Proverbs Chapter 23

Listen To Your Papa

1. Wen you sidon wan follow king chop,
   reason wetin dey for your front,
2. Put knife for your throat, if you get
   longatrot.
3. No let your eyes shuuk for hin mende-
   mende food, becos he fit dey try to deceive
   you.
4. No kill yoursef becos you wan make moni,
   use your common sense take maintain.
5. If you put your eyes on moni, before you
   know moni don waka, e go fly like eagle go
   up-up.
6. No chop food from pesin wey get tight-
   hand, no reason hin mende-mende food.
7. Na di kain pesin wey dey always reason
   how much he don spend. He go tok sey,
   “Chop and drink,” but he no mean am from
   hin heart.
8. You go vomit di small food wey you don
   chop, con waste your greeting—wey you
   don greet am.
9. No follow ode reason, or he go laff your
   wise words.
10. No go shift olden days boundary stone
    becos you wan use ogboju collect orphan
    land.
11. Baba-God wey dey defend dem strong
    well-well; he go carry dia mata for hin head
    take fight you.
12. Use your heart take reason wetin you don
    learn, and use your ears take listen to wetin
    dem dey teach you.
13. Correct small pikin; if you flog am wit
    cane he no go kpeme.
14. Flog am wit cane to save hin soul from
    death.
15. My pikin, if your heart wise, naso my
    heart go dey sweet me wella.
16. Eehn…my deep-deep spirit go happy
    wen your lips dey tok di right tins.
17. No let your heart dey jealous sinners, but
    dey serious to respect Baba-God everi day,
18. Your future hope na sure-banker, and
    your hope no go cut komot.
19. Listen my son, so dat you go wise, and
    make you keep your heart for di way.
20. No join pipo wey dey jogodo, or join
    longatrot wey dey chop meat anyhow,
21. shayo-master and longatrot go poor las-
    las, and sleep-sleep go make dem baffup wit
    dirty-cloth.
22. Listen to your papa wey give you life, and no fashi your mama wen she don old.
23. Buy di truth, but no sell am; get wisdom,
    learning, plus understanding sef.
24. Good man papa dey happy well-well,
    and pesin wey get wise pikin dey happy for
    hin pikin.
25. I pray for happiness for your mama and
    papa; make di woman wey born you jolly!
26. My son, give me your heart, and make
    your eyes observe my way.
27. Ashawo na deep hole, and to follow
    olosho be like sey you fall inside tin well.
28. Naso she dey wait for her maga, and she
    dey make plenty men dey unfaithful.
29. Who get yawa? Who get sorrow? Who
    dey always kwanta? Which pipo dey always
    complain? Which pipo get yeye wound?
    Who get red eyes?
30. Na those pipo wey dey jogodo well-well,
    pipo wey dey fyne drink wey dem don mix.
31. No dey look drink as e fine for eyes, as e
    dey shine for cup, as e smooth for throat!
32. Las-las e dey bite like snake, and e dey
    poison like viper.
33. Your eyes go see wetin you neva see
    before, and your mind go dey imagine tins
    wey go confuse you.
34. Eehn…you go be like pesin wey dey
    sleep for middle of big-river, like pesin wey
    sleep on top of ship pole, you go tok sey,
35. “Dem nack me but I no wound! Dem beat
    me, but I no feel anytin! Which time I go
    wake up make I collect anoda bottle?”