Ma kanju jaiye, ore mi.
Saa ni a ani, a ki il'aiye.
F'eso jaiye, f'eso lo'gba.
Pele di owo re a-mulele.
Eda t'o gb'eyin le'ri kii pantete,
Pele l'arewa irin,
Jeje l'omo Olola iyan.
Igba onipele ki fo
Awo onipele kii faya;
Ohun a f'eso mu kii baje
Ohun a f'agbara mu, koko ni le
Eso pele ni a a p'amukuru
A kii kanju tu 'lu oran
Pelepele l'ejo o g'ope
Igbin ko lowo, igbin ko ll'ese
Eso, eso n'igbin gba ngun 'gi.
LAWUYI OGUNNIRAN
1969, EWI IWOYI lati Adeagbo Akinjogbin.
LIVING WITH CAUTIOUS PLEASURE
Don't enjoy life in a haste, my friend.
We have seasons, we never own the world.
Live with cautious pleasure, cautiously enjoy your season.
Do it cautiously, he who holds things tightly,
The last man standing carries his wares without holding it,
A beauty queen cat-walks,
A honourable walks majestically.
The gourd of a careful person does not break,
The glassware of a careful person does not break;
What is carefully held does not get damaged,
Whatever is held tightly is perceived difficult,
With care is the nettle-rash vector killed,
Nobody in a haste resolves tarded growth,
Carefully the snake climbs the palm tree,
The snail has neither hands or legs,
Carefully, cautiously the snail climbs the tree.
Olutayo IRANTIOLA
2.05am
12th January, 2013