By Iseribhor Okhueleigbe
Esan, like many of the tribes south of the Sahara, is rich in proverbs.
‘Itan’ is the Esan word for proverb (plural: ‘itanh’). Being a polysemous word,
‘itan’ also means insinuation or innuendo. To differentiate which one is being
employed in a speech, the verb that precedes the Esan noun would always be the
deciding factor: “kpa itanh” means “speak in proverbs” while “fi itan” means
“insinuate, make allusion.”
This collection of Esan proverbs is by no means exhaustive, since the use
of proverbs is a common feature among nearly all Esan. When placed beside any
of the proverbs below, the acronym ‘LIT’ means Lost in Translation, which is to
suggest that that particular proverb couldn’t be translated to be true to its
original meaning. For instance, the proverb “Ojie kha la le ọ’ ki zi ọgbọn” is
a short form of “Ojie kha la le ọ’ ki zi ọgbọn ọhle ojie Udakpa da yọ ni Aah
khue alogbo rẹkhan ọle.” If translated, it would be “A king’s ascension to the
throne is initially followed with fundamental changes, which was the reason the
king of Udakpa ordered to be escorted with musical instruments.”). Besides
being lengthy, the reader who has little knowledge of Udakpa in South-East Esan
– and the many political changes that have transformed it – will fail to grasp
the message in the proverb. When rendered in Esan language, however, the
proverb offers some literary appeal and reminisces the distant past of that
ancient community. Also, italicized phrases in the English translations are
additional information which is meant to aid easy understanding, especially of
non-Esan and those who aren’t so good at appreciating adages. Where a proverb
has an English equivalent, it is given and preceded with the conjunction ‘Or’
and the abbreviation cf (compare).
Ose ii gba ni usẹnbhokhan. (A young man's beauty is never without
defects.)
Eji Aah nyẹlẹn ọhle Aah
khọ. (People resemble where
they live.)
Udo ni Aah daghe ọ' vade
ii degbi ọrhia bhi ẹlo. (A
missile that one sees coming does not blind one.)
Eji ọboh da gui otọ ọhle
ọle da horiẹ. (A native doctor
disappears only where he is used to.)
Aah ii ri ebi Aah nanọ
bui awa re. (You don’t tempt a dog
with something to lick,since dog is an avid licker.)
Aah gheghe yọ ni olimhin
kha mhẹn bhi ẹlo, ọhle Aah da ri ukpọn bhọ. (Clothing a corpse is simply to beautify it.)
Aah ii fi ini bhi otọ kha
khin oha-ọtan. (Do not go hunting for
squirrel while you have an elephant as a catch.)
Aah ii di isira ọnọ khin
eni khin ẹkpẹn. Or, Aah ii khin ẹkpẹn man ọnọ khin eni. (You don’t change to a tiger in the
presence of one who can change to an elephant.)
Amẹn ni ọrhia la muọn ii
gbera ọle a. (The water one would
drink can never flow past one.)
Aah ii yi ọbhẹnbhẹn khui
ọkhọh. (Do not ask a mad man to
chase fowls away, since he would do it madly.)
Ene wwue bhi uwa kha yyọ
ele mmin okpodu, Ebi ene wwuẹ bhi ole ki da ta yẹ. (What would they say who slept outside
if those who slept inside complained of harassment?)
U’u ii ji Aah gui na. (Death is impervious to appeal.)
Ẹwa’ẹn Aah rẹ gbi efẹn nọ
ribhi ẹkẹ akhe. (Killing a rat that is
holed up inside an earthen pot requires wisdom.)
Ufẹmhẹn si obhokhan kha
na, Aah ki yọ owualẹn kkani ọhle ni ọle. (When the arrow from a child’s bow travels far, an adult is suspected to
be responsible.)
Ọnọ gbi ọnọdeọde ọhle
ọnọdeọde viẹ bhi itolimhin. (In a
funeral each mourner mourns the fate that befalls him, not the deceased’s.)
Ọmọn nọ yyu ọle mhọn ose
nẹ. (It is the deceased
child that is always the prettiest.)
Ohu bha lẹn ebialẹn si
ọhle. (Fury does not know its
owner’s strength otherwise a
weakling’s rage would be tempered with restraint.)
Agbọn khi ese. (It is human beings that do disguise as supernatural forces.)
Ọnọ ii ribhi eni, ọle Aah
ri enyan si ọle tọn bhi egbi era’ẹn. (It is the absent one whose yam would always be kept beside the fire.)
Eto kha rẹ re, Aah yẹ lẹn
eji ukẹhae nae. (No matter how hairy the
head becomes; the forehead remains distinct.)
Aah kha yọ ni Aah sikoko,
Aah bha yyọ ni Aah simama. (A
call to gather together is not an invitation to muddle together.)
Aah kha khin ẹkpẹn fo,
ebi Aah khiẹn ki fo. (After changing to a
tiger, you simply have no other thing to change to.)
Aah kuẹ ri ikhilẹn khin
ẹgua’e ọba, ọba kuẹ nyẹn uge. (The king need not tiptoe in order to peep at a dance coming to be staged
at his palace.)
Ọni Aah bbhobholo ii
bhobhi ọrhia. (The one who is carried
on one’s back cannot back someone else.)
Oẹ ọkpọkpa Aah zẹ bhi
okọ-ẹdin. (In a palm oil dish, you
take one step at a time.)
Irẹlobhegbe zzẹ ni ọkhọ
bha da lli afiamhẹnh. (But for forbearance,
the chicken would have taken into eating birds.)
Ose ba ni emiamhẹn. (Beauty is more painful than
infirmity.)
Ọnabhughe ọ’ min olimhin
ni Aah ri izagan mun. (It is the truant that
comes in contact with a corpse wrapped in basket.)
Aah ii ri ẹbhe ni oruan
ọrhia rẹmhọn. (To ensure a lasting
relationship, do not offer a goat to your in-law for safe-keeping.)
Aah kha kha gbi ugan bhi
evele, Aah ki ri ukpọn bhọ re. (If it is being debated, a man should undress to counter claims that he is
suffering from penile bloat.)
Ebi Aah bha mmin Eboh,
Aah bha rruẹn ebeh-ọghẹdẹ.
(Prior to the arrival of Europeans, no one wore banana leaves, but clothes.)
Ẹnyẹn ni otuan ọkpa miẹn
ọhle khi ubhiọ. (It is the serpent seen
by a single person that is called a lizard.)
Uhọmhọn na ji ikọ ọ’ ii
gbi ikọ. (An envoy isn’t punished
for the message he conveys.)
Ọkhin ẹkpẹn ii khin eni. (He does not change to a tiger one
who changes to an elephant. Or, Everyone has an area where he is talented.)
Aah kha rui ẹlo, Aah ki
kha ri ẹwua’ẹn khian. (Blindness demands
caution. Or, When one is blind, one learns to walk with care.)
Afiabhẹn ni Aah ri igẹnh
si ọhle lui emhin, ẹjẹje Aah min ọhle ele. (The bird whose feathers are treasured must walk
circumspectly.)
Ebe bha ji ọrhia rẹ lẹn
egbe, ọhle ọrhia da tẹ.
(Disgrace is sure to come from that over which one cannot exercise
self-control.)
Ebe yi okhuo zẹ bhi
ileghe re, akun ọ’ ye. (That
which compels a woman to reduce her waist beads lies in her waist.)
Ọ’ ii yi ọta ni ekhẹnh ta
yi ẹki, ọ’ ii yi ọhle ele ta vae. (Traders’ subject of discussion to the market differs from their homeward
discussion.)
Ọ’ ii yi ẹdẹ ni Aah muin
ure ọ’ ii yi ẹdẹni Aah ri ọhle zọ ese. (It is not the same day a snail is found that it is offered as sacrifice to an idol.)
Eji Aah tan sẹ, ọhle Aah
da ji uhọmhọn. (A person’s head must
grow where his height stops.) nearly LIT
Ure kha lo bhi ẹbọ, ọ’ ki
khin ẹbọ. (When a snail inhabits a
shrine, it becomes an idol.)
Ọsakọn Aah lẹlẹ, Aah ii
lẹli ọmeto. (It is the dentist that
can be tricked, not the hairdresser.)
Odin ii talọ, ọta ri ọle
bhi unu. (Although speechless,
the mute has something to say.)
Ojie ii gbo yọ ni Aah ri
ojie tọ bhi itikun. (A king never asks a
king to be buried in a refuse site.)
Okhuẹlẹn nẹko kpe. (A grass-cutter’s plumpness is
achieved in hiding.)
Ẹmhọn ri ọdan ba bhi
egbe, ọhle rri ikpea do bhi omin. (LIT)
Ọbo ii bọ bhi ebi ọle
lẹ’ẹn. (A native doctor doesn’t
consult his oracle concerning that which he knows.)
‘Nine’ bha jji Ebo llu. (Despite
his ingenuity, the white man could not create the number nine.) nearly LIT
Elamhẹn n’ọ ii mhọn akọn,
ọhle ki odalo bhi ishi oyi. (It
is the toothless beast that is always the first arrival at the orchard.)
Usẹn bi usẹn ko yi egbe
‘halo’. (It is age mates that
greet each other with ‘hello’.)
Ẹdebe ọhle Aah rẹ ye
ọkha’e re. (A hero is often
remembered on a bad day.)
Ọ’ ii yi ọnọ ka kha
khọmhọn ka yu. (The first person to
fall sick is not always the one to die first.)
Ọbo kha wuo ni ọbo, ọ’ ki
ri ọbo khuọn ẹkpa. (LIT)
Ogun bi ogun kha min
egbe, ughamhan ele rẹ tui egbe. (When blacksmiths meet, both salute each other with iron.)
Aah kha kha viẹ, Aah yẹ
daghe. (Even in tears, it is
not impossible to see.)
Ẹghe ni Aah bha rẹ llẹn
ẹlo ikpakpa, ọhle ikpakpa ki rẹ ggbi ọrhia. (Men only died of toxin
beans when they lacked
knowledge of the food.)
Okhuo ii yi okhuo biẹre
khi ọmọn fui ọlle bhọ. (A woman doesn’t ask a
fellow woman to put to bed that she herself is childless.)
Ẹruẹ ii yi ẹruẹ
ọyabhihue. (English version: ‘A
kettle does not call a kettle black.’)
Ebi Aah miẹn ofẹn ii muin
uki, Ebi ọhle ii da bha ọsi adamhẹn. (If not for fear, why doesn’t the moon shine in the daytime?)
Ẹlo ọriọbhe bhia’e, ọle
ii rẹ daghe. (Although he has good
eyesight, a stranger doesn’t see with his eyes.)
Ọnọ rẹre, ọle Aah da ọle
obọ. (It is the generous
person that would always be approached for assistance.)
Ọriọbhe giẹrẹn lumhin
eman, ọle bha lẹn eji Aah ri ubhokọ gọ. (Although a stranger pounds pounded yam well, he lacks knowledge of where
to keep the pestle.)
Aah ii ri emhin ni ọkhian
re mhọ’ẹn. (You don’t give
something to a traveller to keep.)
Ẹdẹ ni okhuo rẹ nyin eman
ebe, ẹdẹni ọlle rẹ le nẹ. (It
is on the day a woman cooks a bad meal that she eats best.)
Elamhẹn ọbhebhe ii ni
isọn emẹdin ebeiyi uriẹi.
(Except porcupine, no
other animal has palm waste in its excreta.)
U’u bha gbi iban, ọhle di
khin ẹdin. (The flower of a palm
tree will eventually become palm nuts if death spares it.)
Oghian ọrhia zẹ ni u’u da
ba bhi egbe. (It is one’s enemy that
makes death hurtful.)
Obhokhan kha ni isọn ebe,
Aah ki ri ebe ugbolimhosaka gbo ọle uwedin a. (If a child defecates repulsive excreta, the leaf of a
spiky plant will be used to wipe his buttocks.)
Aah kha kha gbi ugba, ọtẹtẹh
rie. (At the repeated
shaking of the calabash, insects find their way out.)
Aah bha min ebi Aah khin
ọkhọmhọn yẹ, Aah ki zaghi ọle era’ẹn a. (If because of his
illness you can’t hurt a sick
person, you can at least extinguish the fire that
keeps him warm.)
Aah bha min ebi Aah khin
ojie yẹ, Aah ki si ọle bhi ẹbho re. (If because of his power you can’t challenge a king, you should
quit his kingdom. Or, cf. ‘If you live in Rome, do not strive with the Pope.’)
Ẹghe ni Aah rẹ llui
ẹmhọn, Aah rria ọhle a. (The
time spent on lawsuit is time wasted.)
Aah kha ri egbe yi isi
ojie, ọshọ folo. (When people take
themselves to the king’s palace for lawsuit, they cease to be friends.)
EJi uzo ki ri aho ọ ni
ọhle da rẹ bi iweva. (From where has
antelope got the strength to give birth to twins?)
Ukpokpo ni Aah rẹ ggbi
ẹwobi, Aah bha refia, Aah ki rẹ gbi ọbhata. (The whip that was used on a stupid person, if it is not
disposed of, will be used on an innocent.)
Aah ii min ebe khi ọkhọ
ebeiyi akhokholẹ. (Nothing resembles a chicken
as does a bush fowl.)
Ese kha la zi emhin,
ẹkẹn-ọkhọ ki va udo a. (When
supernatural forces are at work, it is not impossible for a hen’s egg to crack
a stone.)
Ebe ka llui ọkhọ di yẹ
lui ẹbhe. (A goat will by no means
escape the fate of a chicken as
long as feasts last.)
Ọkpọkpa Aah gbe ni
okhọ’ẹn da lọ. (A war is sustained
till the end by gradual killing rather
than by outright annihilation. Or, cf. English version: ‘Rome was not built
in a day’ or ‘One thing at a time.’)
Aah ii dunu bhi igbanaka. (LIT)
EJi ehọ ni Aah la rẹ họn,
ọhle Aah nẹ emhin na. (The very fact that
certain things are offensive to the ear is the reason they are considered
taboos.)
Ojie kha la le, ọ’ ki zi
ọgbọn re. (A king’s ascension to
the throne is initially followed with fundamental changes.)
EBi Aah la le
ẹlẹna, Ebi Aah la le akha, ọhle ukhumhun rẹ fo. (The question of today’s meal and
tomorrow’s provision is how a famine abates.)
Aah ii ri afe nani umhẹn. (You don’t start licking salt simply
because you are wealthy.)
Aah ii nọ ọnọ mhọn igho
bi ọle la dẹ. (You don’t ask the
moneyed man what he will buy with his money.)
Ẹsọn ka ggbi enefe. (The rich once suffered hardship.)
Ẹbọ kha kha to, ọhle mhọn
ohẹn si ọhle. (No matter how austere
an idol is, it has its priest who
pacifies it.)
Ọkaleteh ii kpọ. (Heroes are hard to find.)
Ughe ughulu da ho ukhuọ
ọhle ni Aah kha yọ ghe khi ẹkẹ ọhle mun ni ọhle. (That hawk makes love to its wife in
the open sky is to debunk rumours that it impregnated her out of wedlock.)
Aah ii ri ugbele si
Akogho loli ugbele. (LIT)
Uhẹn-ẹlẹ zẹ ni Aah ii da
nẹ bhi ẹki. (Don’t defecate in a
marketplace because it will be
there for you to see on the
next market day. Or, cf. English version: ‘The evil that men do lives after
them.’)
Ẹwa’ẹn Aah rẹ gbi udia nọ
timan bhi ikpẹkẹn. (Killing a tsetse fly
that perches on one’s scrotum demands wisdom.)
Uhọmhọn ni Aah bha ji
obhokhan ele, ọhle kha gbi ache bi uwawa bhọ, ọhle ki ha osa. (A child must pay for the destruction
of items that results from carrying out a task that was never assigned to him.)
Uzehia kha zẹ bhi eji obọ
ii sẹ, Aah ki yi ọhle lala a. (If one has boil in a part of the skin beyond reach, the boil is advised
to rot.)
Aah ii gẹn ọmọn bhi isira
ọle. (Don’t sing praise of a
child in his presence.)
Emhinh erebhe ne ribhi
omhọn ti egbele itata. (Every ingredient in
soup likes to be seen as meat.)
Ọ’ ii yi ẹlo ni Aah rẹ
lie man, ọ’ ii yi ọhle Aah rẹ kha elamhẹn. (The attitude with which food is eaten differs from that
with which meat is shared amongst
the eaters.)
Ese kha la zi emhin,
omhọn ni inodẹ ki oto obọ a. (It becomes possible today for yesterday’s soup to burn one’s
hand once supernatural forces are at work.)
Ọ’ ii yi ẹlo ivin ivin rẹ
ni udẹn. (A palm kernel would
never produce palm ointment unless under the
searing heat of the pot.)
Aah ii ni ọnọ wuẹle gbi
ugan si ebhohiẹ. (You don’t argue about a
dream with its dreamer.)
Ọbhẹbhẹn yyọ ghe khi ena
ọle rri era’ẹn fiọ, ghe ọnọ to khian ni ọle bha lẹn ẹlo bhọ. (A mad man only knows of the spot
where he dropped fire but cannot account for the offshoot ravaging the forest.)
Aah kha rẹkhan ẹkpẹn
khian, Aah ki li elamhẹn; Aah kha rẹkhan ẹbhe khian, Aah ki li ebeh. (A companion of tiger will feed on
meat but a companion of goat will eat leaves.)
Ebale kha sike ebgi unu
gbe, ọ’ ii ji Aah le. (Food that is too close
to the mouth is difficult to eat.)
Ọba ii de Esan, Ọzọloa ii
ri Ẹdo. (No Benin monarch visits
Esan land, just as Ọba Ọzọloa who
was slain in Esan will never
return to Benin.)
Ọgbihiagha bhi uhọmhọn nain
ọka yyọ ghe ọhle lẹn otu si ọhle. (The dreadlocked maize insists it knows its age mates.)
Evẹkpẹn kha vi ẹkpẹn fo,
Ibhioba ki bi ebeh. (The people of Ibhioba clear the leaves after the
butchers of tiger are done.) nearly LIT
Eni ediọn kha le, enai
ẹlimhin ki khọn. (When the elders eat,
the spirits are full.)
Ọnọ ii mhọn ọmọn ii mhọn
oruan. (The one who has no
child cannot have an in-law.)
Ọnọ ri ebeh bin uwa kha
dia khẹ efi. (He who builds a house
with leaves should expect the storm.)
Aah gbudu yi ọba ‘họ’ọ’! (Even the king can be reprimanded.)
Ebi Aah gbe bha yu, Aah
ii mun bhi ẹkpa. (Until the animal you are killing is dead you don’t put
it in a sack.)
Ebi Aah ko ta, ọhle khi
ẹmhọn ni inẹdeso. (What was discussed
earlier is what can be cited as a previous discussion.)
Aah ii tti egbe emhin,
ọhle enele da tto uwa a. (That
the house was gutted by palm waste was due to disregard for something.)
Ẹdẹ ii tughu ọ’ bha sẹn. (A river must become crystal-clear
after being upset.)
Ijan ọkpa ọmọle feọ n’ọ
da hu. (If a man’s urine must
foam, he must urinate on one spot. Or, cf. English version: ‘A rolling stone
gathers no moss.’)
Aah bha min ebe re n’ọ ii
fo. (There’s nothing without
an end. Or, Whatever is in vogue ultimately expires.)
Ukpọn ni ahoho sabọ, ọhle
ọ’ re bhi ifi. (The wind only picks the
dress that it can take off the rope.)
Ebe ii yi emhin ọhle ho
alo. (It is the insignificant
thing that struggles over the forefront.)
Ọnọ mhọn ivie bhi uru bha
lẹn si ọ’ ghanmhin. (He who has a gold
necklace round his neck does not know its worth.)
Etin kha di oya, Aah ki
ri abọ eveva fi ọhle. (When a blow becomes a
challenge, the two hands will be used to apply the blow.)
Osẹ ko eran ni ọnọ ii
mhọn uze. (It is God who provides
firewood for the one who has no axe.)
Ebe ba bhi egbe ii ni
ara’ẹn re. (A painful experience
does not necessarily bring out blood.)
Ohuẹ ii tie bi ọle miẹn
bhi ikhẹeran. (A hunter never
discloses the happenings in his hunting expedition.)
Omhọn n’ọ mhẹn bhi unu ii
si eman. (Delicious soup is often
inadequate for a meal.)
Ẹbho ni Aah ii da min
ahiẹlẹkpẹnh ọhle ọkhọh da lui mama. (It is in the land where there are no hawks that chickens have leverage.)
Aah ii tọni egbe bi eji
egbe rẹ tọnọ. (Do not scratch your
skin just the way it itches you.)
Unẹ bha sẹ khin unẹ ọhle
okhuo da ri obọ muin inyẹ’ẹnh mhọ’ẹn. (A woman holds tight to her breasts only when a race has not assumed
seriousness.)
Aah ii walan si u’u bhọ. (Man is senseless before death.)
Ese ii muin ẹdẹ. (No amount of trouble can prevent
daybreak.)
Source: The Illustrated Dictionary of Esan
Language (unpublished), by Iseribhor Okhueleigbe
To learn on more proverbs visit- ESANLAND PROVERBS
