Let me stand on my head to chant your ode Ikú Bàbá-Yèyé
For no one dares to chant the ode of the son of Ọ̀rànmíyàn
on his legs without falling
I do obeisance before you owner of the palace of history
and bow in reverence to the Commander-General next to the gods,
My elbows out of sight for the grand custodian of Yorùbá culture and unity
You were a mortal that commanded death to act at will
And father of death that conferred disaster on father and mother without a check
You were the fire that raged through the forest without a spark.
The flood that rose to the top of the mountain without a beginning.
And the thunder that ravaged the heavens like the owners of the Earth.
I honour you Àtàndá,
Son of the adulterous maid that dared Ògún to a fight
Because of the lady with uneven breast
that deities had difficulty with calling their third legs to order
You conquered the bush like a raging inferno
And subdued the world like a burst of Armageddon.
I awe at your thoughts, the machismo with rage
that conquered the tsunami with no efforts
The one with a medulla that recalled legends like a sage
Ọláyíwọlá was the prodigy that churned out history like a corpus
Here was a man of sagacity that did not need isọ̀yè to ginger his brain;
For he ordered kúlúsọ to dance on its hind
with a voice that ricochetted with the intelligence of Àgbọnnìrègún
and delivered knowledge with the speed of lightening
Ọkọ-Ìyá-à-mi, give me the audacity of the eagle
to look at the sun without a blink
Permit me to have the grace of the yellow-tailed Turaco
So, I can chant with words that have power
of the jaws of Hyena without a crack to my teeth.
You are the Son of Aláàfin Adéníran Adéyẹmí,
Ikú Bàbá-Yèyé that spat fire from all corners of His mouth
I bless the husband of 200 women that knew his bosom
And awe at the mirage that disciplined the uninitiated
with the word of his mouth
Until the plebeian barked into the world beyond without a reprise
I honour you, Làmídì the descendant powerful prince of Ilé-Ifẹ̀
that bowed only to himself and no one else.
Husband of his wives that needed no Viagra
to be the man of the house
Ọláyíwọlá was the Quartermaster-general
that needed not leave home
to call the ends of the earth to act on his behalf
My Lord interpreted batá with the ears of Ṣàngo;
he was the master of rhythm
that awed batá with his movements like a gazelle
Oh, bless me owner of the money of the head of eighteen Òṣòròǹgà
that populate the palace with their fertile wombs.
Husband of Mothers-of-the-Earth
That held meetings with Innuits all over the world with a hub of corn.
And father of men that spoke with the voice of Tornado
Your words towered over every cove to the ends of the earth
The horizon bows to Àtàndá, the voice that tamed the wilderness
Ikú Bàbá-Yèyé let me sleep at the gate of your palace for a week
to honour the saint blessed with the rage of Ikú
The lion of the desert that frightened the living and the dead
and the monster at the back of the house that looked Ikú in the face like trouble.
He locked Ikú out of its home with the power of his tongue and nothing happened.
For he was the wizard that turned the owner of the house into a Yoyo
that cut nails of the wife of his slave with his teeth.
Your sneeze was a deluge
Your cough killed every Magu in your precinct
You populated the earth with the spit from your mouth;
the irritation from your fart was like a bazooka
And a meteor from high heavens in the mouth of your enemy
Let me complete your ode standing on my head husband of my mothers
And chant your grace with my pendulum shaking
like the chime of Ṣàngó’s bell
To honour the descendant of Ọ̀rànmíyàn
and celebrate the son of Odùduwà,
the prince that baths with the blood of his enemies
Rest in peace where you are Aláàfin Làmídì Ọláyíwọlá Adéyẹmí
Enjoy your rest with the blessed of Yorùbá nation
and be remembered for ever
for your goodness and presence that was indelible.
