SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION. 59 



18. Odiiik6koro baM okandiua. 



Govetousness is the father of unsatisfied desires. 



19. 016gb6 babd arokiq. 



TVie ologbo w the father oi tradilionists. 



20. Alagbara mdh m6 ^ro babd ol^. 



Strong man not knows consideration is father of laziness. 



A strong man who is destitute of forethought is the father (or prince) of laziness, 



21. Eni ti kb gb6 ti ega, d li ega qkpdtoto enu. 



One who not hears of oriole, he says oriole is-noisy of mouth. 



One who does not understand the oriole says the oriole is noisy, i. e. is merely chattering. But 

 the orioles are supposed to undei-stand each other. — The meaning of the proverb is that men are 

 prone to despise what they do not understand. 



22. Eleda eda li Oloruq dd ni. 



With nature nature it-is God made us. 



God has created us with different natures or dispositions ; hence we should not expect to find 

 the same qualities in every one. 



23. Bi alagbdra die o ni iya, ki o fi eriq si i. 



J^ great man does thee in wrong, that thou make smile to him. 



If a great man should wrong you, smile upon him. Because resistance would bring upon you 

 a still greater misfortune. 



24. Alakpatd ko m6 iru eraq. 



Butcher not knows breed of sheep. 



The butcher has no regard for the breed of the sheep (which he kills). He attends to his own 

 business, and does not meddle with matters which do not concern him. 



25. Igbo biribiri, 6kuqkuq birlbiri; 6kuqkuq ni yi • o sete igbo. 



Forest is-dark, night is-dark ; night it-is that will conquer forest. 



The forest is dark, and the night is dark ; but the darkness of the night will soon conquer that 

 of the forest, 



26. Bi ko ^e oboq ^nia, tani iba d^i li oiiro ki 6 mdh. bo Od^u r^ m6 



If not is sloven person, who useth to-wake in morning that he not wash face his clean 



6a^a? 



very ? 



Except a sloven, who is wont to rise in the morning without washing his face nicely? 



19. Tlie Ologbo is the chief of the Arokiq, whose business it is to remember the history of the country. 



20. Before mdh, not, the relative is always omitted. 



21. Gb6 ti, to hear the meaning of, to understand. 



22. Eleda eda (see Prov. 14) ; — ni, same as ' eni,' an indefinite pronoun, signifying one, some one, a per- 

 son, and frequently employed instead of wa, us. 



23. Die, to do, to act ; ni, in, in regard to ; iya, affliction, wrong ; die . . . niya, to affict, oppress, wrong 

 (Gram. § 37, 2, a) ; — ki, with a nominative, is much used imperatively ; as, ki o fi, make thou, ki 6 fi, let 

 him make (Gram. § 161). 



24. Erai), cattle, a term including homed cattle, sheep, goats, (fee 

 26. Bikdse (usually written as one word), except. 



