Ọkunrin kan wa láyé àtijọ́, Ògbójú-ọdẹ ni, ṣùgbọ́n bi ó ti pa ẹran tó, kò fi dá nkan ṣe.  Ọ̀pọ̀ igbà, ki ri ẹran ti ó bá pa tà, o ma ńpin fún ará ilú ni.  Nigbati kò ri ẹran pa mọ́, ó di o Ọdẹ-apẹyẹ.

Ni ọjọ kan, ògbójú-ọde yi ri ẹyẹ Òfú kan, ṣùgbọ́n ọta ibọn kan ṣoṣo ló kù ninú ibọn rẹ.  Gẹgẹbi Ògbójú-ọdẹ, o yin ẹyẹ Òfú ni ibọn, ọta kan ṣoṣo yi si báa.  Ó bá wọ igbó lọ lati gbé ẹyẹ ti ó pa, lai mọ̀ pé ẹyẹ yi kò kú.  Ó ṣe akitiyan lati ri ẹyẹ́ yi mu, kẹ̀rẹ̀kẹ̀rẹ̀ ó bẹ̀rẹ̀ si wọ igbó lọ titi ó fi ṣi ọ̀nà dé ilẹ̀ àwọn Ará-Ọ̀run – àwọn ti wọn ńpè ni Abàmi-ẹ̀dá.  Inu bi àwọn Ará-Ọ̀run nitori Ògbójú-ọdẹ yi jálu ipàdé wọn.  Wọn gbamú, wọn ni ki ó ṣe àlàyé bi ó ṣe dé ilẹ̀ wọn, ki àwọn tó pá.  Ọdẹ ṣe àlàyé ohun ti ojú rẹ ti ri nipa iṣẹ́ àti jẹ àti gbogbo ohun ti ojú rẹ ti ri lẹ́nu iṣẹ́ ọde.  Àwọn Ará-Ọ̀run ṣe àánú rẹ, wọn bèrè pé ṣe ó lè dá ẹmu, ó ni ohun lè dá ẹmu diẹ-diẹ.  Wọn gbaa ni iyànjú pé ki o maṣe fi ojú di iṣẹ kankan, nitori naa, ki ó bẹ̀rẹ̀ si dá ẹmu fún àwọn.

Wọn ṣe ikilọ pe, bi ó bá ti gbé ẹmu wá, kò gbọdọ̀ wo bi àwọn ti ńmu ẹmu, ki ó kàn gbé ẹmu silẹ ki o si yi padà lai wo ẹ̀hin.  Bi ó bá rú òfin yi, àwọn yio pa.  Ọdẹ bẹ̀rẹ̀ si gbé ẹmu lọ fún ara orun.  Bi ó bá gbé ẹmu dé, a bẹ̀rẹ̀ si kọrin lati jẹ ki àwọn Ará-Ọ̀run mọ̀ pé ohun ti dé, lẹhin èyi á gbé ẹmu silẹ á yi padà lai wo ẹ̀hin gẹgẹ bi ikilọ Ará-Ọ̀run. Ni ọjọ́ keji, á bá owó ni idi agbè ti ó fi gbé ẹmu tàná wá. Ògbójú-ọdẹ á má kọrin bayi:

Ará Ọ̀run, Ará Ọ̀run
Ìnọ̀mbà téré, tere múdè, ìnọ̀mbà
Ará Ọ̀run, Ará Ọ̀run o,
Ìnọ̀mbà téré, tere múdè, ìnọ̀mbà
Ki lo wá ṣe n’ilẹ̀ yi o
Ìnọ̀mbà téré, tere múdè, ìnọ̀mbà
Ẹmu ni mo wá dá,
Ìnọ̀mbà téré, tere múdè, ìnọ̀mbà
Èlèló lẹmu rẹ
Ìnọ̀mbà téré, tere múdè, ìnọ̀mbà
Ọ̀kànkàn ẹgbẹ̀wá,
Ìnọ̀mbà téré, tere múdè, ìnọ̀mbà
Gbẹ́mu silẹ ko maa lọ
Ìnọ̀mbà téré, tere múdè, ìnọ̀mbà
Ará Ọ̀run, Ará Ọ̀run o,
Ìnọ̀mbà téré, tere múdè, ìnọ̀mbàaa

Àyipadà dé fún Ògbójú-ọdẹ ti ó di Ẹlẹ́mu tóó bẹ̀ ti àwọn ará ilú ṣe akiyesi àyipadà yi.  Yorùbá ni “ojú larí, ọ̀rẹ́ ò dénú”. Àjàpá, ọlọ́gbọ́n ẹ̀wẹ́, sọ ara rẹ̀ di ọrẹ kòrí-kòsùn pẹ̀lú Ògbójú-ọdẹ nitori àti mọ idi ọrọ̀ rẹ.  Laipẹ, àrùn Ṣọ̀pọ̀ná bo Ògbójú-ọdẹ, eleyi dá iṣẹ́ àti gbé ẹmu fún àwọn Ará-Ọ̀run dúró.  Gẹgẹbi ọ̀rẹ́, ó bẹ Àjàpá pé ki ó bá ohun bẹ̀rẹ̀ si gbé ẹmu lọ fún àwọn Ará-Ọ̀run.  Ó ṣe ikilọ fún Àjàpá, bi ikilọ ti àwọn Ará-Ọ̀run fi silẹ̀.  Àjàpá, bẹ̀rẹ̀ si gbé ẹmu lọ, ni ọjọ́ keji ti ó ri owó rẹpẹtẹ ti àwọn Ará-Ọ̀run kó si idi agbè ẹmu àná, ó pinu lati mọ idi abájọ.  Àjàpá, fi ara pamọ́ si igbó lati wo bi àwọn Ará-Ọ̀run ti ńmu ẹmu. Ohun ti ó ri yàá lẹ́nu, ó ri Ori, Ẹsẹ̀, Ojú, Apá àti àwọn ẹ̀yà ara miran ti wọn dá dúró, ti wọn si bẹ̀rẹ̀ si mu ẹmu.  Àjàpá, bẹ̀rẹ̀ si fi àwọn Ará-Ọ̀run ṣe yẹ̀yẹ́.  Nigbati wọn gbọ, wọ́n le lati pá ṣùgbọ́n, Àjàpá, sá àsálà fún ẹmi rẹ, ó kó wọ inú ihò, wọn kò ri pa.

Ògbójú-ọdẹ reti titi ki Àjàpá kó owó ẹmu dé.  Nigbati Àjàpá dé, ó gbé irọ́ kalẹ̀ pé olè dá ohun lọ́nà, wọn gba gbogbo owó ẹmu lọ ni ohun ṣe pẹ́.

Ara Ògbójú-ọdẹ ya, ó gbé ẹmu lọ fún ara-orun gẹgẹbi iṣe rẹ tẹ́lẹ̀ lai mọ iwà àkóbá ti Àjàpá, ti hù silẹ̀.  Àwọn Ará-Ọ̀run wọ ijàkàdi pẹ̀lú Ògbójú-ọdẹ, nitori ó rú òfin ikilọ ti wọn fun.  Nitori imọ̀ ti ó ni lẹ́nu iṣẹ Ọdẹ, Ará-Ọ̀run ko ri Ògbójú-ọdẹ pa.  Lẹhin ijàkàdi, ó ṣe àlàyé pé ara ohun ni kò yá, ó fi àpá han, pé nitori eyi ni ohun ṣe bẹ ọ̀rẹ́ ohun Àjàpá, ki ó bá ohun gbé ẹmu lọ fún wọn.  Wọn ṣe àlàyé ohun ti Àjàpá ti ó pè ni ọ̀rẹ́ rẹ ṣe fún wọn.  Ará-Ọ̀run dariji Ògbójú-ọdẹ pẹ̀lú ikilọ pé ki o maṣe gbára lé ọ̀rẹ́. Wọn ni ọpọlọpọ ọrẹ o ṣe fi okùn ọlà han, nitori ọ̀pọ̀ ọ̀tá ló ńṣe bi ọ̀rẹ́ nitori àti jẹ.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

In the olden days, there was a man, a valiant Hunter, but as competent as he was, his job could not sustain him.  Many times, he was unable to sell his kills, hence he shared it for the people.  When there was no more animal to kill, he became a Bird-Hunter.

One day, the valiant-hunter saw a Pelican Bird, but only one bullet remained in his gun.  As a Valiant Hunter, he aimed and shot the Pelican with the only bullet.  He then went on to retrieve his kill, without realizing that the bird did not die.  In his effort to retrieve the Pelican he continued his journey to the forest until he got lost and strayed into the land of the Spirits – known as Strange Creatures.  On seeing him, the Spirits were angry because he bumped into their meeting.  The seized him and asked him to explain how he got to their land before he would be killed.  The Valiant Hunter explained all he has had to suffer for the sake of survival and all his encounter while hunting.  The Spirits had pity on him and asked if he knew how to tap Palm-wine, he responded that he had little knowledge.  He was then advised not to underrate any job, hence he should become their Palm-wine Tapper.

He was warned that he must never wait to see them drinking the palm-wine he supplied, so he should just place his supply at a particular spot and turn back immediately.  The consequence of disobeying this rule is death.  The Hunter began to supply the Spirits palm-wine.  In order to alert the Spirits of his arrival, he would begin to sing, then he would place his keg of palm-wine in the designated place, then turn back without looking back, just as the Spirits has instructed.  On the next day supply, he would meet payment for the last supply and the empty keg at the designated place.

Visible change came for the Valiant Hunter that became a Palm-wine Tapper to the extent that, his success became noticeable to the people in his town.  According to Yoruba adage “Only facial expression is seen, friend’s thought is unseen”.   Tortoise the Trickster, became a sudden intimate friend of the Valiant Hunter, in order to know the secret of his wealth.  In no distant time, the Valliant Hunter was plagued with Smallpox, which disrupted his palm-wine supply to the Spirits.  As he regarded the Tortoise as a friend, he appealed to him to assist him continue supplying palm-wine to the Spirit.  He warned the Tortoise of the need to obey the instructions given by the Spirits.  The Tortoise began the palm-wine supply, on the second day, he saw a lot of money and the empty keg, left by the Spirits at the designated place but was tempted to know the secret.  The Tortoise then hid in the nearby bush until the Spirits began to drink.  He was shocked at what he saw as Head, Legs, Eyes, Arms and other parts of the body were all standing separately.  The Spirits were enraged at the mocking of Tortoise, hence they pursued him in order to kill him, but he made a quick escape to hole.

The Valiant-Hunter waited a long time for the Tortoise to bring payment received for the palm-wine supplied.  When the Tortoise eventually returned, he came up with the story of how he was robbed of the payment received by thieves as reason for his delayed arrival.

The Valiant Hunter recovered from sickness, he resumed the supply of palm-wine to the Spirits, without a clue to the implication of Tortoise bad behaviour.  The Spirits wrestled with the Valiant Hunter for disobeying their warnings.  They were unable to kill the Hunter as a result of his hunting experience.  After the wrestling contest, he explained to the Spirits that he sent his friend – the Tortoise to supply palm-wine in his stead, because he was very ill and he showed them the scars sustained.  The Spirits in return told him what Tortoise – his friend did to disobey their rules.  The Spirits forgave the Valliant Hunter, with a warning that he should never depend on friends as many friends cannot be trusted with the secret to one’s source of wealth because many enemies do pretend to be friends for the sake of survival.

Originally posted 2014-07-18 20:50:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter