Àjàjà ṣoge àparò, abàyà kelú.
Character, appearance and the judgement of others
Ìpilẹ̀
Àjàjà ṣoge àparò, abàyà kelú.
Ìtumọ̀ ọ̀rọ̀-sí-ọ̀rọ̀
- Àjàjà uncharacteristically ṣoge dressed-up àparò partridge, abàyà kelú with-chest thrust-out.
Ìtumọ̀ Gẹ̀ẹ́sì
"The uncharacteristically spruced-up partridge swells its chest."
Orísun náà kò dárúkọ ẹni tí ó túmọ̀ rẹ̀.
Ohun tí ó túmọ̀ sí
Newly acquired finery produces exaggerated display.
Ìgbà tí a ń lò ó
Owomoyela: "The nouveau riche always goes to extremes in consumption"
Àkíyèsí lórí ìtumọ̀
Abàyà kelú is an epithet of the form used in oríkì praise poetry, so the proverb mimics praise while delivering mockery. That double register, praise-form carrying ridicule, is a standard Yorùbá device and is completely lost in translation.