Part 4: On perseverance, industry, resilience, self-confidence, self-reliance, resourcefulness, daring, fortitude, and invulnerability

Edot

Ẹbọ jíjẹ kì í pa igún.
The consumption of sacrificial offerings will not kill the vulture.
(One's natural calling will not hurt one.)

Ẹgbẹ̀rún eèrà ò lè gbé ṣúgà; wọ́n ó kàn tò yí i ká lásán ni.
A thousand ants cannot lift “a cube of” sugar; they can only mill around it in vain.
(Some tasks are beyond certain people.)

Ẹgbẹ̀rún ẹja ò lè dẹ́rù pa odò.
A thousand fishes will not overload a river.
(It is futile to attempt to overwhelm an invincible person.)

Ẹ̀hìn ológbò kì í balẹ̀.
A cat's back never touches the ground.
(One's opponent in a fight will never succeed in throwing one.) [19]

Ẹjọ́ ẹlẹ́jọ́, lọ́yà ńrò ó, áḿbọ̀ǹtorí ẹjọ́ ara-a rẹ̀.
The lawyer argues other people's cases, much more his own.
(If one is conscientious on behalf of others, one can be expected to be even more conscientious on one's own behalf.)

Ẹlẹ́mùn-ún ò mú eégún.
An apprehender does not apprehend a masquerader.
(Certain people are beyond anyone's control.)

Ẹ̀lúlùú ní kàkà kí òun má dun ọbẹ̀, òun á rúnwọ rúnsẹ̀ sí i.
The larkheeled Cuckoo vows that rather than not being delicious in the stew, it will crush its arms and legs in pursuit of that end.
(One vows that even up to the cost of one's life, one will give everything one has to achieve an end.)

Ẹ̀lukú tí kò ní èlè lẹgbẹ́-ẹ rẹ̀ ńṣá pa.
It is the Ẹ̀lukú masquerader without a matchete that is hacked to death by its colleagues.
(Whoever goes into a contest less prepared than his or her adversary is in for trouble.) [20]

Ẹní bá ńṣiṣẹ́ kì í ṣọ̀lẹ; bórí bá túnniṣe a kì í tẹ́ bọ̀rọ̀.
Whoever has a job should not malinger; if Providence smiles on one one can hardly fail.
(Diligence in one's pursuit will certainly result in prosperity.)
Compare Ẹni tí a bá ḿbá ṣiṣẹ́ . . .

Ẹní bá ńjẹ òbúkọ tó gbójú, yó jẹ àgùtàn tó yọ̀wo.
Whoever is used to eating full-grown he-goats will eat lambs that have sprouted horns.
(A person known for daring deeds can always be expected to defy custom; one cannot cure people of ingrained habits.)

Ẹní bá yẹ ọ̀nà Ìjẹ̀bú tì ni yó yẹ̀ ẹ́ tán.
The same person who weeds the road to Ìjẹ̀bú without carrying off the weeds will eventually remove them.
(The shirker will sooner or later be forced to do his or her duty; if one has to do a thing, one should do it efficiently, not half-heartedly.) [21]

Ẹní gbani láya ò ní kírú ẹni má rà.
The person who takes one's wife cannot stop one's locust bean seeds from fermenting.
(A person who injures one cannot stop one from pursuing one's destiny.) [22]

Ẹní máa jẹun kunkun a tìlẹ̀kùn kunkun.
Whoever wishes to eat heartily must lock his door firmly.
(If one wants no intrusion into one's affairs, one should keep them well guarded.)

Ẹní máa rí àtisùn akàn á pẹ́ létí isà.
Whoever wishes to see a crab go to sleep will stay long by its hole.
(Whoever seeks the impossible will wait for ever.) [23]
See Ẹní máa rí àtisùn-un pẹ́pẹ́yẹ . . . also.

Ẹní máa jẹ oyin inú àpáta kìí wo ẹnu àáké.
Whoever will eat the honey in a rock does not worry about the edge of the axe.
(One should be prepared to bear the sacrifices necessary to achieve a worthy goal.)

Ẹní máa rí àtisùn-un pẹ́pẹ́yẹ á jẹ gbèsè àdín.
Whoever wishes to see ducks go to sleep will go into debt paying for (fuel) oil.
(Whoever awaits the impossible will wait for ever.) [24]
Compare Ẹní máa rí àtisùn akàn . . .

Ẹní yára lÒgún ńgbè.
Ògún is on the side of the swift.
(The swift is justified in taking advantage of the tardy.)

Ẹni èèyàn ò kí kó yọ̀; ẹni Ọlọ́run ò kí kó ṣọ́ra.
Whoever is shunned by people should rejoice; whoever is shunned by God should look out.
(God's favor is preferable to people's.)

Ẹni ọ̀lẹ́ pa-á re ọ̀run òṣì; ẹni iṣẹ́ pa-á re ọ̀run ẹ̀yẹ.
Whoever dies from poverty dies a miserable death; whoever dies from work dies a noble death.
(Better to die on one's feet than to give in to reverses.)

Ẹni tí ó gbin ọrún èbù tó pè é nígba, tó bá jẹ ọgọ́rùn-ún òtítọ́ tán, á wá jẹ ọgọ́rùn-ún irọ́.
The person who plants a hundred yam seedlings and says he planted two hundred, after he has eaten a hundred truths, he will come to eat a hundred lies.
(A person who overstates his investment will not for all that earn more than the investment can generate.)

Ẹni tí ó gbálẹ̀ ni ilẹ̀ ḿmọ́ fún.
It is for the person who sweeps the floor that the floor is clean.
(Those who exert themselves are the ones who reap rewards.) [25]

Ẹni tí ó bá ní ìtara ló ní àtètèbá.
It is the industrious person that wins the spoils.
(Industry ensures success.) [26]

Ẹni tí eégún ńlé kó máa rọ́jú; bó ti ńrẹ ará ayé, bẹ́ẹ̀ ní ńrẹ ará ọ̀run.
The person being chased by a masquerader should persevere; just as an earthling tires, so does the being from heaven.
(Perseverance solves all problems.) [27]

Ẹni tí ó forí sọlẹ̀-ẹ́ gbìyànjú ikú.
Whoever dives head first to the ground has made a creditable attempt at suicide.
(One should acknowledge people's sincere efforts.)

Ẹni tí à ḿbọ́ ò mọ̀ pé ìyàn-án mú.
A person fed by others is never aware that there is famine.
(A person who has no responsibilities does not appreciate the efforts of those who have.)

Ẹni tí ó fò sókè-é bẹ́ ijó lórí.
Whoever leaps up decapitates dance.
(Nothing more can be expected from a person who has given the ultimate effort.) [28]

Ẹni tí iṣẹ́ ńpa-á yá ju ẹni tí ìṣẹ́ ńpa.
A person dying from overwork is better than a person dying of destitution.
(Better to succumb to overwork or occupational hazards than to succumb to poverty.)

Ẹni tí ó bá pẹ́ lẹ́hìn ni à ńyọ́ omi ọbẹ̀ dè.
Those who arrive late are the ones who find the watery residue of the stew awaiting them.
(Timeliness earns one the best choice, tardiness the worst.)

Ẹni tí ó pa mẹ́fà lógun Ọ̀la: wọ́n ní “Háà, hà, háà!” Ó ní kí wọ́n gbé ọpọ́n ayò wá, ó tún pa mẹ́fà; ó ní bí ojú kò tó tẹ̀gi, ojú kò tó tilé?
The man who “claimed to have” killed six people during the Ọla war: people exclaimed in disbelief, “Ha, ha, ha!” He asked them to bring an ayò board, and he won six games. He said, if there were no witnesses for what happened in the secluded forest, aren't there witnesses for what happens in the house?
(One may not believe what one was not witness to, but that which one sees one must believe; seeing is believing.) [29]

Ẹni tí ńgbẹ́lẹ̀ ní ńsìnkú; ẹni tí ńsunkún ariwo ló ńpa.
The person digging a grave is the one performing his or her funerary duties; the person crying is merely making a noise.
(Tangible help is better than useless sympathetic gestures.)

Ẹni tí ó bá wo ojú ìyàwó ní ńmọ̀ pé ìyàwó ńsunkún.
Only a person who looks at the bride's face knows that the bride is crying.
(It is futile to seek sympathy when no one is paying attention.) [30]

Ẹni tí ọ̀ṣọ́ bá wù kó ṣòwò; ẹni ajé yalé-e rẹ̀ ló gbọ́n.
Whoever likes fineries should engage in a trade; it is the person blessed by riches that is wise.
(Good things come only to the industrious.)

Ẹni tí ó bá ńjẹ lábẹ́-ẹ Jẹ́gẹ́dẹ́ ní ńpè é nígi àràbà.
Only those whose livelihood depends on Jẹgẹdẹ call him a silk cotton tree.
(Only those beholding to a person are compelled to flatter him or her.) [31]

Ẹni tí ó bẹ Ìgè Àdùbí níṣẹ́, ara-a rẹ̀ ló bẹ̀; Ìgè Àdùbí ò níí jẹ́, bẹ́ẹ̀ni kò níí kọ̀.
Whoever assigns a task to Ìgè Àdùbí assigns it to himself or herself; Ìgè Àdùbí will neither agree to do the task nor will he refuse.
(One should expect little from a spoiled child.) [32]

Ẹni tí kíkí-i rẹ̀ ò yóni, àìkí-i rẹ̀ ò lè pani lébi.
A person whose greetings do not fill one's stomach cannot cause one to starve by withholding the greetings.
(A person whose benevolence has little effect on one's fortune cannot affect one with his/her malevolence.)
Compare Igi tí a fẹ̀hìntì tí kò gbani dúro, bò; wó luni kò lè pani.

Ẹnu iṣẹ́ ẹni ni a ti ḿmọ ẹni lọ́lẹ.
It is at one's occupation that one proves oneself an idler.
(One reveals one's mettle at one's place of employment.)

Ẹnu òfìfo kì í dún yànmù-yànmù.
Empty mouths do not make chewing noises.
(If one has not filled others' mouths with food, one cannot expect them to be full of one's praise.)

Ẹnú dùn-ún ròfọ́; agada ọwọ́ dùn-ún ṣánko.
The mouth cooks vegetable stew most expertly; the hand emulating a machete cuts a field most effortlessly.
(A person's mouth may boast of anything, and his hand may claim to be able to do anything, until he is put to the test.)

Ẹ̀rù kì í ba igbó, bẹ́ẹ̀ni kì í ba odò; ẹ̀rù kì í ba ọlọ lójú ata.
The forest knows no fear, and neither does the river know fear; the grind-stone never shows fear in the face of pepper.
(A worthy person should not give way to fear.)

Ẹ̀rù kì í ba orí kó sá wọnú.
The head is never so frightened that it disappears into the shoulder.
(One should be brave enough to meet one's fate.)

Ẹ̀rù ogun kì í ba jagun-jagun.
Fear of battle never afflicts a warrior.
(One should be bold in pursuing one's goals.)

Ẹsẹ̀ kì í wúwo kí ẹlésẹ̀ má lè gbé e.
The feet are never so heavy that the owner cannot lift them.
(Each person must live with his or her own peculiarities.)
Compare Ara kì í wúwo . . .

Ẹ̀sọ̀ ẹ̀sọ̀ ni ìgbín fi ńgbà gun igi.
Slowly slowly is the way a snail climbs a tree.
(With dogged persistence, one accomplishes the most difficult of tasks.)

Ẹṣin kì í dani kí á má tún gùn ún.
One does not refrain from mounting a horse that has thrown one.
(A failure should not stop one from making further attempts.)

Ẹṣin kì í já kó já èkejì-i rẹ̀.
A horse does not get loose and stop to free its companion.
(Each person must look to his or her own salvation.)

Ẹ̀tẹ́ bá ọ̀lẹ.
Disgrace comes upon the shiftless.
(Disgrace attends shiftlessness.)

Ẹyẹ ò sọ fún ẹyẹ pé òkò ḿbọ̀.
A bird does not tell a bird that a stone is on its way.
(Each person looks out for his or her own safety.)

19. This is a reference to the cat's ability to always right itself and land on its feet however much one tries to drop it on its back. The saying is most often used by wrestlers as an incantation to prevent their opponents from throwing them.  [Back to text]

20. Ẹ̀lukú or Àlukú is a fearsome masquerader, one of whose props is a matchet supposedly used indiscriminately as a weapon.  [Back to text]

21. The proverb is probably based on the commercial importance of the route, which ensures the keen interest of the authorities (of Ìbàdàn presumably) in seeing that whoever is responsible for keeping it open and clean does so efficiently.  [Back to text]

22. Irú is the fermented condiment derived from the seeds of the locustbean tree. The suggestion seems to be that the man deprived of a wife can still cook his stew, since his irú can still ferment even in the absence of a wife (who would normally cook the stew).  [Back to text]

23. The proverb is based on the fact that crabs' eyes never close, since they have no lids.  [Back to text]

24. This proverb is based on the supposition that ducks never sleep. Àdín is oil made from palm kernels, used to fuel lamps, and as a body lotion.  [Back to text]

25. The expression Ilẹ̀-ẹ́ mọ́ means both “the floor is clean” and “morning has broken.” The proverb thus also carries the suggestion that a new day, supposedly an auspicious day, dawns for those who sweep the floor, especially since sweeping is one of the first orders of duty for conscientious housekeepers every morning.  [Back to text]

26. Ìtara (industry or sharpness) is equated here with àtètèbá, a charm ensuring that the user will be the first to come upon a valuable thing.  [Back to text]

27. Eégún (masqueraders) are believed to be reincarnated dead ancestors, hence ará ọ̀run “heavenly beings.” Some chase people and belabor them with whips.  [Back to text]

28. A dancing leap is regarded as the supreme figure in dance.  [Back to text]

29. The humor, even the wit, of the proverb resides more than in anything else, in the play on “pa,” which in the context of an ayò game means “to win,” but in the context of a war means “to kill.” The stalwart in question settles the argument about whether he could have killed six people in a war by winning six ayò games.  [Back to text]

30. Traditionally brides cried, as a matter of form, on their departure for their future homes. Onlookers make light of their tears, which are supposedly crocodile tears.  [Back to text]

31. Àràbà, the silk cotton tree-Ceiba Pentandra (Bombaceae)-is the largest African tree (see Abraham: 61-62), while the sound of the name Jẹ́gẹ́dẹ́ suggests someone of insubstantial physical stature.  [Back to text]

32. Ìgè is the name usually given to a child born feet first, and Àdùbí means someone everyone would like to have given birth to. The suggestion is that the child so named is excessively pampered, and can therefore get away with anything.  [Back to text]