Oral Poetry from Africa
My thanks to Dele A Sonubi for this translation into English of another poem from the verses of the Yorùbá religious corpus, Odù Ifá.
The 16 Major Odù of Ifá record the dialogues of Òrúnmìlà with each of his 16 disciples. In the following verses we hear the boastful self-praises of one of these disciples.
“I, a man with the strength of three men,
The wall that stands erect amidst raging fire…
My thanks to Dele A Sonubi for sharing with us another translation from the verses of the Yorùbá religious corpus, Odù Ifá.
Òrúnmìlà is the Yorùbá sage from whom the Ifá corpus originates and in this Odù he receives instruction from Ọba’lúayé, the “King of the World”, one of the Yorùbá pantheon of gods.
It has been said of Ọba’lúayé that “When we come to earth it is because he permits our arrival, and it is because of him we merge with the earth when we depart.”
Some Yorùbá myths describe Òrúnmìlà as a historical figure who lived around 500 B.C., but in other myths he is deified as a spiritual being who came from heaven to teach mankind the secrets of the cosmos through Ifá. The following Odù describes Òrúnmìlà consulting Ifá before making the journey to Earth and receiving instruction from Ọba’lúayé as to the sacrifices he should make to ensure that his path is not obstructed by the negative supernatural forces that he might encounter in the World.
“Make way for me to pass, make way,
Be there wizards that are ahead of my way today, make way for me to pass…
My thanks to Dele A Sonubi for this translation into English of a poem from the verses of the Yorùbá religious corpus, Odù Ifá.
Although frequently mythologised as a deity, Òrúnmìlà appears to have been a historical figure. Some histories claim that he was born in the town of Òkè Igèti within Ilé-Ifẹ̀, the ancient Yorùbá city in south-western Nigeria, around 500 B.C. As an adult, Òrúnmìlà became known as an exceptionally wise sage who took on sixteen apprentices. The names of these sixteen disciples became the titles of the 16 Major Odù of Ifá, with each Odù recording the teachings of Òrúnmìlà as expressed through discussion with his students.
Later generations contributed their own interpretations of the 16 Major Odù, expanding the teachings into a vast corpus of classical Yorùbá philosophy containing over 400,000 verses.
The poem that follows is a translation of one of these verses. Òrúnmìlà advises that individuals should always follow their own true nature, but points out that acting with kindness to others is in itself inherently rewarding.
Those who are kind should be ceaseless in kindness,
Those who are unkind should be ceaseless in their unkindness,
It is kindness and not unkindness that is inherently rewarding…
Dàdàkúàdá is a form of poetry that originated in Ìlọrin, the capital city of Kwara State in Western Nigeria. There is a great deal of mystery as to its roots.
It shares many similarities to the poetry performed as part of the Egúngún masquerade, the Yorùbá cult that some claim was born in this region. However, all Yorùbá religious practices including Egúngún worship were eliminated in Ìlọrin in 1823 when Islam became the officially institutionalised religion of the city.
Regardless of its ancestry, it is a form of poetry that blends influences from Ìlọrin’s diverse ethnic and cultural identities, with the city being home to Yorùbá, Haúsá, Fúlàní, Núpé, Kànnìké, Kéńbérí, Bàrùbá, Malians and Arabs, among others. Odolayé Àrẹ̀mú was the first Dàdàkúàdá poet to produce a record in the mid-1940s.
Some tasks are not easy to bear
The task of becoming Alaafin is a deadly one…
A new poem sent to us by Amore David Olamide, in praise of Lisabi Agbongbo-Akala the military organiser and farmer who led the Ẹ̀gbá revolt against Ọ̀yọ́ Empire in Yorubaland between 1775 and 1780.
Although ruled by their own Alake (“king”), the Egba Forest lay within the territory of the Ọ̀yọ́-Yorùbá empire and the Ẹ̀gbá initially paid tribute to the Aláàfin (traditional ruler) of Ọ̀yọ́ for protection. The Aláàfin’s representatives in the Ẹ̀gbá towns began to oppress the locals, demanding excessive tributes. Lisabi, a farmer, organised a militant movement under the guise of a traditional mutual aid society which provided collective support for its members in heavy work such as clearing land and gathering in the harvest. In reality, the farmers mutual aid society was a miltary organisation that united and armed all the Ẹ̀gbá towns.
The civil war which erupted in Ọ̀yọ́ around 1775 provided a suitable opportunity for Lisabi to launch a massacre of the local Ọ̀yọ́ forces and the military organisation he had established were successful in defending against Ọ̀yọ́’s reprisal attacks. Having won independence for the Ẹ̀gbá people many honour him by calling themselves the children of Lisabi.
When Lisabi appears in a ruthless manner
He had the appearance of flying debris…
A new poem sent to us by Amore David Olamide. The title of the poem, Oríkì Ìbẹ́ta, translates from Yorùbá into English as “Praise poetry for triplets.”
Commenting on the celebrations that traditionally accompanied the birth of triplets in Yorubaland, Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu said that in the past it was the custom for the Oba (royal chief) of the town to be immediately informed when triplets were born and for him to give everything that he was wearing at the time of the announcement to the children as gifts.
The scion of Ìrèsé
Three masterpieces that cannot be assailed …
