Eulogy
Praise Chant/Eulogy (Oriki)
The giant tree that is rooted in the depth of the sea
Amugbayanwo, owner of the inexhaustible store of money
The big masquerade arises, shakes his head and the enemies flee
The strong and dreadful one
He brings good luck to many people
Yet he symbolizes bad luck to the rebellious and disobedient
He who kills and yet is commended for doing so.
People run to him for refuge
The great one that saves, owner of big and terrifying eyeballs
The hawk challenged the eagle
The eagle defied the hawk
The hawk’s feather was totally plucked
The people said the birds were only playing with each other
What sort of tomfoolery made birds to pluck each other’s feathers?
Ogunleye Amugbayanwo, Father of Adenrele Dele
Amugbayanwo, he who has farms and land untold, Father of prosperity
Whether he wobbles or not, single-handedly, he led the Emures to the Promised Land
Ogunragaboja, the aged one whose body is covered with gray hair
His sudden appearance, like a flash of lightning, is a shocker to all men
He thrusts aside ten thousand people to draw closer to his own people
It is the people’s loyalty that matters, money does not
Ogunleye, a fearless warrior, always battle-ready
All attempts to conquer him always fail
Rather, he multiplies and increases his slaves, Father of Adetunji.
Amugbayanwo, he who gives clothes to the poor
Your Majesty, you are great, you possess everything
You never lack and your life is as sweet as honey
He who is second only to God
A strapping man, handsome, richly garbed in expensive clothes
Amugbayanwo, he who has money but does not know how to spend it
He who has abundance of wealth, Father of Tejumade.
He ignores the ranting of the ignorant, Father of Emmanuel Temitope
The great one that provides ample space for non-indigenes to settle
Ogunleye, who gives people fertile land to plant yam and cocoa
Whether he wobbles or not, single-handedly, he led the Emures to the Promised Land
A capable strong man! Ogunleye, son of Bolangbe
The big masquerade raises his hand, the enemies flee
The elephant shakes his trunk in anticipation of a fight.
Amugbyanwo, he who has lots of money to spend and to give!
Elemure, Chief Priest of Ora
Elemure who eats the New Yam to the accompaniment of soft raindrops
Elemure neither eats the apex of the yam, nor the tail
He only eats the middle portion of the yam
He who kills without the intention of inheriting property, Husband of Christiana Abigail
He who uses his bare hands to kill
It is those who are presumptuous
That he chooses to lead battles
The great Amugbayanwo who cuts a person’s leg for no reason.
He who moves like the strong waves of the sea
My Lord, inexorable like the flood
He spreads and flows around like the unstoppable force of the ocean, which flows round the whole universe, Brother of Fagite
Ogunleye Amugbayanwo the Great
He moved with the ocean and became its confidant
Ogunleye the Great! He moved the Lagoon and outshone it
The Great one, the Robust one, the Lion of Emure, son of Ogunleye Odundun.
Odundun, the Overseer of the Sea, god of the Ocean
The King that rules and governs peacefully
Ogunleye the First
Ogunleye the Second - that is who you are, Ogunleye Amugbayanwo
Amugbayanwo, who gives clothes to the poor
He who has an inexhaustible store of money.
Ogunleye, he who levels the mounds, Father of Oluwasegun
He also turns thick forests into cities and delightsome habitations for his people
All attempts to get rid of him always fail
Rather, he multiplies his slaves, Father of Aderinsola
He buys different types of clothes
He wears different types of tunics
He whose house overflows with victuals, Father of Adeyemi
The big ram that bestrides the night like a colossus
An established and contented giant
It is only the envious that would say of the Elephant ‘I perceived a form flickering by’
When the Great Elephant passes by, the forest and its inhabitants stand still.
He who handpicked only the best to be his queen
He who is second only to God
The Lion of Emure, your wife’s name is Christiana Abigail.
He who closes the gates so that his slaves would not escape
He says ‘no freedom for the slaves’ and ‘the novices are not welcome to the scene’
Amugbayanwo the Great has promised to salvage me from my troubles
He who is unredeemable by Amugbayanwo should ask his fate
The great one like the Elephant, son of Ogunsusi Ajirotutu
Ajirotutu the First
Ajirotutu the Second
Ajirotutu the Third
Ajirotutu the Fourth
Ajirotutu the Fifth
Ajirotutu the Sixth – that is who you are, Ogunleye Amugbayanwo
He ignores the ranting of the ignorant
Ogunleye who is at home and instructs the termites what to do
Amugbayanwo is at home, yet he gives instructions to the army
To carry out his assignments, Father of Temilade
He who sends termites to destroy his enemy’s house
In the disobedient people’s quarters, son of Adumori Ogunragaboja
Ogunragaboja, the wise and elderly one whose body is covered with the grey hair of age
The Great One that brought Emure from Igbo-Owa Kingdom to Emure Ijaloke
Ogunleye Amugbayanwo, the owner of a hydra-headed palm tree
A single palm tree that has one base and sixteen heads
He who people see and marvel, Father of Aderanti, Father of Adenike
The song in every mouth is
‘Your lordship is coming gorgeously’
‘Your eminence is celebrating today’
‘Your majesty is celebrating today’
Amugbayanwo, the owner of the house that is full of gold
Husband of beautiful Christiana Abigail.
