Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,250,388 members, 8,143,061 topics. Date: Wednesday, 23 April 2025 at 11:13 PM

Yorùbá Proverbs, Adages, Wise Sayings With Translations - Literature - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Entertainment / Literature / Yorùbá Proverbs, Adages, Wise Sayings With Translations (1603 Views)

Awesome Wise Egyptian Quotes And Sayings From Famous People On Money/life / Yorùbá Proverbs, Translation With Morals / Check Out These 20 Funny Nigerian Proverbs, Adages And Sayings. (2) (3) (4)

(1) (Reply) (Go Down)

Yorùbá Proverbs, Adages, Wise Sayings With Translations by emmaodet: 9:23am On Sep 16, 2022
Yorùbá Proverbs are used by elders to describe a scenario in a subtle way whereby those not knowledgeable enough will lose out or unable to grab the meaning while those knowledgeable enough will understand it.

Pardon me for not writing with the Amin ohun (the Yoruba signs/marks to describe the real meaning of words)

Viewers can also add theirs be it Yoruba proverbs, Nigeria or African proverbs in general.

1. Babalawo to da ifa afuye gege fun era, owun na lo da ona fuwa fun ekuro / Babalawo to da ifa afuye gege fun ayan, owun na lo da airinako fun adiye.

These two are one and the direct translation is that - The herbalist who did the charm for hen to regularly be meeting a cockroach to eat, is still the same man who did the charm for cockroach to be very heavy to pick and swallow by a predator.

Good examples -

It is no surprise that most thieves who do a strong charm from an herbalist always try to kill them o as not to be able to uncover their source of power in future by an ambitious police.

OR

The colonialists who support a government within their colony with weapons will still be the ones funding and arming the rebels at the back.

CC:

@ oluspicy
@ GupbisFounder
@ dreofGod

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: Yorùbá Proverbs, Adages, Wise Sayings With Translations by Kipaji: 6:38am On Jan 20, 2023
Thank you for this lesson. I am eager to learn more from the other Yorùbá proverbs.

1 Like

Re: Yorùbá Proverbs, Adages, Wise Sayings With Translations by emmaodet: 7:31pm On Jan 20, 2023
Kipaji:
Thank you for this lesson. I am eager to learn more from the other Yorùbá proverbs.

Uwc bro.
It is just that, nowadays I find it hard to type or comment on nairaland.

I have a lot of provers to translate and hope I find the strength to do it in the future
Re: Yorùbá Proverbs, Adages, Wise Sayings With Translations by Kipaji: 12:48am On Jan 21, 2023
emmaodet:


Uwc bro.
It is just that, nowadays I find it hard to type or comment on nairaland.

I have a lot of provers to translate and hope I find the strength to do it in the future

Alright.

And what does "Uwc" mean?

1 Like

Re: Yorùbá Proverbs, Adages, Wise Sayings With Translations by emmaodet: 1:32am On Jan 21, 2023
Kipaji:


Alright.

And what does "Uwc" mean?

You welcome
Re: Yorùbá Proverbs, Adages, Wise Sayings With Translations by Kipaji: 2:26am On Jan 21, 2023
Thanks
Re: Yorùbá Proverbs, Adages, Wise Sayings With Translations by Magnoliaa(f): 11:27pm On Oct 14, 2024
Just one proverb? Since 2022? 😭😭


I was really looking forward to reading more.
Re: Yorùbá Proverbs, Adages, Wise Sayings With Translations by dalass(f): 4:46am On Oct 15, 2024
Àgbà kìí wà lọ́jà kí orí ọmọ tuntun wọ́.

Elders cannot be in the market place while a baby's head is poorly positioned .

Ọmọdé gbọ́n àgbà gbọ́n ni a fi dá ilẹ̀ ifẹ̀

Ife was built on the wisdom of the young and the aged

À ń jù wọ́n lọ kò ṣe é wí lẹ́jọ́, ìjà ìlara kò tán bọ̀rọ̀

That we are prospering and above them cannot be uttered in an explanation .
Re: Yorùbá Proverbs, Adages, Wise Sayings With Translations by dalass(f): 4:51am On Oct 15, 2024
Magnoliaa:
Just one proverb? Since 2022? 😭😭


I was really looking forward to reading more.

Don't cry

Òwé lẹ́ṣin ọ̀rọ̀, ọ̀rọ̀ lẹ́ṣin òwe, bi ọ̀rọ̀ bá sọnù, òwe la fi ǹwá a

Paraphrased that a proverb is the horsepower of the word and vice versa, when one is at a loss for words, we use proverbs to search it out

Happy now ? grin grin grin

2 Likes

Re: Yorùbá Proverbs, Adages, Wise Sayings With Translations by Magnoliaa(f): 7:32am On Oct 15, 2024
dalass:
Don't cry

Òwé lẹ́ṣin ọ̀rọ̀, ọ̀rọ̀ lẹ́ṣin òwe, bi ọ̀rọ̀ bá sọnù, òwe la fi ǹwá a

Paraphrased that a proverb is the horsepower of the word and vice versa, when one is at a loss for words, we use proverbs to search it out

Happy now ? grin grin grin

Thank you! grin


I know this proverb and its meaning. Curiously, I've never given a thought to what "esin" is doing in that statement all these while lol. I would have translated it to something like "a proverb is the horse that carries word everywhere. Or they both take each other everywhere."

Seeing it translated as horsepower now made me realize that that made more translational sense that simply "horse".

3 Likes

Re: Yorùbá Proverbs, Adages, Wise Sayings With Translations by emmaodet: 6:12am On Oct 16, 2024
Magnoliaa:
Just one proverb? Since 2022? 😭😭


I was really looking forward to reading more.

Sorry Mag.
Have been really lazy updating my threads nowadays.
It's not only this thread, even my diary and insurance threads, I didn't update them.
Maybe too much work or biz or just family wahalas jare.
I will try and find time once a while to update it.
Thanks
Re: Yorùbá Proverbs, Adages, Wise Sayings With Translations by emmaodet: 6:12am On Oct 16, 2024
dalass:
Àgbà kìí wà lọ́jà kí orí ọmọ tuntun wọ́.

Elders cannot be in the market place while a baby's head is poorly positioned .

Ọmọdé gbọ́n àgbà gbọ́n ni a fi dá ilẹ̀ ifẹ̀

Ife was built on the wisdom of the young and the aged

À ń jù wọ́n lọ kò ṣe é wí lẹ́jọ́, ìjà ìlara kò tán bọ̀rọ̀

That we are prospering and above them cannot be uttered in an explanation .

Ese gan oo
I appreciate oo.
Good proverb there

1 Like

(1) (Reply)

How I Became My Father’s Concubine (episode 8) / Orwellian: (the Elite And The Herd). / The Tale Of A Private Lesson Teacher

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2025 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 16
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.