Another Oríkì (praise poem) dedicated to the Yorùbá goddess of trade and wealth, Aje (see also Salute to Aje, Goddess of Wealth).
The man who poverty makes a beggar among friends
Knows how the world dodges the needy…
Salute to Aje, Goddess of Wealth
Eshu-Elegba in the Marketplace
A previous poem for the Yorùbá trickster god Èṣù, or Eshu (see Eshu, God of Fate) describes him as a deity who loves disrupting the laws of probability and creating impossible contradictions of time and space. As an Òrìṣà who crosses boundaries, his shrines are usually located at crossroads and at the entrances to homes. Another important station for Èṣù is the marketplace.
People of the market, clear the way!
We are coming through the market gate…
Iremoje for Ogundele by Lamidi Abonikaba
Iremoje for Ogunjinmi by Lamidi Abonikaba
The following Iremoje was part of the dirges chanted at the funeral of a deceased hunter, Ogunjinmi, whose name means “the god Ogun blesses or favours me”.
Ogunjinmi, you have caught your father’s dog.
A needle that falls into a pit is lost forever…
Iremoje for Pa Ogundele by Atoyebi
The following poem is part of the dirges chanted at the funeral of a deceased hunter, Pa Ogundele, by Atoyebi at Agunpopo, Oyo in 1975. Pa Ogundele was a member of the hunters society, the Asipade, (see The Asipade) for whom magical charms are an essential tool for capturing animals and surviving in the forest. However, whilst these charms are highly prized ultimately no magic can defeat death.
Ajuwon Akanbi,
Hunter, I thought you had egba magic…
