BENIN OLOKUN SYMBOLISM: OSALOBUA VB'OLOKUN LAHO
Toyin Adepoju
Rhie egogo rre
Rhie emaba rre
Niya gha ga okun mwen
E nis'ede ehi
E avba egbe
Ewoe n' ame
Bring the bell
Bring the iron rod That I can use to serve my Olokun So that I can live as my spirits wish
We have met ourselves
Spirits of the water
Oba n' Ame
King of the Water
Eze n' Unghegbe n' Ebo
Glittering White River that Reflects Heaven and Earth
Adesukhunmwun
Stainless Sky
Ohinmwin Ame n'Ogboi I Khue
The Depth of a Big Sea Which a Novice Dares Not Try
Okpe egogo ede gbe
Okpe emaba ede gbel Okpe ukuse ede gbe
Edemgbel Ede gbel Ede Oba gbe
Ede Osa gbe
The bell ringer, the day has dawned
The drummer in charge of the drum-maraca
the day has dawned
The maraca player
the day has dawned
The day has dawned
The day has dawned
Oba's day
has dawned
God's day has dawned
Ihonmwen egbe n' ebo mwen
I purify myself for my shrine
Standing in the center of igha-ede
the division of time and space
I cross over
and
speak in erinmwin
I ye erhunmwun na tue ebo okpa yan uri no bie mwen
With this prayer, I salute 201 deities who gave birth to me
the number 201 of infinity
Rhie emaba rre
Niya gha ga okun mwen
E nis'ede ehi
E avba egbe
Ewoe n' ame
Bring the bell
Bring the iron rod That I can use to serve my Olokun So that I can live as my spirits wish
We have met ourselves
Spirits of the water
Oba n' Ame
King of the Water
Eze n' Unghegbe n' Ebo
Glittering White River that Reflects Heaven and Earth
Adesukhunmwun
Stainless Sky
Ohinmwin Ame n'Ogboi I Khue
The Depth of a Big Sea Which a Novice Dares Not Try
Okpe egogo ede gbe
Okpe emaba ede gbel Okpe ukuse ede gbe
Edemgbel Ede gbel Ede Oba gbe
Ede Osa gbe
The bell ringer, the day has dawned
The drummer in charge of the drum-maraca
the day has dawned
The maraca player
the day has dawned
The day has dawned
The day has dawned
Oba's day
has dawned
God's day has dawned
Ihonmwen egbe n' ebo mwen
I purify myself for my shrine
Standing in the center of igha-ede
the division of time and space
I cross over
and
speak in erinmwin
I ye erhunmwun na tue ebo okpa yan uri no bie mwen
With this prayer, I salute 201 deities who gave birth to me
the number 201 of infinity
Ohan i mu ogiome no vio obo da so
The central palm tree leaf whose hands stretch to the sky is not afraid
A yan bu eze a i won ame oren fo
You go to the river, though one can never finish the water
Okunmwen tie ere rre oo
Emokpoluwa mwen tie ere rre ooo
Do ye okpo Eronmwon dugie
My Olokun
call him
Emokpoluwa,
my own
Call him here....
The central palm tree leaf whose hands stretch to the sky is not afraid
A yan bu eze a i won ame oren fo
You go to the river, though one can never finish the water
Okunmwen tie ere rre oo
Emokpoluwa mwen tie ere rre ooo
Do ye okpo Eronmwon dugie
My Olokun
call him
Emokpoluwa,
my own
Call him here....
Collage of excerpts from
Norma Rosen, " Chalk Iconography in Olokun Worship", African Arts, Vol. 22, No. 3 (May, 1989), pp. 44-53+88.48:.
Also blogged at Olokun Waters
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