Part 5: On consistency; honesty, openness, plain speaking, reliability

K

Kí a baà lè pẹ́ níbẹ̀, abuké ní bí òún bá kú, kí wọ́n ti ẹ̀hìn tú ìfun òun.
Just to delay people deliberately, the humpback says when he dies his intestines should be removed from the back.
(Said of people resorting to transparent delaying tactics.)

Kí á gà, kí á gò, èdè ni ò yédè.
Sitting and refusing to budge from one's position results from lack of communication.
(It is when people fail to compromise that problems defy solution.)

Kí á rí ká rà, ká rà ká má san; à-rà-àì-san èkejìolè.
To see and buy, to buy and not pay; buying without paying “is” the twin of stealing.
(One should pay for whatever one buys.)

Kí olówó wá, kí aláwìn wá; à-rà-àì-san ni ò sunwọ̀n.
Let the purchaser with cash come and let the purchaser on credit come; only buying without “eventually” paying is bad.
(What is important is that one fulfil one's obligation, not so much when.)

“Kò dùn mí, kò dùn mí”; àgbàlagbà ḿbú ọpa lẹ́ẹ̀mẹfà nítorí iyán àná.
“I am not upset, I am not upset!” Yet a grown man swears angrily six times because of last night's pounded yam.
(A person's protestation of indifference is belied by his/her agitated behavior.)

Kò jọ agbe kò jọ olè tí ńsúfèé yàgbàdo; bí kò bá bá mi a di olè; bó bá bá mi a di onílé.
It-is-not-begging-and-it-is-not-stealing who whistles as he harvests corn ears; if he does not come upon me it becomes stealing; if he comes upon me it becomes “the action of” a member of the household.
(Said of a person who secretively takes something from his/her relative instead of asking openly for it.) [20]

Kò sí ohun tí a ò lè fi òru ṣe; ẹ̀rù ọ̀sán là ḿbà.
There is nothing one cannot do in the dead of night; the light of day alone is what one fears.
(The cover of darkness is a perfect protection for any sort of enterprise.)

Kò ṣeku kò ṣẹyẹ ò jẹ́ kí àjàò sanwó òde.
Being neither a rat nor a bird keeps àjàò (a bird-like animal) from having to pay poll tax.
(It is impossible to really be sure of a person who will not commit himself or herself to any side in a dispute.)

20. The idea is that the person goes secretively to his/her relative's farm to harvest some corn, and whistles while doing so in order to give the impression that he/she is carefree because he/she is not doing anything wrong. If the owner of the farm does not come upon the person, then the action goes down as stealing; if the farmer does come upon the person, he will claim the rights of a relative.  [Back to text]