SPECIMENS OP COMPOSITIOH". 65 



65. Abati Makpa; d ba S ti, d bd 8, t6. 



Shakiness of old-wall ; we against it, push, we taith it are-friendly. 



It is like a shaky old wall ; we push against it, and (finding that it does not fall) we make 

 friends with it (by sitting down in its shade). — Said of persons whom we are at first suspicious 

 of, but, on further acquaintance, receive into our friendship. 



66. Abebe ni ib^ ikii, ab^be ni ibe 5raq ; bi oru ba mii, 



Pleader it-is pleads off death, pleader it-is pleads off difficulty ; if heat * is-sharp 



abebe ni ibe f. 



fan it-is dissipates it. 



A pleader (or supplicaior) wards of death, a pleader wards off a difficulty ; if the heat is severe, 

 a fan mitigates it. — A fanciful play upon the word ' abebe ' is the principal design of this pro- 

 verbial saying. It also shows the power of entreaty. 



67. lyar) mii, ire yo ; iyaq r6, ire rii. 



Famine is-sharp, cricket is-fat ; famine is-relieved, cricket is-poor. 



When famine is sharp, the cricket is fat ; when famine is relieved, the cricket is jyoor. — A 

 paradoxical play upon words. It also expresses the fact that when famine prevails, the cricket 

 is eaten as if it were fat or delicious ; but when the famine is over, the cricket is rejected as 

 poor and unfit to eat. 



68. Ocli;o kpa bata bdta, bata bdta, li ori akpdta, li ode adi^dlubdta; bdta 

 Jiain beats patter patter, patter patter, on top of rock, in yard of chief-drummer ; drum 



li igi, bata li aw9. 

 is wood, shoe is hide. 



The rain beats, " shoe drum, shoe drum," (or patter patter,) on the rock in the yard of the chief 

 drummer ; the drum is wood, and the shoe is leather. — A play upon words. 



69. Kdnakdna bd kdnakdna dzd, kdnakdna dd kdnakdna. — Eni. 



Crow with crow fought, crow conquered crow. — One. 



A crow fought with a crow, a crow conquered a crow. — One. — The Yonibas sometimes 

 amuse themselves by repeating a play upon words by way of competition. At the end of the 

 sentence, each time it is repeated, a bystander says, " one," " two," &c. ; and he who repeats 

 the sentences oftenest without marring a syllable is victor. 



70. Ose ni isad^u ekiiq, abamS ni igbehiq Sraq ; gbogbo 



Smacking-of-lips it-is precedes weeping, mortification it-is follows difficulty ; whole 



otokulu kpe, nwoq kd ri ebo abamo ^e. 



of town assemble, they not see sacrifice of mortification to-make. 



As smacking the lips precedes weeping, so mortification follows a difficulty ; the whole popu- 

 lation of the town assembled cannot find a sacrifice to make against tnortification. 



71. Ikpa obere li okuq it6. 



Path of needle it-is thread follows. 



The thread follows the needle. — Applied to anything which happens as a natural consequence. 



65. A ba a ti (we meet it to-push), we push against it. 



66. Oral), a difficulty, generally a cause before the judges. 



67. The ' ire ' is a large cricket eaten by the poor in times of scarcity. 



10. Ose ; the Yoruba people are accustomed to smack their lips several times before they begin to weep. 



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