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Nairaland Forum / Entertainment / Literature / Poems For Review / Abobaku (1225 Views)
Abobaku by amberacious: 11:55am On Aug 15, 2015 |
ABOBAKU "Iku npa agiliti alawo, kambelete eni ti fi awo re sogun aaiku." - Yoruba adage The crimson sun sinks into the western skies A rumor escapes from the palace and flies The inevitable descends on the throne Silence becomes the only audible tone The advisers now seek after advice Who does the gods desire for sacrifice? Baba Ifa, into the ears of the gods whispers In a language only the gods could decipher The Opele convenes the gods' wish as it cast down The Seer peeping into Opon Ifa gives a knowing frown No mortal man knows what the Ifa says Except he who understands Orunmila's ways The gods' lieutenant joins his ancestors in fortnight And the gods delight I escort him on this fearful flight As my father did, the last king, into the land of dead Now the same ancestral heritage falls on my head It's time I embrace my destiny with all my heart It will be my son's turn when the Aremo departs I remember my father's last words to me When the gods choose you, please don't flee Just like Kings don't die, but only sleep Abobaku don't lie, our promises we keep Every man lives for a reason, I suppose But Abobaku dies to fulfill a purpose. -Amberacious Poems (c) 2015. "Iku npa agiliti alawo, kambelete eni ti fi awo re sogun aaiku." Meaning: Agiliti is a resilient type of lizard of the Iguana family, whose tough skin is often used in making longevity charms. The moral of the idiom is, just as the agiliti eventually dies, so will owner of the charm. No one lives forever. The Abobaku: (meaning one who dies with the king) in Yoruba culture is a person that is appointed upon a king’s coronation. Whoever is given that title would enjoy the same privilege with the monarch and live big just like the Oba. Once the monarch is dead, he must die too. He is expected to be buried with the king in order to easy his journey into the other realm. Ifá: is a religion and system of divination and refers to the verses of the literary corpus known as the Odu Ifá. Orunmila is identified as the Grand Priest, as he is who revealed divinity and prophecy to the world. Baba Ifa/Babalawo's use either the divining chain known as Opele, or the sacred palm or kola nuts called Ikin, on the wooden divination tray called Opon Ifá. Aremo: The king's eldest son and the heir to the throne.
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Re: Abobaku by Tboysalau(m): 11:56am On Aug 15, 2015 |
1 Like |
Re: Abobaku by Nobody: 11:57am On Aug 15, 2015 |
INTERESTING... 1 Like |
Re: Abobaku by mployer(m): 12:02pm On Aug 15, 2015 |
I am not a fan of poetry but I think I love this cc ujsizzle 1 Like |
Re: Abobaku by swtchicgurl: 12:04pm On Aug 15, 2015 |
hmmnn 1 Like |
Re: Abobaku by joseph1832(m): 12:21pm On Aug 15, 2015 |
I hope seven human head will not accompany the deadking to the grave. LOL. Nice piece. |
Re: Abobaku by UjSizzle(f): 12:35pm On Aug 15, 2015 |
Beautiful cultural insight Tell me, is this tradition of killing the Abobaku along with the deceased king still in practice today? 1 Like |
Re: Abobaku by amberacious: 1:16pm On Aug 15, 2015 |
SunnyBlaze1: Thanks! |
Re: Abobaku by amberacious: 1:18pm On Aug 15, 2015 |
mployer: I'm glad you enjoyed it. |
Re: Abobaku by amberacious: 1:20pm On Aug 15, 2015 |
joseph1832: Seven heads no dey dat easy to come by oo. . I don't think any head wld be required, anyway it's good you found this interesting. |
Re: Abobaku by amberacious: 1:24pm On Aug 15, 2015 |
UjSizzle: Thanks! No I don't think it's still in practice. It wld b barbaric to continue such tradition. #myownopinion |
Re: Abobaku by mployer(m): 1:27pm On Aug 15, 2015 |
UjSizzle: I don't think so. They said it is an old practice. |
Re: Abobaku by gtim4uall: 12:06pm On Aug 17, 2015 |
Thumbs, nice piece Delivered at great ease |
Re: Abobaku by amberacious: 10:52pm On Aug 17, 2015 |
gtim4uall: Thanks! |
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