Thirty-six Yorùbá proverbs on hunger, greed, and the inside of a person as the place where feeling and counsel are kept, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.
Machine na im translate dis page and no person don check am. The Yorùbá wey dem quote, the proverbs, the meanings and the citations dey exactly as the original. Everything else fit wrong.
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.
Yorùbá dey put person inner life inside belly. Inú na di inside of person, and e dey do di work wey English dey divide between heart, mind, stomach and gut: na dia happiness dey (inú dùn, di inside sweet), na dia vex and grief dey (inú bàjẹ́, di inside spoil), na dia secret dey stay, na dia counsel dey happen, and na dia food dey enter. Ikùn na di main belly itself, di organ for hunger and appetite. Because na di same area for body dem be, Yorùbá proverb about belly wey full dey often be proverb about mind wey settle too, and di corpus no dey treat am like say na wordplay.
Dis file gather thirty-six proverb put for three group: hunger and wetin e dey do to person standard, greed as specific bad character wey get im own vocabulary, and inú as di inside wey person dey keep closed. Di third group na di one wey get deep philosophical weight pass, because e hold strong Yorùbá position say di inside na private property, person fit defend am, and person no owe am to anybody.
Dem present di proverb dem inside Owomoyela text and translation dem . Di usage note dem wey Owomoyela put for bracket na dem form di foundation for di Used when line dem; anywhere wey di exact word na im own, dem quote am. Anything wey dem mark as compiler own na dis corpus get am, and di confidence level dey lower.
Owomoyela print complete standard orthography with tone mark and subdot dem, and dem reproduce im text dem here as e print dem . E no attach any informant to any proverb, as e hold view say proverb na property wey community share together , so dem verify di text dem but dem no tie dem to specific place or date.
Literal: Ebi ò pa mọ̀le hunger did-not seize the-Muslim ó ní òun ò jẹ àáyá he said he-does-not eat red-colobus-monkey; ebi pa Súlè hunger seized Suleiman ó jọ̀bọ he-ate monkey.
Idiomatic: "The Muslim is not hungry, and he vows he will not eat a red colobus monkey; hunger gripped Suleiman, and he ate a monkey."
Meaning: Rule about wetin person fit chop wey stand when belly full no dey survive when hunger catch person.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person wey dey desperate hard make e dey select"
Notes: Di proverb call Muslim first and come call am again as Súlè, wey be Yorùbá form of Suleiman, so di general person and di particular man na di same person and di second clause catch am. Monkey no be lawful food under di food rule dem wey e start by mentioning, na wetin make di failure total instead of make e be small part. Di proverb na observation about scarcity, no be argument against Islam, and e get exact structural twin for entry 2.
Literal: Ebi ò pa Jèṣà hunger did-not seize the-Ìjẹ̀ṣà-person ó lóun ò jẹ̀kọ Ọ̀yọ́ he said he-does-not eat Ọ̀yọ́ corn-loaf; ebi pa ọmọ Obòkun hunger seized the-child-of-Obòkun ó jẹ orí he ate orí.
Idiomatic: "The Ijeṣa person is not hungry, and he rejects corn loaf prepared by an Ọ̀yọ́ person; when hunger gripped the son of Obokun [an appellation for Ijeṣa people], he ate orí [the Ọ̀yọ́ name for corn loaf]."
Meaning: Di refusal na because of pride of where person come from, and hunger melt am commot.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Na when person never desperate e fit afford to dey choose"
Notes: Di joke dey inside di word dem and na im be di whole proverb: ẹ̀kọ and orí na di Ìjẹ̀ṣà and Ọ̀yọ́ name dem for di same corn loaf, so di man wey reject am under one name come chop am under di other name. Di bracket explanation dem na Owomoyela own, and without dem person no go fit see di pun for English. Obòkun na di ancestral figure wey dem dey trace Ìjẹ̀ṣà descent from, so di proverb also touch inter-Yorùbá rivalry of di kind wey dey show for entry 22 of owe-ears-hearing-mouth.
Literal: Bí a kò bá láyà arìndọ̀rìndọ̀ if we have-not a-stomach that-is-strong, a kì í jẹ aáyán we do-not eat cockroaches.
Idiomatic: "If one's stomach is not immune to nausea, one does not eat roaches."
Meaning: No go carry work wey you no get body or capacity to finish.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Make person avoid wetin im belly no fit carry"
Notes: English and Yorùbá agree here say di place wey person dey take bear things na di belly, wetin make Owomoyela "cannot stomach" be rare example of idiom wey survive translation without spoiling. Àyà na di real chest itself, and to use am for liver or courage na standard thing, so di Yorùbá closer to "if we no get chest for am."
Literal: Ebi ń pa mí hunger is-killing me ọlọ́ṣẹ ń kiri the-soap-seller hawks-about; ìgbà tí ng ò wẹnú when I have-not washed the-inside ng ó ṣe wẹ̀de how shall-I wash the-outside?
Idiomatic: "I am hungry, and the soap seller hawks her wares; when I have not washed my inside, how can I wash my outside?"
Meaning: Wetin di inside need na im come first, and di fine outside fit wait.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person must arrange wetin important first with sense"
Notes: Wẹnú, to wash inside, na di normal Yorùbá way to say make person chop, and na im be di join-join of di proverb: to chop and to wash na di same verb wey dem apply to two surface. Dis na di clearest evidence for dis file say inú and ìta, inside and outside, na pair wey dey work together for everyday speech, no be something wey philosopher just invent.
Literal: Àgbọ́kànlé the-thing-one-relies-on ò pa ni lébi does-not kill one with-hunger.
Idiomatic: "A thing in which one reposes one's trust does not make one hunger."
Meaning: Wetin you don truly secure na im go feed you.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Wetin person keep aside dey guarantee wetin e go chop"
Notes: Àgbọ́kànlé na compressed noun from gbọ́kàn lé, to put heart for something, so na the act of relying dem take name the thing wey person rely on. The proverb dey serve as reassurance and dem dey use am as test too: if e make hunger catch you, e mean say no be that thing.
Literal: A kì í dùbúlẹ̀ ṣubú one does-not lie-down and-fall.
Idiomatic: "One does not fall from a prone position." Owomoyela's gloss: "Hunger cannot make one faint and fall if one goes to sleep"
Meaning: To lie down na the defence against collapse, so person wey no get wetin e go chop dey sleep.
Used when: Dem dey talk am about the strategy of person wey no get anything. Wetin Owomoyela put inside bracket na im bring out the hunger meaning, wey no dey visible for the Yorùbá alone .
Notes: Without the explanation from Owomoyela, this one dey look like general proverb about safety when person dey low position, and na so e dey circulate too. The hunger meaning dey more serious and specific: dem dey recommend sleep as way make person no faint, wey be wetin people dey do for famine time instead of just figure of speech. Confidence on the hunger reading: e depend purely on Owomoyela note.
Literal: Fi ọ̀ràn sínú put trouble inside pete ẹ̀rín prepare laughter; fi ebi sínú put hunger inside sunkún ayo weep satiation.
Idiomatic: "Keep your troubles inside and laugh heartily; keep your hunger hidden and pretend to weep from satiation."
Meaning: Make person hide hunger behind the opposite of hunger.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person suppose keep im wahala to imself and show happy face give the world"
Notes: Sunkún ayo, to cry say person belle full, na something wey absurd on purpose: person no dey cry because say e don chop belle full, but the instruction na make person perform even that one. The proverb na the sharpest statement for the file about the inú doctrine wey dem develop for the third section, and e put hunger directly among the things wey belong to inside.
Literal: Òní ohun tí àgbà jẹ tẹ́lẹ̀ ikùn there-is something the-elder ate to-line the-belly kó tó sọ pé before he-said that èyí yó òun this will-satisfy him.
Idiomatic: "The elder ate something to line his stomach before he said that what [little] was before him would suffice to sate his hunger."
Meaning: The moderation wey person display outside happen because of preparation wey e do for private.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person wey get sense dey prepare imself for anything wey fit happen"
Notes: The proverb dey show affection instead of to dey accuse person: the way the elder take hold body for table na real thing, and the food wey e chop beforehand na real thing too. E belong to entry 7, since the preparation na another thing wey dem keep inside, and e follow the dignity proverbs for entries 31 to 37 of owe-head-face-ori, where person position need arrangements wey nobody dey see to maintain am.
Literal: Ọ̀kánjúwà covetousness baba àrùn father of-disease.
Idiomatic: "Covetousness, father of all diseases."
Meaning: Greed na the chief of all affliction.
Used when: Owomoyela: "No sickness dey like greed"
Notes: Baba wey dem use this way dey name the number one example for one category instead of parent, the kind construction wey dem discuss for entry 9 of yoruba-owe-proverbs. Dem analyse Ọ̀kánjúwà as kán ojú wá, roughly "the eye sharp to find something," so the Yorùbá word for greed dey built on top eye while the proverbs about wetin e dey cause dey built on top belle. Compare entry 10, wey use the exact same frame for stealing.
Literal: Ọ̀kánjúwà covetousness baba olè father of-thievery; àwòrò ǹṣoṣò-ó the-bug-eyed-one wo ohun olóhun stares-at another's property má ṣẹ̀ẹ́jú without blinking.
Idiomatic: "Covetousness, father of thievery; bug-eyed greedy person stares at another person's property without blinking."
Meaning: Stealing dey start as unbroken look on wetin belong to another person.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Covetousness dey lead to stealing"
Notes: The second clause dey supply the mechanism wey the first one talk say dey, wey be the same two-part structure like entry 2 of owe-iwa-character. The look wey person no blink eye na the diagnostic sign, and e return the vice back to the eye wey dem build im name on.
Literal: Ọ̀kánjúwà kì í mu ẹ̀jẹ̀ ẹlòmíràn the-greedy-one does-not drink another's blood; ẹ̀jẹ̀ ara ẹ̀ náà ni ḿmu it-is his-own blood he-drinks.
Idiomatic: "The greedy person does not drink other people's blood; he drinks only his own."
Meaning: Greed dey consume the greedy person instead of im victims.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Greed dey turn back attack the greedy person"
Notes: The proverb correct one expectation wey e first bring up: to drink blood na the language of witchcraft accusation for Yorùbá, and the proverb accept the image while e redirect the target. The structure na the same reversal wey dem do for entry 31 of owe-iwa-character, where the detractor dey spoil imself.
Literal: Ọ̀kánjúwà-á bu òkèlè the-greedy-one takes a-morsel, ojú ẹ̀-ẹ́ la mi his eyes stream water.
Idiomatic: "A greedy person takes a morsel of food, and tears gush from his eyes."
Meaning: The rush-rush of the greedy person dey injure am for the exact moment wey e dey get wetin e want.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Greed get im own pain too"
Notes: Òkèlè na the hand-moulded ball of pounded food wey person dey swallow whole, so the tears na the physical result of taking mouthful wey too big, and the proverb dey exact about the mechanism. Nobody dey punish the greedy person; na choke e dey choke.
Literal: Ọ̀kánjúwà-á pín the-insatiable-one receives ẹgbàá fà twelve-thousand nínú ẹgbàá je out-of fourteen-thousand; ó ní kí wọ́n pín ẹgbàá kan tó kù he says let-them share the-remaining two-thousand, bóyá igba iwó tún lè kan òun perhaps two-hundred cowries might reach him too.
Idiomatic: "The insatiable person receives 12,000 cowries out of 14,000; he asks that the remaining 2,000 be shared, [so] perhaps 200 of them will come to him."
Meaning: As e don take almost everything finish, e come talk say make dem divide di small wey remain so dat im go still get share inside.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Greed no get limit"
Notes: Di calculation na di joke and pesin gats follow am so dat di proverb go make sense: e hold six-sevenths and e come propose say make dem share di last one-seventh equally. Di way dem count cowrie dey show say na cowrie time di text come from, and di Yorùbá number dem ẹgbàá fà and ẹgbàá je, dem use multiplication on top two thousand take build dem.
Literal: Wọ̀bìà-á yó tán the-greedy-one having-been-satisfied fully, ó pe ẹgbẹ́ ẹ̀ wá he calls his companions to-come.
Idiomatic: "The greedy person fed to satiation, and he summons his friends."
Meaning: After dem don feed am finish, e come carry other people come make dem feed dem for di same pesin pocket.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Pesin wey like free food go always dey find chance to collect plenty things as e fit from pesin wey dey help am"
Notes: Di way Owomoyela explain am show say di call na another way to cheat pesin. Di Yorùbá allow another meaning wey better pass dat one, say di man dey share im good luck, and how dem dey use di proverb in practice depend entirely on di tone wey pesin take talk am. Confidence for di explanation: medium.
Literal: Ohun gbogbo everything kì í tó olè is-never enough-for a-thief.
Idiomatic: "Nothing ever satisfies a thief."
Meaning: Di kind long throat wey dey cause thievery no be di type wey plenty quantity fit satisfy.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Long throat and covetousness na di mark of thief"
Notes: Tó mean to dey enough, and di negative way dem take construct di sentence put di fault for di man body instead of di supply wey dey ground. Compare entry 16, wey make bellyful di normal end of appetite, and e come dey directly against this one.
Literal: Màá jẹ iṣu I-will eat yam; màá jẹ èrú I-will eat a-slice; ibi ayo lómọ the-place of-satiation is-where-it-ends.
Idiomatic: "I will eat a whole yam; I will also eat a slice of yam; satiation ends it all."
Meaning: No matter how long throat take dey boast, e dey stop once belly full.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Even di worst kind long throat no fit pass bellyful"
Notes: Di first two clause na boast wey first dey climb up and come drop down, full yam first, come follow with just one slice, and di third clause dismiss di two of dem. If pesin read am against entry 15, di collection of proverbs dey hold two different position at di same time: appetite get natural limit, and for inside thief body, e no get.
Literal: Ajàkàṣù the-eater-of-large-lumps ò mọ̀ bí ìyàn-án mú does-not know how famine grips.
Idiomatic: "The person who eats large helpings does not care that there is a famine."
Meaning: Pesin wey dey chop anyhow without control no dey notice say scarcity dey everywhere.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Long throat no dey do manage"
Notes: Ajàkàṣù na agent noun wey dem build from eating lumps of food, one of di plenty Yorùbá single word for different kind of pesin wey dey chop wey English fit only explain with whole phrase. Di "does not care" wey Owomoyela use na translation of ò mọ̀, wey mean "no know", and di difference between to no know and to no care dey important to how dem dey use di proverb: e fit give excuse or e fit accuse pesin.
Literal: Kó-tán-kó-tán finish-it-finish-it lajá ń lá omi is-how a-dog laps water.
Idiomatic: "Swiftly-consumed-swiftly-consumed is the way a dog laps up water."
Meaning: Some creature dey take wetin dey front of dem with full speed.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Dem dey talk am about people wey dey attack good things with too much long throat"
Notes: Di reduplicated word kó-tán-kó-tán carry di rhythm of di lapping and na im be all di sound-effect of di proverb, wey no English translation keep. Di hyphenated English wey Owomoyela use na attempt to keep di shape instead of translating separate words.
Literal: "Mo yó" ń jẹ́ "mo yó" "I am-full" means "I am-full," "mo kọ̀" ń jẹ́ "mo kọ̀" "I decline" means "I decline"; jẹun ǹṣó eating without-restraint, àgbà ọ̀kánjúwà ni is the-chief of-greediness.
Idiomatic: "'I am full' means 'I am full'; 'I decline' means 'I decline'; eating with abandon, that is the father of all greediness."
Meaning: Polite way to reject food dey and dem mean am, and pesin wey no dey ever use am get long throat.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Pesin no suppose accept every invitation to table"
Notes: Di proverb special as e dey insist say make dem take Yorùbá table formulas as dem talk am, since plenty Yorùbá hospitality speech na ritual and dem dey expect say make pesin override am. Im argument na say di word to take stop dey, so if pesin fail to stop, na choice.
Literal: Ọ̀kánjúwà àgbà a-greedy elder ní ń sọ ara ẹ̀ dèwe is-who turns himself into-a-child.
Idiomatic: "It is an avaricious elder that turns himself into a child."
Meaning: Long throat wey elder no fit control dey make am lose di respect wey im age give am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Elder wey no fit control im appetite dey ask make dem treat am like pikin"
Notes: For Yorùbá seniority, na elder dey first chop and na im dem dey serve di best, so greed for elder body no be say e break rule against to take something, but e break di composure wey make am deserve dat privilege. This one follow inside di elder-and-disgrace proverbs for entries 31 to 34 of owe-head-face-ori.
Literal: Ọ̀kánjúwà àgbẹ̀ the-insatiable farmer tí ń gbin òwú who plants cotton sóko àkúrọ̀ on-a-swamp-farm.
Idiomatic: "[It is] an insatiable farmer who plants cotton on a farm by the stream."
Meaning: As e want extra crop, e go put am where e no fit grow, come lose di land join.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Greed dey sometimes make people work against their own interest"
Notes: Àkúrọ̀ na low land wey dey hold water, wey good for rice and vegetable but no good for cotton, so di proverb na farm fact first before e turn moral lesson. Na dis single proverb among di greed group na im work itself dey punish di bad habit instead of make other people punish am, and e still belong well-well inside di farming file.
Literal: Ọ̀kánjúwà alágbàà the-insatiable chief-of-the-masqueraders ní ń garùn wo eégún is-who cranes-the-neck to-watch a-masquerader.
Idiomatic: "It is an insatiable chief of the masqueraders' cult that stands on tiptoe to watch a performing masquerader."
Meaning: Di person wey get di whole institution dey stretch neck like spectator.
Used when: Owomoyela: "E no fine to too get greed, especially when everything dey person hand already"
Notes: Na di alágbàà dey head di egúngún cult and e get open access to everything wey join with di masquerade, na why di neck wey e dey stretch show greed and e no carry dignity at all. Di proverb need di institution before e fit work at all, and na good example of proverb wey person no fit understand from di words alone.
Literal: Ayé ò ṣé-é fi inú hàn the-world is-not fit to-show the-inside-to; bí o lọ́gbọ́n if you have wisdom, fi sí kùn ara à ẹ rẹ put it in your-own belly.
Idiomatic: "The world does not deserve to be trusted; if you have a store of wisdom, keep it in you."
Meaning: Wetin you know, na inside body you dey keep am, you no dey share am out.
Used when: Owomoyela: "People of di world no dey reliable; any sense wey person wan pass give people suppose dey reserved for person own use"
Notes: Di instruction directly na to put sense inside belly, ikùn, wey be di same organ wey dey receive food for di first section of dis file. Di proverb na di clearest statement of di inú doctrine: di inside na store, and to store thing na act of defense. Compare entry 24, wey recommend di inside as person to talk to instead of strongbox.
Literal: Bá inú sọ speak-with the-inside, má bá èèyàn sọ do-not speak-with people; èèyàn ò sí people are-not-there; ayé ti dèké the-world has-become false.
Idiomatic: "Counsel with your inside, not with people; [good] people are no longer to be found; the world has turned false."
Meaning: Person suppose do reasoning inside imsef because nobody dey wey safe to reason with.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Nobody dey to trust except person sef"
Notes: Èèyàn ò sí, people no dey, na strong Yorùbá idiom wey mean say no real people remain, in di sense of people wey person fit trust; wetin Owomoyela put inside bracket "[good]" make am clear well-well. Na here di corpus isolate person pass, and e good make person read am alongside di plenty proverbs about interdependence wey dey collected inside yoruba-owe-proverbs, entries 14 reach 19, wey assume di opposite. Di corpus dey provide di two, and na di speaker dey choose.
Literal: Àgádágodo padlocks ò fi inú han ara-a wọn do-not show the-inside to-one-another.
Idiomatic: "Padlocks do not share their secrets with one another."
Meaning: Things wey dem work na to lock no dey open even to their own type.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Some secret dey wey person no suppose open tell other people"
Notes: Di image clear well-well: padlock mechanism na im inside, and second padlock no get right to see am pass any other thing. Di proverb reject di argument of say "na our person," wey be di argument dem dey use pass to pull secret commot.
Literal: Àlá tí ajá bá lá the-dream that 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: Wetin person no fit talk dey stay where e start.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Keep your advice for yourself"
Notes: Dem choose dog because e no fit talk, so di keeping na natural fact for am instead of discipline, and di proverb hold dat one up as di model. Na dis one gentle pass among di proverbs about concealment, and na di only one wey no mean say di world dey hostile.
Literal: Ọbẹ̀ kì í gbé inú àgbà mì stew does-not shift-about inside an-elder.
Idiomatic: "A stew does not slosh around once inside an elder."
Meaning: Wetin dem entrust give big person dey stay still and e no dey come back outside.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Elder suppose know how to keep secret"
Notes: Na dis be di main proverb for dis file, because e make di link between to chop and to keep secret clear: secret wey dem tell elder don enter belly, and di test for elder na say nothing suppose shake sound. Di physical claim still come from wetin eyes dey see, since belly wey full dey quiet, and di proverb turn dat one directly to rule about discretion.
Literal: Inú burúkú a-bad inside làgbà ń ní is-what an-elder has, àgbà kì í ní ojú burúkú an-elder does-not have a-bad face.
Idiomatic: "An unpleasant inside is what a venerable elder should have; a venerable elder should not have an unpleasant mien."
Meaning: Elder fit feel wetin e like, but e no suppose show am.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "Pesin no suppose allow how e really dey feel push am go misbehave"
Notes: Di proverb give permission for di feeling and forbid di face, wetin be clear division of pesin into secret inside and outside surface wey public dey see. Na theoretical statement of wetin entry 7 recommend as practice, and dem suppose compare am against owe-head-face-ori entry 38, wia to control face too carefully na failure on top im own. Di corpus no match up on top dis mata, and dat inconsistency carry weight.
Literal: Àgbàlagbà á ṣe inú kẹrẹndẹn an-elder makes the-inside smooth; èyí tó máa ṣe what he-will do ḿbẹ níkùn-un rẹ̀ is in his-belly.
Idiomatic: "An elder shows a smooth belly to the world, but what he will do is known to him."
Wetin e mean: Di plan dey form and stay for inside, and di outside no show anything at all.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "Be pesin wey dey tink and act, no be pesin of plenty talk"
Notes: Kẹrẹndẹn na ideophone for smoothness or blankness. Di proverb different from entry 28 for wetin dem dey hide: for dat place na feeling, for here na plan, and di second one get serious consequence pass because e concern wetin wan happen to oda pipo.
Literal: Isó inú ẹ̀kú a-fart inside the-masquerade-shroud, à-rá-mọ́ra the-thing-to-be-endured-against-the-body.
Idiomatic: "The fart within a masquerader's shroud [is] something to be endured."
Wetin e mean: Some wahala dey happen inside covering wey pesin no fit comot from.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "Di insult wey pesin no fit run comot from, e must bear am"
Notes: Di ẹ̀kú na di full costume of di egúngún masquerade, wey cover di pesin wey wear am completely and pesin no fit pull am for public without to spoil di masquerade. Di proverb funny and accurate, and di compressed noun à-rá-mọ́ra name di category of tin wey pesin just have to bear.
Literal: Bí a bá fi inú wé inú if we compare inside with inside, iwọ là ń jẹ bile is-what we eat.
Idiomatic: "If we compare notes with others, we wind up eating bile."
Wetin e mean: To dey compare your inside life with anoda pesin own dey bring bitterness.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "To compare life condition with oda pipo fit leave bitter taste for pesin mouth"
Notes: Iwọ na bile, di tin wey bitter pass wey bodi dey produce, and e dey inside di same place as inú, so di consequence of di proverb dey comot from di same organ as im subject. Na dis place for di file join di inside-as-feeling and di inside-as-gut tight pass.
Literal: Ọlọ́gbọ́n ọmọ a-wise child ní ḿmú inú-u bàbá ẹ̀ dùn is-who makes his-father's inside sweet; aṣiwèrè ọmọ a-foolish child ní ḿba inú ìyá ẹ̀ jẹ́ is-who spoils his-mother's inside.
Idiomatic: "A wise child gladdens the heart of his father; an imbecile child saddens the heart of his mother."
Wetin e mean: Di child conduct dey register directly inside di parent.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "Every parent go prefer pikin wey get sense pass idiot"
Notes: Di two idioms inú dùn and inú bàjẹ́, wey dem discuss for di start of dis file, appear here as exact opposite of each oda, wey be di clearest proof for inside di corpus say dem be pair wey match. Di way dem give papa di good outcome and mama di bad one na feature of di text and di text no explain am; di Proverbs 10:1 wey closely parallel am do di same split, and di warning wey dey for entry 38 of yoruba-owe-proverbs about proverbs wey Bible shape apply for here too. Level of surety about origin: contested.
Literal: Kì í jẹ́ kí etí ẹni di what does-not let one's ear be-blocked kì í jẹ́ kí inú ẹni dùn does-not let one's inside be-sweet.
Idiomatic: "Whatever keeps one from being deaf to certain things keeps one from being happy."
Wetin e mean: Wetin ear open hear, na unrest of di inside dey pay for am.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "Learn to pretend say you no hear certain tins sake of your peace of mind"
Notes: Dis proverb still appear for entry 17 of owe-ears-hearing-mouth and dem repeat am here because im two organs belong to two files: na e be di joint between dem, and e state di transaction wey di corpus assume throughout, say wetin enter through di ear dey digest inside di belly.
Literal: Arọ tí kò lẹ́sẹ̀ nílẹ̀ a-cripple who has-no legs on-the-ground ẹ́ lọ́gbọ́n nínú has wisdom inside.
Idiomatic: "A cripple who has no legs to stand on has wisdom inside him."
Wetin e mean: Wetin dey miss for outside, dem compensate am for inside.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "No mata wetin be pesin handicap, e go get some asset"
Notes: Di proverb put nílẹ̀, for ground, against nínú, inside, as di two places wey pesin resources fit dey, and e give di second one to di man wey dem deny di first one. Na di most generous use of inú inside di file, and na di standard Yorùbá proverb wey dem dey quote to support pesin wey pipo don write off because of how im body be.
Literal: Àgùntàn ń wò sùn-ùn the-sheep stares blankly; ọgbọ́n inú pé egbèje the-wisdom inside amounts-to one-thousand-four-hundred.
Idiomatic: "The sheep stares blankly, but its cunning stratagems number 1,400."
Wetin e mean: Empty outside no be evidence about wetin dey inside.
Wen dem dey use am: Owomoyela: "How tin look dey deceive"
Notes: Egbèje, 1,400, na big round number for Yorùbá counting instead of exact count, di same style wey dem note for entry 49 of owe-iwa-character. Dem pick sheep specifically bikos na di animal wey proverb dey always use as mumu animal, so di proverb dey argue against di exact example wey obvious pass.
Literal: Tinú ọ̀bọ what-is-inside the-monkey lọ̀bọ́ ń ṣe is-what the-monkey does.
Idiomatic: "The monkey is clever, but it is following its own strategy." Translator: Owomoyela, rendering the clause within the fuller proverb Alákataḿpò ó ṣe bí ọ̀bọ ò gbọ́n; ọ̀bọ́ gbọ́n; tinú ọ̀bọ lọ̀bọ́ ń ṣe .
Meaning: Wetin look like foolishness from outside na plan wey person dey carry out from inside.
Used when: Owomoyela explain di full proverb: "E no matter whether people laugh you as long as you know wetin you dey do and why you dey do am"
Notes: Di full text start with alákataḿpò, di man with crossbow, wey take di monkey as fool. Na di last part dem quote here bikos e dey stand on im own and e state di principle: tinú, wey be contraction of ti inú, mean "wetin dey inside," and di sentence dey talk say creature dey act from wetin dey inside am. Na di final position of dis file, say di inside no just be store or place to hide tins, but na di source of action.
Three tins dey run through all dis thirty-six proverbs.
To chop and to know na di same operation wey dem dey do on top di same organ. Entry 4 call to chop "washing di inside," entry 23 instruct person make e put wisdom inside belle, and entry 27 test elder discretion by whether stew dey shake inside am. Dis one no be just metaphor wey dem put on top anatomy; na one single vocabulary wey English must divide into two. Di literal translation inside dis file na di only place wey dis unity dey show.
To hide tins na di normal advice wey dem give, and di corpus know wetin e dey cost. Entries 23 to 30 all dey advise make person lock im inside, and many of dem talk am straight say person no fit trust anybody. Entry 24 talk say no human being remain. But entry 34 and entry 35 use di same inside as di place wey di real capacity of person wey dem look down on dey stay, dey wait make dem underestimate am. Di inside na both bunker and reserve, and which one any proverb mean depend on whether di person wey dey talk dey defend or e dey predict.
Greed get technical vocabulary wey di belle proverbs no get. Ọ̀kánjúwà na specific bad habit wey get im own group of proverbs, im origin dey for eye, and e get list of behaviour wey dey follow am: to stare, to stretch neck, to take food wey big pass mouth, to divide wetin remain. On di other hand, dem no attach any bad habit to hunger. Di corpus treat hunger as condition wey dey show wetin person principles really worth, like for entries 1 and 2, and e treat to want pass your share as character fault. Dat difference dey consistent across di whole file, and e good make anybody wey wan read Yorùbá proverbs on appetite as ascetic take note of am.
Fifty-eight Yorùbá proverbs on character, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.
Forty-two Yorùbá proverbs on the head as body part and as destiny, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.
Thirty-two Yorùbá proverbs on the ear as the organ of instruction and intelligence, deafness as a figure for obstinacy, and the mouth as the organ that eats, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.
Sixty-seven Yorùbá proverbs on hunger, eating, restraint at table and the difference between a full house and an empty one, each with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation it is spoken in.
Forty-nine Yorùbá proverbs on the hand and the foot, the body's two instruments of labor, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.
Thirty Yorùbá proverbs on the eye as the organ of witness and judgment, and on blindness as both a literal condition and a figure for folly, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.