ỌRỌ ÌYÀNJÙ (WORD OF ADVICE)
Ẹyin ọmọ Odùduwà ẹjẹ ki a ran rawa létí wípé “Ẹni tólèdè lóni ayé ibi ti wọn ti nsọ”. Mo bẹ yin ẹ maṣe jẹki a tara wa lọpọ nitorina ẹ maṣe jẹki èdè Yorùbà parẹ. Èdè ti a kọ silẹ, ti a ko sọ, ti a ko fi kọ ọmọ wa, piparẹ ni yio parẹ. Ẹjẹ ki a gbiyanju lati ṣe atunṣe nipa sísọ èdè Yorùbà botiyẹ kasọ lai si idaru idapọ pẹlu èdè miran.
Yorùbá lọkunrin ati lobirin ẹ ranti wipe “Odò to ba gbagbe orisun rẹ, gbigbe lo ma ngbe” Lágbára Ọlọrun, aoni tajo sọnu sajo o, ao kere oko délé o (Àṣẹ).
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Children of Odùduwà, let us remind ourselves that “He who owns the Language owns those speaking it” — “Ẹni tólèdè lóni ayé ibi ti wọn ti nsọ”. I appeal to you not to let us sell ourselves cheap, therefore, do not let Yorùbá language go into extinction. A Language that is not written, not spoken, not taught to our children will surely be extinct. Let us try to make amend by speaking Yorùbá as it should be spoken without mixture with other languages.
Yoruba sons and daughters, remember that “A river that is cut off from its source will dry up” — “Odò to ba gbagbe orisun rẹ, gbigbe lo ma ngbe”. By the power of the God of heaven, we will not be lost in sojourn; we shall bring our harvest home” (Amen).
Originally posted 2013-01-31 20:18:56. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
OMO TI A KO KOO NI YIO GBE ILE TI AKO TA, NITORI NAA EJE KI A KO AWON OMO WA NI ASA ATI EDE YOOBA . ASESE FUN WA O.
@Suliat The child that we have refused to train, is the same one that will end up selling the house that we built with the resources that were diverted from training the said child. Of course, this rough English translation just goes to show the difficulty of language translation. While I try to get across the essence of the saying — emphasis on prioritizing the training of your child, I have clearly missed the play on the word teach/build — which in Yoruba, uses a word that is the same as build/construct. Interestingly, teaching a child is the same as building the child to some extent.
I guess a rough translation of the saying employed by @Suliat should then be, “the child whose character we refused to build, is the same child that ended up selling the house we chose to build instead”. Admonishing all of us to teach our young ones the Yoruba language and culture.