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Ogbe-Ofun
Ifa divination texts from Jaap Verduijn's Odu Ifa Corpus. Ifa as a divination method is found in many countries in West Africa. However, the Yoruba peoples of (mainly) Nigeria have perfected it. The presented texts are translations, rewritings and interpretations of original Yoruba divination verses, in which the traditional "poetry-like" cadence and rhythm has been preserved and/or recreated as far as the English language allows. The visual structure of the texts in writing is according to tradition - there is no such thing as a line break or a paragraph in Ifa chanting. The texts are part of my "working corpus" as an Ifa diviner. More about Ifa on http://www.qondio.com/mama.pl?a=intelshow&i=17751 Greetings! Let us now praise Ogbe-Ofun.
The one for whom this Odu is cast
is about to undertake something, or
the Awo is about to do something
for this person.
Quickly should this person (Quickly! Quickly!)
offer a black cloth, quickly, quickly, in order to
make whatever is about to happen, happen.
If this person does not offer,
then we shall not go on from here.
Do you happen to see
why the Ikin of Ifa say so?
"Palmnuts create, palmnuts destroy;
Eshu breaks, Eshu discards;
something that's lost
cannot be seen anymore,
it cannot be found again,
it is gone with the wind"
cast Ifa for Obatala, on the day
he went to war, accompanied by
a so-called servant, who would better
have been called a born looser,
who had promised to be
Obatala's interpreter.
They told him to offer
the black cloth he wore,
and ten bags of cowries.
"Oh, but I cannot part
with my black cloth..."
And so, although they prepared
ewe for him, he lost his only helper,
and when he arrived in the theater of war
his hands were not strong enough
to counter the attack;
thus Obatala was beaten.
Well now, that was exactly
what the awo's had said.
"Palmnuts create, palmnuts destroy;
Eshu breaks, Eshu discards;
something will be lost
and will be hidden from you,
forever gone with the wind"
cast for Obatala, on the day
that he could not part
with something black.
Oh yes, it was crystal clear:
he wore his loss on his body,
meaning that Obatala
was sick in the head, which was the reason
why a black cloth was asked from him.
So pay attention, my friend: he lost it
because he could not give it up.
Is that clear now? Fine! Greetings!
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Contributor's Note
This intel reflects only one of my activities. I also write about and/or have websites on: the Avro Lancaster bomber, hookah pipes and shisha smoking, bathroom accessories including toilet bowls and bidets, Black Americana and African-American memorabilia, cranberry glass like Fenton vases, mobility scooters and wheelchairs, gold scrap and scrap gold, and much more. Where do I get the time (wide grin)?!
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Some more about Ifa
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