SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION. 61 



34. Mdli gbiyel6 ogiiq ; ti ow6 eni ni it6 ni. 



^ot 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 they expect to inherit property. 



35. Akoseba, eyi ti idie odiiq. 



Chance, this which amounts-to year. 



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

 turn up." 



36. Eni ti o rag ni ni ise li d iberu ; d 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 who sends us with a message, not him to whom we are sent. — Applied to 

 messengers sent from one king or chief to another. 



37. Er6 kpesekpese ; ko m5 bi ard qkag igbiq. 



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



You say it is a very light blow, 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. E^iq ri ogui), d^o ; bko ri ogug, 6 y6. 



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



When the spear sees the battle, it dances ; when the lance sees the battle, it rejoices, 



39. Ohuq ti d fi ^so mii ki bad;^e ; okuq ti d fi agbara mii ni 



Thing which we with gentleness handle not is sjyoiled ; thing which we with 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 with 

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



40. Bi eyd ba di ekiiq, eraq ni ikpa di,e. 



If wild-cat * becomes leopard, beasts it-is it will kill eat. 

 When the wild cat becomes a leopard, it ^oill devour beast*. 



41. Afedzu toto k6 in5 6kor)ri. 



Gesticulation much not knows a man. 



Much gesticulation docs not prove manliness. — " A barking dog does not bite." 



34. Ti ow6 (Gram. § 203, 1, b) ;— eni and ni ( 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 rai) 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 kai), it hurts ; so, in6 doi), it is pleasant (Prov. 56). 



39. Ni . . . lara (ni . .,. li ark, 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. ef5i) kpaoi) die, the buffalo killed him totally, violently. 



41. Afediu, /rownm^r and other airs put on under pretence of courage ; — md, to prove, to he evidence of. 



