Àgbà òṣìkà ńgbin ìyà sílẹ̀ de ọmọ-ọ rẹ̀.
Character formed and deformed
Original
Àgbà òṣìkà ńgbin ìyà sílẹ̀ de ọmọ-ọ rẹ̀.
Literal gloss
- Àgbà òṣìkà a-wicked elder ńgbin ìyà sílẹ̀ is-planting suffering down de ọmọ-ọ rẹ̀ awaiting his children.
Idiomatic English
"A wicked elder sows suffering for his children."
No translator is named in the source.
What it means
The consequences of an elder's cruelty are collected from his descendants.
Used when
Owomoyela: "One's character often affects the fortunes of one's children"
Notes on the translation
Gbin, to plant, with de, to await, gives a crop sown deliberately for someone to arrive and harvest. Owomoyela prints this proverb twice, at 702 and 1306, in the humility and caution sections respectively, cross-referencing each to the other; the text is identical.