FARMING
Excerpts….
Ore mi b’o o ba m’okun,
Iwo yara ba mi kalo;
Ore mi b’o o ba m’osa
Tete kalo ki o lo m’osa;
Tete kalo ki a r’Eko Adele,
K’o wa w’alagbalugbu omi,
Ore mi b’o o le roko
Kan saara s’eni ti nr’oko
Ore mi b’o o le s’agbe,
Oye ki a o bu ‘yi kun se agbe;
B’emi ni ns’awada, bi mo nseke
Iwo ba mi ka re ‘nu oko.
Ebi ki is’ore ara,
Ise agbe l’o pe, faari kop e.
E je ka f’ola f’eni ti nr’oko.
My friend, if you don’t know the ocean,
My friend if you don’t know the ocean,
Come with me swiftly,
Friend, if you don’t know the lagoon,
Follow me to know the lagoon,
Follow me fast to visit the Lagos of Adele,
Come see water beyond quantifying.
My friend if you can’t farm,
Praise the person that farms,
My friend if you cannot tilt;
Praise the professional tilt,
I could joke, I could be hypocritical,
Come with me to the farm.
Hunger does not befriend the body,
Farming pays, pride does not pay.
Let’s honour the farmer.
A translation of the poem ISE AGBE by ADEBAYO FALETI translated from the book, EWI IWOYI published by Wm. Collins UK in 1969.