ELEYINJU OGE
Ajike, eleyinju oge, [Owner of the bewitching eyeballs]
Owner of the magic jugs
Whose fermented wine
Shall make even Sango, eleyinju ina, [Sango, the one with the fiery eyes]
Stagger at a sip.
I am the hunter:
Erin gbo orin mi, o sa wogbo. [The elephant hears my chant and flees]
Let me drink and be drunk
Talo le bi mi?[Who can challenge me]
Anike, fruited paw-paw,
Too slender to climb
How shall we
Pluck these your fruits
That say,"Kami, kami, kami?" [Pluck me, pluck me, pluck me]
I, son of Ife,
Come to steal your fruits.
Did I not pluck the pako in my mouth [Chewing stick]
From the Iroko’s crown?
You are a wall,
Ogiri, ti o lanu fun alangba. [Wall that opens not for the lizard]
A thousand grooms
Have climbed,
All landed, crippled, on this side.
I come to scale your wall,
Emi lomo Baba ademu [I am the son of the palm wine tapper]
To gun igi ope pelu okun ogede; [That climbed the palm with banana twines]
I fear no fall.
You are Agbalumo,
Ripe, in the season of mangoes.
All await under the tree,
Mangoed tongues,
Seeking the sour-sweetness.
Emi, obo to ji eran [I monkey, that stole meat]
Ninu apere ode aperin, [From the basket of the Elephant hunter]
I shall make your sour sweetness
The pleasure of my tongue.
First published on Facebook on 2013-12-28 at this link.