Oral Poetry from Africa
The following Oríkì praising the Orisha Èṣù Ẹlégbára, is from Ayọdele Ogundipẹ’s comprehensive academic study, Èṣù Ẹlégbára: Chance, Uncertainty in Yorùbá Mythology. The poet is Mùtíù Adélékè, described as a forty-ish trader from Ile-Olunlọyọ in Ibadan state, Nigeria.
Leisurely, I will trail after you with music,
He who creates man and never forgets him.
I will follow you leisurely with music…
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…
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…
A Yorùbá Iwi, or masqueradors’, chant from Nigeria. It is a sharp criticism of modern Ibadan as a town of thieves, violence and disease. See also Oriki Ibadan.
The spirit of the rock protects the town.
Ibadan, don’t fight!..
Another set of praises for the Òrìṣà Ògún. Ògún is one of the most popular Òrìṣà, both in Nigeria and across the Caribbean and the Americas. Known as the god of hunting, iron and warfare Ògún is both a violent destroyer and a heroic leader who delivers strength and justice to society.
Now I will chant a salute to my Ogun:
O Belligerent One, you are not cruel…
