Iremoje

A funeral dirge by Amore David Olamide, in the style of the Yorùbá poetic chants sung at the funerals of dead hunters. See Iremoje for more examples of this style of funeral dirge.

Agbe bears, the grievous mourn
Aluko mourns its deepest treasure, aro (1)
The egret bird mourn its bright feathers (2)
The gnome mourns its pricey mat. (3)
For you we’ve lost our ears for melody
We now listen to the drops of rain songs
For you we’ve lost our fear for the night
We now roam the midnight like a wizard.
Tell the pedestrian on the road of Ijero
That a hefty elephant just bequeathed it’s fold
Tell the merchants of Oke-agbo
About the story needed to be told.
Awo ile, Awo ode (4)
We’ve to question you initiates
We’ve to defy your tongues for incantation
And your pragmatic voice for ogede.
None of you is bold enough
To dare to malign Opa Ikú (5)
None of you is bold enough
To provoke the spirit of the dusk
None of you! None of you!
Could chase the cloud away from us.
Haaa! Paga! (6)
Onikonkonlojiko has beaten the brass bell (7)
The earth is not at ease
The market is deserted
Haaa! Paga!
Onikonkonlojiko has struck the brass bell
The kinsmen of the warrior are filled with tears.
Haaaa
Sàǹgbá fọ́! (8)
The earthenware is broken
Sangiri ile (9)
The surface of the land has fractured
Pandemonium here and there
The hardwood just oozes sap
For the fall of the mighty unsung hero
No one saw it coming
Haaa! Ekun!
We thought you’re indomitable
You tricked us yesterday with a smile
And today you incapacitated us with teardrops
We shall pay no gods obeisance
Akoni! (5)
We will rather write your name on the sky.

by Amore David Olamide

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Footnotes

1. Aluko Refers to the colour purple, aro refers to dye.
2. The feathers of the egret bird is much sought after by plume hunters.
3. Some Yoruba myths describe a gnome (Egbere) who owns a small mat that brings forth great wealth. Whoever steals the mat from the gnome becomes rich beyond imagination.
4. Awo ile, refers to initiates returning home, Awode Ode, refers to initiates leaving home.
5. Opa Ikú: Refers to the staff of death used in rituals of ancestor veneration.
6. Haaa! Paga!: To express disapproval.
7. Onikonkonlojiko has beaten the brass bell: The messenger of death.
8. Sàǹgbá fọ́!: Meaning “Alas”.
9. Sangiri ile: A spine-tingling expression. Generally use to eulogise the Òrìṣà Ṣàngó.
10. Akoni!: Means “Hero!”