SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION. 63 



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



Parasite not has root ; tree every is its kindred. 



Aparasite has no root; every tree is its kindred. — A parasite does not care on wtom he sponges 

 for a living. 



51. Enl k6 6e omo igi: erii kii, iya k6 gb6: omo ku, igbe ta; erii 



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



&e omo ni il6 iya r| ri. 



was child in house of mother his once. 



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

 lamentation is made : the slave was once a child in his mother''s house. — 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 Yorubas usually treat their slaves with a degree of kindness worthy of a Christian people. 



52. Ada ^dq igbo, ko ri ere igbo ; 6 ro 6na, ko ri fere ona ; ada 



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



dd idakiida, ada dk id^kuda; ada dd, 6 fi aruq 



breaks a-bad-breaking, bill-hook bends a-bad-bending ; bill-hook breaks, it with five-cowries 



gbadi, 6 di oko olowo; ada li eka li oroi), 6 gbadi;a girigiri. 



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

 The bill-hook clears <ihe 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 broJcen, the bill-hook is badly 

 bent ; the 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 reference to the severe and unrequited labor of slaves, 



53. Ibi ki idiii ibi; bi d ti bi eni li d bi omo. 



JBirih 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. 



54. Bi o ti wu ki 6 ri, d ki reriq abiroq ; boya obuq ti o ^e e 



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



loni k ^e iwo lold. 



to-day will ail thee to-morrow. 



One should never laugh at an infirm person ; perhaps the same evil that afflicts him to-day 

 may afflict thee to-morrow. 



55. Iwo ni qse abodiuwo leliiq babd; todzu ile rere. 



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



Thou art the superintendent in the master^s absence ; look well to the house. 



56. Ni igba ti dgbe ba qdi ab6 okd, in6 r| d dbq ; nikpa abd 



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



okd ni yaqgidi ow6 iti wdb. 



ot corn it-is bundles of money also come. 



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

 are obtained. 



52. Skx) Igbo, to clear land for a farm; — ri ere die, to receive profit. 



53. Bi . . .ti, as ; — a bi, they bore, in the sense oi was born (Gram. § 148, 1). 



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

 56. Nigbati, spoken and written as one word, when; — ba, the subjunctive particle (§ 139), follows nigbati ; 



— ino d6r), to he pleased, to rejoice ; as, ino mi d6i), / am glad ; in6 r§ d5i), he is glad ; — iti, the con- 

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



