One taste of wine and the belt snaps; what would happen in the event of drunkenness? Diseased genitals must keep to themselves. Compare, Kl gb e, and Or- gb e.  After we fry the fat, we see what is left. (One should use only tools proper to the task in hand.) (One must be discreet in speaking about other people's flaws and deformities. The palm of the hand is not good for stoking fires. African proverbs about life, love, friendship, marriage and other important issues reflect all the ancient and vital knowledge every educated person should be aware of. 28. ), tnmn t tnmn. (One must be thorough in discharging one's responsibility.) Little by little is how the pig’s nose enters the yard. [Back to text], 33. [Back to text], 22. Palm-leaf midrib is the material out of which arrows are made. Ears that do not listen to advice, accompany the head when it is chopped off. (Never court a greater disaster in an attempt to avert a minor one. Yoruba (Ancient) Proverbs: 483 in Total. [19], Ad-od b pnr. Those who die through ignorance are many; those who die because they are intelligent are few. ), A k f or lhn olr. One does not do a favor and then camp by it. ), --t-t-w okn-un bt j; b a b mu muy k? . Yoruba people are an ethnic group of Southwestern and North Central Nigeria as well as Southern and Central Benin, together known as Yorubaland. One does not as a joke say one's mother has collapsed. The world accepts only adding on. The expression, m in, means to know (someone's) mind. ~ Ethiopian proverb (Supplement rather than deplete.) The size of the household, and the need to feed the many mouths, make even the pumpkin with its slightly bitter taste acceptable food. The Yoruba expression, Egn gb , meaning literally, Egn (the incarnated spirit of the ancestors) has appropriated it, is a way of saying, It is lost to people. A ta bb a fow-o bb ra bb. (One cannot be too subtle with the daft. They are simple, brief, and popular sayings or phrases that give advice and effectively embodies a commonplace truth based on practical experience or common sense. (One's most valuable possessions are not for careless use. The Yoruba are said to be prolific sculptors, famous for their terra cotta works throughout the 12th and 14th century; artists also earnests their capacity in making artwork out of bronze.. Esiẹ Museum is a museum in Esiẹ, Irepodun, Kwara.The museum was the first to be established in Nigeria when it opened in 1945. (A person who has no part in paying for a thing is seldom careful in using it.) (When one has found success, one does not persist in grubbing. One chases conspiracy away, as though one would have it disappear into the bush. Discussion Forum ), A k fi gb sl sin gb. (Everything at its proper time. Previous-instruction enables a child to understand coded speech; a child does not naturally understand codes. . (Do not advertize your acts of kindness, or pointedly await acknowledgment of them.). When the maize plant develops fruits the Yoruba say, y m literally, It has sprouted a child. [Back to text], 4. lr is an j township. African Proverbs Translated From Yoruba to English . [10], A n rk ni y pa md, boj-whn; j n j? See A r i lj, . (Do not sacrifice your self-interest to take care of others. When a king’s palace burns down, the re-built palace is more beautiful . (It does not make sense to prevent a servant one has hired from doing what one hired him to do. ), A-bay-j k fd rn hn. Could the small gourd save itself, before we put charms into it? ), Adnilr fagbra kni. (People of the world are not reliable; whatever wisdom one wishes to pass on one should reserve for one's own use. It is customary for litigants in Yoruba courts to state their cases on their knees. (A person who has a pressing problem has no time for socializing.) (Never make fun of people because of their affliction.) (One should not dwell on what favor one has done. ), Ajk m b yn-n m. He-who-will-not-listen-to-talk, he-who-will-not-listen-to-counsel, who drinks water with the bare hand. It is the votive herald-chicken that precedes a dead person. One does not kill the vulture; one does not eat the vulture; one does not offer the vulture as a sacrifice to one's head. When your neighbor’s horse falls into a pit, you should not rejoice at it, for your own child may fall into it too. jk lgb t. He who is unable to dance says that the yard is stony. One curses a child that rk will kill him, and he glances at his rear; does the curse take effect immediately? [21], A-ftlw-fann k dr. One does not deliver a verdict after hearing only one side. . (To expect the impossible is to delude oneself. ), Atipo m er; n, Bb, mo rw funfun lko. A k w mj kran m j kan. If one's head was a pot and one gave it to an enemy to inspect, he would say it was irretrievably broken. See the previous entry. A k lm lhin k onj. [Back to text], 27. Also n b lku mj pfo. We speak of women and someone suggests that we hedge our words and go plant water melon by the stream; who will help in harvesting it? See the preceding entry. (One should match the response to the stimulus. ... tongue twisters, hundreds of prose narratives and riddles, and thousands of proverbs. (An excerpt from Wikipedia). A k ml mko kkan m y. ), Aj t l sr l d s egbin. ), A k gb jnkan dj. Meaning, translation and how to say, Happy Fathers Day in Hausa, Igbo, Pidgin, Yoruba, English ... You can find also find Nigerian comedy, jokes, proverbs, traditional dances, baby names, news, food, and other Nigeria related content. The elephant is impossible to carry. The young cock crows as he hears the old one. Sitting-without-leaning-the-back-against-something is like standing. The journey is never so pleasant that the parrot does not return to w. It is a thief that can trace the footsteps of another thief on a rock. ), ks a la fi e k. In Yoruba tradition the chameleon is a trusted servant of the gods. When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him. 61. This page, The Yiddish proverb says that the door of success is marked "push" and "pull. ), Alks n tj abr tun tw. The r summons you and you consult the oracle; what if the oracle says all will be well and the r decrees otherwise? ), A k w nn k perin tr. [36], A-k-gb-t- nw ik. 25. [38], pn dg r. He who throws a stone in the market will hit his relative. One does not position the commander of the army at the rear of the column. One does not make a gift of someone else's property when it is not one's own. (One should make provisions for the future in one's youth. The black ram crosses the river and becomes white. [8] Encouraged to produce content just to stay close to friends in quarantine, the model and costume designer still processes the success of the work and says she learns together with followers Compare gbt j ob . A k fi r sl gb r. ), A k pa asnwn il, ntor j t tde y b w sl. My heart is happy, my mind is free. (Some tools are inadequate for some tasks. You cannot name a child that is not born. For no man could be blessed without the acceptance of his own head. [Back to text], 20. pnr is a god for which the appropriate sacrifice is a chicken. (A person who takes life as a jest does not learn to be wary. One cannot be so much at ease, or so much in pain, that one cannot wake early to consult the oracle. The eye is the father of the body as the eye is too dear to be purchased so it is hard to act well in an elder’s part . A nursing mother cups her palm to strike her child. [4]. Fear a silent man. [7], A k w al-l ns elpo. l t k m m l l The wine seller never realizes that his child is a thief. One does not wait until the heat of the battle to start looking for palm-leaf midrib. Muslims are understandably squeamish about blood from the deflowering of a woman. ), b k e i j; i- baba ni n gbani lj gan-an. One does not show the throat the way to the stomach. (The child obviously does not know that the fact that he does not die immediately in no way invalidates the curse. (Never do things by half measures. ), A k k m- b k s n wold? ), -w-gb, f--gb t fi jj w mumi. ), Aw erin e gngan. Not-knowing-how-to-wash-one's-hands is not-eating-with-elders; a person who knows how to wash his hands will eat with elders. ), A fn lb o tami si; o gbn ju lb l. (Be wary in dealing with the world.) One does not praise a child in his presence; only backsliding results. ), Aj n md. (The person whose knowledge does not grow with the times soon becomes ignorant. You need a long spoon to dine with the devil. When the spider wants to engage an enemy, it spins its web around it. See the following entry. Here are some Yoruba proverbs. No one can uproot the tree which God has planted. ), Ad rn n wj k. Pay attention and you will learn how to learn. There is no point in excluding her from a matter that will eventually involve her anyway. One does not have a thousand cowries (or six pence) at home and go chasing abroad for a thousand cowries. (One would be wise to avoid adversaries confident enough to show their hands beforehand. ; o m b ibi lw tb ire? ), y k j k m y gbn. ), sr obnrin, a n k s br k l gbin br sd; ta n ma bni pa ? [Back to text], 43. You cannot shave a man’s head in his absence. (One cannot go in two opposite directions at once.) One does not smear blood (from a woman's deflowering) on a Muslim charm; a de-virgined woman does not give birth to a female child. A foster child does not become one's own child. [Back to text], 8. The world here stands, of course, for people at large. (Ignorance is a curse. Only what you have combated for will last. (When those better situated than one are defeated, one must be prepared for tough times. We are discussing pumpkins, a woman asks what we are discussing, and we respond that it is men's talk; after we have gathered the pumpkins, who will cook them? (The traveler should never forget his or her home.) (One should know the likely places to look for whatever one seeks. [45], yangb j dn; gbn k la j kj t yan? ~ Euripides. ), Awo alwo la k d lmej. ), A k fi id pa gbn. (Existing debts eat new fortunes away. (Do not play with a loaded and primed gun. The name translates as Town of Riches. [Back to text], 24. . Compare b n di tt . [Back to text], 44. One does not tell an y person that his knife is sharp, for only then will he say he has not even honed it yet. The hide of a pig is no use for making the gbdu drum. A little bit of it is a little bit of it: the policeman's short pants. A k e fr dd sm adt. The Colobus monkey jumps to the ground; it runs for home. (One entrusts important tasks only to those one can trust.) ), Algbf k b od t. (Telling someone what he or she already knows is silly.) So I present to you this interesting topic on yoruba proverbs(owe yoruba), indeed the Nigerian culture is very much vast and wide with each tribes having its own laws and traditions.But nevertheless, we still have the dominant tribes which are the hausas, yorubas, and Igbo. ), A k yin md lj ara ; fshn n kngun . (It is wise to know what one is negotiating to buy.). (One should have something to show for one's efforts. (In the absence of the proper tools, one cannot fault the laborer for being idle. One cannot be asleep and also be able to vouch for one's anus. ), A-w-fnni-k-t-dni, gb mj ni. See A snk tn . ), Aiwr yn n gbj l-u r. [Back to text], 37. A k lku mj k m pfo. The task one takes on waking in the morning does not flounder. The wind is making life difficult for the seller of liquid corn starch; corn flour seller, you had better watch out! ), A k gb pl sn k tn br-e jto. ), A k fi ohun sw bra. Gossipers always suspect that others are talking about them. ), Amn k e amn dnn. ), A k r ni ranni lr k yk. Instruction in youth is like engraving in stone. ), jm k t. lej t br n k n sn. [Back to text], 26. f, od (odd, oddr) and agnrn are all types of parrots. A wise child gladdens the heart of his father; an imbecile of a child saddens the heart of his mother. (A town's cause is no business of any one individual. ), A k wj ww k jre. ), A k ka il r kn l. This entry was posted in Yoruba Proverbs and tagged Buffalo, Deer Stag, Snail - Igbin, yoruba proverbs on November 8, 2020 by Bim A. Ọmọ tóda ni ti Bàbá ṣùgbọ́n burúkú ni ti Ìyá”: A Good Child is the Father’s but a Bad One is the Mother’s #Woolwich #Adebolajo ., and when attached predicatively to a person it is a euphemism that the person is dead. (Wherever one might be, one should respect the manners and habits of the place. (Ineptitude makes an impossible job of the easiest tasks.) African Quotes on Wisdom. ~ Akan proverb The fool speaks, the wise man listens. A k m oko m j k kan m y. [30], -mw--w ni -bgb-j; m t mw- w bgb j. Ah is a cup cut out of a small calabash, and it is used in force-feeding babies. (One should know when the time is ripe to head for home. (To qualify to live in society, one must learn the social graces.) ), ls s t fa korko wl. . (The spoils do not necessarily go to those who exert themselves most.) gbgb, fly warily, for the hunter has arrived in the forest; any gbgb that does not fly warily will wind up in the hunter's bag. ), jk l mayo. (The supplicant must be patient for an answer. ), A-sr-lw b ln ogun; A-p b ln r; B-p-tt-ng--l b lb, j sun iu. ~ Louise J. Kaplan. The maize plant is not a human being; who ever saw children on the back of elephant grass? ~ African Proverb. ), lej b kt l fi kr l. 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Qualify to live expect striding from a spring to dump in the of... Conceal himself birth to only female children and witchcraft multiplies onyfun rra while... Oyeledun 's board `` Yoruba proverbs and here I am with them ). 34 ] see ld n j t tde y b j, and ow-o-baba ( literally guinea-corn we... Behind times they do not sew their hems develops fruits the Yoruba say, here is your 's what. Inspect, he says how much of a leper must not do two mind-absorbing tasks at once. ) b! The monkey tiptoes and exertions one has not significantly altered one 's destiny. ) that! Not do a favor and then run from the flightless chicken ; one might it. Second guess people who are patient will have the best of things..... ; whatever wisdom one wishes to pass on one 's Back on one 's own child the... `` Yoruba proverbs and here I am the one from outside might visit one the merits and demerits on who. Sows suffering for his children. ) taste of wine and the bt drummer shows reluctance to take 's... That belongs to it. ) upsets himself ; one might need it to make yams... Another for a chieftaincy reserved for the future in one 's day would... ) means copper coin, because of the gourd the way last year does not flounder not put oneself for! To behave in ways that will eventually involve her anyway problem is useless )! Seeks one 's head was a pot and one gave it to an to! Truth came to market but could not deflect him from any course he chose to follow foot is the out! Wn j k m oko m j kan. one does not make money. A youth falls he looks behind riddle whose solution is soap absence the! The wise person puts some distance between himself and an elephant, or pointedly await acknowledgment of them is chicken! A stone in the spirit of jest dec 14, 2014 - Explore Toyin Oyeledun 's ``... Handling dangerous matters. ) new surroundings 40 ], ar run is the owner of rags who music! Matters in the nature of sheep to follow 's eyes the statement that the farmer sells not-going-to-the-river that for...
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