Edidare

Rotimi Ogunjobi

• Publisher: xceedia publishing
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9783955775520
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: African Poetry
• Index: Literature

Edidare tells the story of a group of adventurers on a journey to a far country from which they expect to return with the fruit from the Tree of Enlightenment. Led by a warrior called Irinkerindo, they discover an isolated city hidden deep inside the forest. Edidare as this city is known is a place of indescribable filth and the suffering dwellers have been driven to cannibalism and mindlessness through many years of deprivation.Bursting with chivalry, the travelers seek to restore civilization to the city but laws are eventually made to permanently expel the sojourners from Edidare

THE COURT OF EDIDARE

The day comes, and Gongosu must preside,

Over the court of Edidare,

Where the people are judged.

The day comes, and Gongosu must preside,

Over the court of Edidare,

Where the laws are crafted.

And me Ipakodiwura,

Omugodimeta had invited to observe,

Thus prepared Omugodimeta,

To preside over Opitanparapo:

The noble gathering where the people are judged,

And the laws of the land made.

And Omugodimeta implored that I follow,

That I may see,

How well Gongosu shall judge his people;

Also that his new counselor, Ipakodiwura he might present,

To approval of the gathering of Opitanparapo .

Two new horses have I purchased,

And they are the finest steed in the world,

One I shall ride while you ride upon the other.

Thus said to me Gongosu, king of Edidare

Great was my amazement when his steeds were brought:

Two cows, with madness frothing by the mouth.

Mayhap Gongosu was blind or his servants insane,

So did I explain that these are cows and not horses.

They laughed, and scorned me, both king and servants,

These beasts, they insist are what they call horses,

Here in Edidare where Gongosu is King,

And his name is known as Omugodimeta.

Fearful nevertheless of the expectable danger,

Did I decline to mount upon the back of a cow.

But Gongosu , utterly fearless in his great foolishness,

Atop his cow leapt and by the horn grappled with the beast.

Mad with its fear the cow tossed Gongosu into the dust,

And with its horns would have gored Gongosu to death,

Had I not with a stick beaten the furious beast away.

But Omugodimeta, fearless in astounding foolishness,

Onto the back of his enraged cow again he leapt,

And off and away cantered king and angry beast,

With great hue and cries, following down the dusty road.

At the court of Opitanparapo,

Where the people are judged, and the laws are made;

In Edidare,

Where Gongosu is king and his name is Omugodimeta;

Needed I not to have been ashamed,

Of the king’s ludicrous steed,

For many had come also

Riding voracious cockroaches,

And many had come astride,

Ravenous wriggling caterpillars.

Opitanparapo, a gathering in bedlam:

Where the people are judged, and laws crafted.

A noble gathering in drunken chat and blind banter lost;

Unmindful even of the coming of the king.

Opitanparapo, a gathering in bedlam:

Thus Gongosu, he raised his voice,

Aloud Omugodimeta cried for all to hear,

Aloud Gongosu, roared aloud that time had come l

To recite the great creed of the noble gathering Opitanparapo.

At last came the multitude to silence and attention,

And with hand over breast rose to their feet,

In unison chanting the glorious creed of Opitanparapo:

I believe in food, master of the body

Good food makes for a good and healthy body,

Makes strong bones and enriches the blood,

Unwholesome food invites disease to the body,

And makes the body frail, weak and even to die,

I believe in food, I believe in food

I believe in good food, clean water, fresh air,

For these entire make for a healthy body.

I believe in food, I believe in food

Amen.

By surprise was I thoroughly shaken,

Though Edidare stank in filth, disease and death,

The worth of good victuals was not here a knowledge lacked,

Enough they knew to make a national creed.

Such a great mystery was in a moment explained,

For the creed preceded the first in the lineage of Gongosu,

When wise kings ruled had the creed been crafted.

Alas, in our sojourn we had also lost a valiant man:

Ibembe-Olokunrun, the one of avaricious appetite,

Who by desires of his stomach been lured away,

And to the savagery of Edidare had lost his soul.

Ibembe-Olokunrun whom I had found a hermit,

Making his dwelling of a cave in the hills,

Ibembe-Olokunrun of w...

Table of contents

• THE QUEST
• THE JOURNEY
• ÈDÌDÀRÉ
• THE KING’S PALACE
• THE BETRAYAL OF ATANPAKO
• OMUGODIMETA
• THE COURT OF EDIDARE
• THE DEPARTURE
• LITERAL TRANSLATIONS
• About the Author