysics, but di collection no settle am and dis file self no settle am. Di scarcity itself make sense to state clearly: inside collection of 5,235 proverb, na only two talk about dreaming, compared to dozens on sleep, and no amount of searching fit produce more.