SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION, 61 



34. Mdh gbiyele ogiiq ; tl owo eni ni ito ni. 



Not trust-in inheritance ; of hand of one is sufficient-far one. 



Trust not to an inheritance ; the product of one's hands is sufficient for one. — Said to those who 

 neglect industry because tlicy c.xjsect to inherit property. 



35. Akoseba, eyi ti idze odiiq. 



Chance, this which amounts-to year. 



He who toailsfor chance may wait a year. — Said to those who are " waiting for something to 

 turn up." 



36. Eni ti o rai) iii ni ise li d iberu ; ti ki iberu eni ti d raq ni si. 

 One who he sends one on message it-is we fear ; we not fear one whom they send one to. 



We should fear him loho sends iis with a message, not him to whom we are sent. — Applied to 

 messengers sent from one king or chief to another. 



37. Ero kpeselvpese ; ko m6 bi ard qkaq igbiq. 



Light very ; not know as body is-paining S7iail. 



You say it is a very light blozv, but do not reflect that it would hurt a snail. — Said to those 

 who would- excuse their bad conduct to others on the ground that it does them no great harm. 



38. Esiq ri oguq, clzo ; oko ri ogui), 6 jb. 

 Spear sees battle, it dances ; lance sees battle, it rejoices. 



When the spear sees the battle, it dances ; lohen the lance sees the battle, it rejoices. 



39. Ohuq ti d fi eso mix ki badie ; ohuq ti d fl agbara imi ni 



Thing which we luith gentleness handle not is spoiled ; thing which we tvith violence handle it-is 

 ini ni li ard. 



has one as-to body. 



An affair which we conduct with gentleness is not marred ; an affair which we conduct icith 

 violence causes tts vexation. — Said to men who are irritable and impetuous. 



40. Bi eyd ba di ekuq, eraq ui ikjia dze. 



Jf ivild-cat * becomes leopard, beasts it-is it will kill eat. 

 When the wild cat becomes a leopard, it will devour beasts. 



41. Afedzu toto ko mo okoqri. 

 Gesticulation much not knows a man. 



Much gesticulation does not prove }na7tliness. — "A barking dog does not bite." 



34. Ti owo (Gram. § 203, 1, b) ;— eni and ui ( Prov. 22, and Gram. § 104). 



35. An elliptical proverb. Comp. Prov. 9 and 10. 



36. Iberu; for the initial ' i,' see Gram. § 146, 1 ; — a raij ni, they send us, for the passive, we are sent, 

 Gram. § 148, 1. Si and other prepositions frequently close a sentence, as in English. 



37. Observe the ellipses; — ara kaij, it hurts ; so, ino dSij, it is pleasant (Prov. 56). 



39. Ni . . . lara (ni . .,. li ara, to have as to the body), to annoy, to cause vexation ; — ni, one, often equivalent 

 to wa, us. 



40. Eya, a beast resembling a leopard, but rather smaller, the leopard cat ;— ikpa ; for the initial ' i,' see 

 Gram. § 146, 1 ; kpa dze, to devour, destroy, e.g. efoi} kpaor) die, the buffalo killed him totally, violently. 



41. AMiu, frowning and other airs put on under pretence of courage ;— m<), to prove, to be evidence of. 



