Ogun Born Poet Worldfamous Ajibola Translates An Old Poem In His Native Language.

 

Below is one of the poems, we read during my Secondary School days, have received Grace from God Almighty to translate it into my native language.

NIGHTFALL IN SOWETO

Nightfall comes like

a dreaded disease

seeping through the pores

of a healthy body

and ravaging it beyond repair

A murderer’s hand,

lurking in the shadows,

clasping the dagger,

strikes down the helpless victim.

I am the victim.

I am slaughtered

every night in the streets.

I am cornered by the fear

gnawing at my timid heart;

in my helplessness I languish.

Man has ceased to be man

Man has become beast

Man has become prey.

I am the prey;

I am the quarry to be run down

by the marauding beast

let loose by cruel nightfall

from his cage of death.

Where is my refuge?

Where am I safe?

Not in my matchbox house

Where I barricade myself against nightfall.

I tremble at his crunching footsteps,

I quake at his deafening knock at the door.

“Open up!” he barks like a rabid dog

thirsty for my blood.

Nightfall! Nightfall!

You are my mortal enemy.

But why were you ever created?

Why can’t it be daytime?

Daytime forever more?

Ajibola Oluwafidipo he onkotan yoruba, ife ti o ni so ede abinibi re ni o se iwuri fun lati se akosile ewi yii ni ede yoruba.

OORUN WO NI SOWETO

Oru se wa bi aisan ti njani laya

ti a si je ara to ya gaga run

a si baje koja atunse

Owo apaniyan

farapamo ninu ojiji

o si gba ida mu

o si ja alailagbara eniyan lule

Emi gan ni eni ti a npon loju

emi ni eni naa ti a dunbu

ni alaale ni opopona

eru si bo okan mi mole

mo npakaka ninu okan iberu mi

ninu aini iranlowo ni mo nkerora

Akoni ti di ojo

eniyan ti di odaju bi eranko igbe

eniyan ti di eni ti a lu bole

Emi gan ni eni naa ti a lu bole

mo dabi oke nla ti a fo tutu

lati owo eranko ajegunjeran

ti a tu sile loru oganjo

lati inu ago iku re

Nibo ni aabo mi wa

nibo ni mo le sinmi lailewu

ki se ninu ahere mi ile isana eleta

nibiti mo foripamo si nitori ooru dudu

Iberu bojo bami nitori giri giri ESE

mo gbon rigbo riye bi o to nkanleku lemo lemo

"silekun" o ki gbe bi aja digbolugi

o nponu poungbe fun eje mi

Oru dudu! oru dudu!

o je ota emi mi

e se ti iwo ki seda nkan?

e se ti ki nse ojumo?

ojumo titi lai?