Ọkùnrin àti òmùgọ̀ (the man and the fool)

Àgbàlagbà kan ni ó sọ ìtàn yìí fún mi.

An elder told me this story.

Nígbà láéláé, òmùgọ̀ kan àti ọkùnrin kan wà.

Once upon a time there was a man and a fool.

Ọkùnrin náà ń wẹ̀ nínú odò.

The man was bathing in the river.

Òmùgọ̀ yìí yọ́ kẹ́lẹ́kẹ́lẹ́ lọ sódò. Ó sì jí aṣọ ọkùnrin náà. Lẹ́yìn náà, ó tun sáré wọ áàárín ìlú pẹ̀lú aṣọ rẹ̀.

The fool snuck up to the river and stole the man's clothes. The fool then ran through town with his clothes.

Nígbà tí, ọkùnrin yìí rí pé aṣọ òun ti pòórá, ó bẹ̀rẹ̀ sí lé òmùgọ̀ kiri áàárín ìlú.

When the man saw that his clothes disappeared, he started to chase the fool through town.

Ẹnu ya àwọn ara ìlú bí wọn ṣe ń wo wọn.

Wọn ò mọ̀ ẹni tó jẹ́ òmùgọ̀ láàrin àwọn méjèjì lóòótọ. Ọkùnrin yìí rí bí òmùgọ̀ nitorí pé ó ń sáre kiri ní ìhòòhò.

The townspeople watched in shock. They didn't know which of them was truly the fool. The man appeared to be the actual fool because he was running around naked.

Ẹ̀kọ́ ti ìtàn yìí ń kọ́ wa ni pé bí èèyàn bá fi ìwà òmùgọ̀ tabi ìwà ìbínú da òmùgọ̀ lóhùn, èèyàn máa mú ara ẹ̀ dá bi òmùgọ̀

The moral of this story is that if a person responds to a fool with more foolishness and anger he will only make himself look like a fool.

Ọ̀nà tó dára jù lọ láti dá òmùgọ̀ lóhùn ni kí ó fara balẹ̀ kí ó sì ronú pẹlu sùúrù.

The best response to a fool is to stay calm and to remain level-headed.

Vocabulary:

àgbàlagbà = elder

ìtàn = story

òmùgọ̀ = fool

ọkùnrin = man

wẹ̀ = to bath

odò = river

yọ́ kẹ́lẹ́kẹ́lẹ́ = to sneak

jí = to steal

sáré = to run

wọ = to enter

pòórá = to disappear

lé = to chase

ẹnu ya _ = to be surprised

àwọn ará ìlú = town's people

wo = to watch

ní ìhòòhò = naked

ẹ̀kọ́ = lesson

ìwà = character

ìbínú = anger

dá _ lóhùn = to answer

fara balẹ̀ = to be calm

ronú = to think

sùúrù = patience

About the author:

I am a black person from the diaspora who is learning the Yorùbá language to reconnect with my ancestors and decolonize my mind.