SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION. gg 



50. Afom6 k6 li egb6; igi gbogbo ni ibataq. 



Parasite not has root ; tree every is its kindred. 



A parasite has no root; every tree is its kindred.— A parasite docs not care on whom he spon<Tcs 

 for a living. '^ 



51. Enl ko seomo igi: eni kii, iya k^ gbo: oino kii, igbe ta; orti 



Slave not is child of wood : slave dies, his mother not hears : child dies, cry arises ; slave 



6e omo ni il(5 iya r^ ri. 



^oas child in house of mother his once. 



A slave is not a block of wood : if a slave dies, his mother docs not hear of it ; if a child dies, 

 lamentation is made : the slave was once a child in his mother's hoiise.— -This fine sentiment exhi- 

 bits something of the heart of the people who use it as a proverb ; and it explains the reason why 

 the \ orubas usually treat their slaves with a degree of kindness worthy of a Christian people. 



52. Ada ^aq igbo, ko ri fere igbo ; 6 ro 5na, ko ri fere cina ; ada 



Bill-hook cuts bush, not sees profit of bush ; it clears road, not sees profit of road ; bill-hook 



dd idakiida, ada d4 idAkuda; ada dd, 6 fi aruq 



breaks ^ a-had-breakiy, bill-hook bends a-bad-bcndim/ ; bill-hook breaks, it ivith five-cowries 



gbadi, 6 di oko olowo; ada li eka li oroq, 6 gbad^a girigiri. 



girds-its-hilt, it reaches farm of owner ; bill-hook has ring on 'neck, it is girded tightly. 

 The bill-hook clears the farm, but receives no profit from the farm; the bill-hook clears the 

 road, but receives no profit from the road; the bill-hook is badly broken, the bill-hook is badly 

 bent; ae bill-hook breaks, it pays five cowries to gird its handle with a ring ; it reaches its 

 owner's farm ; the bill-hook has a ring on its neck (handle), it is girded tightly (for new 

 labors).— Has retc'renee to the severe and unrequited labor of slaves. 



53. Ibi ki idiii ibi; bi A ti bi erii li & bi omo. 



Birth not surpasses birth ; as they * bore slave so it-is they bore child. 



One birth does not excel another ; as the slave was born, so was the free-born child. 



5i. Bi o ti wu ki 6 ri, d ki reriq abiroij ; boya ohuq ti o se e 



As thou * please that it be, we not laugh-at invalid; jx'rhaps thing which it ails him 



loiii a se iwo lolA. 



to-day will ail thee to-morrow. 



One should never laugh at an infirm 2)crson ; j^rhaps the same evil that afilicts him to-day 

 may afiiict thee to-morrou: 



55. Iwo ni qse abodzuwo Ichiij babd; todzu ile rere. 



Thou it-is art superintendent behind master ; look-to house well. 



Thou art the superintendent in the inaster's absence ; look well to the house. 



56. Ni igba ti dgbe ba qdi abo okd, ino re d doq ; nikpa ab6 



In time when farmer * is-binding bundles of corn, mind his it is-sweet ; by bundles 



okk ni yaggidi ow6 iti wdh. 



of corn it-is bundles of money also come. 



When the farmer is tying up bundles of corn, he rejoices ; by bundles of corn bundles of money 

 arc obtained. 



52. Sli) Igbo, to clear land for a farm ;—r{ ere die, to receive profit. 



5.3. P.i . . .ti, as ;— a bi, they bore, in the sense of was born (Gram. § 148, 1). 



54. Bi o i\ wil ki 6 se, followed by a negative, is the usual expression for by no means, not in any wise. 



56. JSigbati, spoken and written as one word, when;—hA, the subjunctive particle (§ 139), follows ni<rb^ti • 

 — m9doD, to be pleased, to rejoice ; as, ino mi ddi), / am glad ; ino r§ doq, he is glad ;— iti, the con- 

 junction ti, and. also, with 'i' prefixed (§ 146). 



