Philosophical Poetry — Traditional Tiv Poetry

ENGLISH

Ason Shande
those who locked me are not
above life. Its God who is.
So don’t be angry
A he-goat has been struck
and sheep scattered
and struck a male sheep with a leg
so let the he-goat too laugh now.

Iorgbajime
Chan tongu aper amo
tso mwunde ve mwunde veo
He gbya kpa mzurum ga
me kpe tugh tso
Tyo yam kpa ilaghem ga, mse ga
Joseph, angbian, mve me wasem ye

Ngueren Tion Ala Ako
wan kpe jen sha kyum ngo veo
atumba nga ga shinii
Ape dzan kela ngum zeo
Abua kyegh
Kat togh ku me pav akor me loo
pa sule wam mi je ne
kwagh hembamaa.

Iorgbajime
Suffering blows me like a whistle,
so I’m stunted, I’m stunted,
even to my mother’s home, I can’t go
so I’ll die of penury.
My clan too doesn’t favour me
Joseph, brother, that’s why I came for help.

Ngueren Tion Ala Ako
a child has died of hunger on her mother’s lap.
Is there no Milk?
There’s no place for me to go
Abua kyegh
This is the pole with which I’ll
split my yam seedlings and plant
my farm. I’ve failed

Wan Imande ngom mama
Ku ka kpandegh ku Alondo
Ter angerugh yo
Shie kuma uta Yamuel vaan zee

Tor Labe Gyuse tar u hegen
u hongur kyor kyange aza bar ga
Tor Labe Gyuse
Nenge are iyo kaa chii tso mfa ga
Mgbide hwangaa
Atim Ate tione Mbalagh
mase baver shagba yilan
Yamuel Yashi
Ka anau ga kpaa we u yuen ga
anau di kpaa we di yuen ga

Daughter of Imande my mother
death is a tax that God
has levied on us; when the time comes
we pay, so I Yamuel, I don’t weep.

Tor Labe Gyuse in today’s world
If you mess up the guinea-fowl meat
won’t go well with salt any longer.
Chief Labe Gyuse, See! the snake
has passed so I struck only it’s path.
Atim Ate of Mbalagh radiates affluence
and says to me “Yamuel, when people
fail to donate to you, you’re never sad
So if I give you, don’t be sad either”.

Mko Agema una nam akovo
Shor chivir or mimi mko
Mko Agema ooo
Mgba yor a mbayev ahse chovom
doo ga
Mko Agema una gba diin
Mo kpa me gba diin
una gba tsegha mo kpa me gba
tsegha tsegha je ahemba tsough
u tsongur

Mko Agema will give me shoes
The dance respects true man mko
Mko Agema
I’ve river-dived with boys
and got my eyes badly infected.
If Mko Agema is heavy, I too will be heavy
If he is unsteady, I’ll be more unsteady than
a rattling musical instrument.

Uba Nguemoo
Kpehe shor ke kpya kpa doo ga
Uba Nguemoo
Kpehe shor ke kpya kpa doo ga
Yamuel Yashi a nongo amo
shongi.

Ageba kela chan korom songu
Hembamee yange telem malem tso
kendemo sha chan
Or kanan wundи atsan anan gema
a oron aam.
we yo u kaa nena?
Ngula ka aie kwase wam Wamba
Kough
Mo mzende sha hinda ior mnenge
chan iwuha pir avom.
Wan Agodi ngom mo yo mngu or
kpen
Wea nenge amo ga yo ku tesem
war
Aliveoo mba wanyегh wua nor
Ior a yaan nor kpa ve ya
mo yo me da sor achanger ke wua
Wanchovor nan hanger bushi ga
Err Tyo ngi yemen gudu gudu
Mo kpa mngu van shin hua.

Uba Nguemo
I’ve divined into my pocket
but the result is not good. Uba Nguemo
I’ve divined into my pocket
but the result is not good.
So let Yamuel Yashi help me out

Ageba kela, poverty has slaughtered me
I’m incapable. Since my father gave birth
to me, he threw me into poverty.
A person leaves his own poverty
and speaks of mine.
How is it with you?
It’s false my wife, daughter of Kough
I’ve travelled to people’s doors, and
poverty has luxuriated, covering the mounds.
Daughter of Agodi, mother, me I’m a dead man
If you don’t see me, death has shown me
my grave. Wanyegh clan has killed
an elephant.
Let people eat elephants if they are eating.
For me I will go and look for small fish
among the reeds. An orphan eats
even Bushi.
Eii, the clan is marching on steady,
I too, I’m stealing on by the alley.