Sonnet 8: The Price of Disrespect
The story's told of Ire's people's slight,
They gathered in assembly, mute and cold,
Refused their king the customary rite,
As silence wrapped the town in chilling fold.
Ogun, returning from a brutal war,
Found empty kegs and reverence no more.
His fiery temper, quick to rage and boil,
Brought bloody slaughter to the hallowed soil.
He used the iron that he taught them how
to forge and shape, to make the people bow.
In anguish then, he sank into the earth,
To teach the world the measure of his worth.
Disrespect the force that clears your path,
And you shall face the warrior's sudden wrath.
Sonnet 9: The Modern Pantheon
The blacksmith's forge has turned a mechanic's bay,
The ancient spear, a surgeon's scalpel bright.
In modern life, Ogun still finds his way,
Guiding the hands that work with steely might.
The driver grips the wheel of steel and glass,
And prays to Ogun that he safely pass.
The soldier's gun, the engineer's great crane,
All hold the essence of his iron reign.
He guards the roads, but accidents can strike,
For his power is a double-edged like.
In every machine, every tool we use,
The spirit of the iron we can't refuse.
The present world, in steel and concrete cast,
Is built on paths that Ogun made to last.
Sonnet 10: Palm Oil and the Dog
The red palm oil, a offering so dear,
Poured on the iron altar, deep and rich.
It calms the fire, dispels the primal fear,
A comfort found in his wild, rugged niche.
The loyal dog, companion of the chase,
Its lifeblood seals the pact in this sacred place.
For Ogun loves the simple, honest things,
The raw, essential life that hunting brings.
No need for gold, no need for silk or spice,
Just basic needs and humble sacrifice.
These offerings link the human to the god,
On paths of earth the pathfinder has trod.
Through simple things his potent force is known,
On iron ground, his steady will is shown.
Sonnet 11: The Indispensable Force
Some deities may rest on thrones of ease,
But Ogun sentenced himself to constant work.
He finds no slumber, seeks no gentle breeze,
He cannot rest while any task might lurk.
The world must turn, mankind must still create,
And so Ogun works, defying any fate.
From tiny handmade object to the sky-scraping wall,
His vital energy empowers all.
Architects, barbers, soldiers, and the rest,
Must call his name and put him to the test.
For life without the iron is a lie,
A world unmade beneath a silent sky.
He is the constant, indispensable force
The river and it's relentless forward course
Sonnet 12: The Iron Will
He asks no quarter and he gives no ground,
The "Osin Imole", the first to descend.
Where others fail, a path by him is found,
A force of nature that will never bend.
For Ogun's will is rigid as the blade,
That in the fire of his great forge was made.
He represents the strength to overcome,
To face the wild where other gods struck dumb.
His energy is that which drives the change,
The will to master all within his range.
He is the power that enables growth,
Embracing danger, vital to them both:
The building of the town, the battle's fray,
He clears the obstacles and makes the way.
Sonnet 13: Wine and the Wild
Yet even Ogun has a gentle side,
Though quick to anger, slow to be appeased.
Palm wine is offered, where his calm can hide,
His fearsome energy by this much eased.
He likes the forest, where he hunts alone,
And makes his rugged, iron will well known.
The taste of wine can soothe the warrior's soul,
And bring the violent spirit to control.
It shows that even strength must have its pause,
A moment's rest from nature's rigid laws.
The palm fronds rustle, speaking of his grace,
When calm descends upon his fearsome face.
A moment's peace before the work resumes,
Dispelling the impending, angry dooms.
Sonnet 14: The Ancestor King
He was the first great king of ancient Ife,
A leader true, who ruled the people well.
He brought them order, a productive life,
Before the tragic silence that befell.
They angered him, their tongues held by a vow,
They failed to greet him, made his anger grow.
His sword, once used to build and to defend,
Brought a dark chapter to a bitter end.
He killed his subjects, in a furious haze,
Then sank into the earth, beyond their gaze.
Now in his shrine, in Ire-Ekiti,
He hears the prayers of all humanity.
The king who left, but promised to assist,
His mighty power never to be missed.
Sonnet 15: The Healing Blade
The same sharp tool that takes a life away,
Can also be the instrument of cure.
The surgeon's scalpel, shining for the day,
Makes health and life and future more secure.
Ogun protects the hands that use the steel
To bind a wound and help the body heal.
The duality of every cutting edge,
Upon the precipice, the vital ledge.
The power to harm is also power to mend,
On Ogun's force, we all must still depend.
He grants the wisdom to divide and part,
With skillful hand and a determined heart.
In every doctor's oath, his spirit flies,
A life preserved beneath his watching eyes
Sonnet 16: The Primordial Path
When the terrestrial landscape was undefined,
A wilderness of absolute complexity,
Ogun, with purposeful determination, refined
A passageway for future humanity.
He manifested his formidable power,
A metallurgical demonstration, a foundational hour.
His crucial intervention, a pioneering act,
Provided structure where disorganization racked
The nascent world. This indispensable operation
Enabled subsequent civilization's inauguration.
He is the fundamental, technological force,
The originator of existence's great course.
A consequential, vital declaration,
He terminated the primeval stagnation.
Sonnet 17: The Metallurgical Imperative
The incandescent furnace, a dynamic blaze,
Illuminates the artisan’s concentration,
Reflecting Ogun’s quintessential praise,
A demonstration of his potent application.
The malleability of the iron mass,
Transformed through fervent heat, will eventually pass
Into a permanent, utilitarian form.
This transformative process, a powerful norm,
Establishes his absolute preeminence.
The comprehensive, practical magnificence
Of every instrument, every sophisticated blade,
Is a continuous, manifest parade
Of his perpetual, dynamic influence,
A metallurgical, divine efflorescence.
Sonnet 18: Inexorable Retribution
Observe the iron, the implement of truth,
A nonnegotiable, existential test.
A solemn declaration, an oath of youth,
Upon his symbol, puts a soul to the ultimate quest.
The consequence of casual prevarication
Is swift, immediate, a total termination.
Ogun has little patience for deception's art,
He demands authentic purpose from the heart.
His justice is inexorable, uncompromising,
A terrifying, powerful, and unsurprising
Administration of immediate decree.
He is the absolute arbiter you see,
A formidable, consequential presence,
Dispensing truth in unadulterated essence.
Sonnet 19: The Contemporary Consciousness
In the contemporary, sophisticated age,
Ogun's significance remains demonstrative.
The high-speed automobile, an urban stage,
Requires his patronage, preventative.
The specialized equipment of the surgeon's hand,
A technological extension in this land,
Is fundamentally reliant on his gift.
This ancient, powerful, anachronistic drift
Into the modern, complex mechanization,
Is a profound, essential realization.
He governs all sophisticated engineering,
A powerful, continuing, pioneering
Spirit, indispensable and dominant,
A permanent, compelling, relevant determinant
Sonnet 20: The Omnipresent Essence
His omnipresence is a deep reality,
In every cutting instrument he resides;
The surgeon's scalpel, with precision's guarantee,
The humble machete where his power hides.
He is the fundamental force that penetrates,
The hardened circumstances that our life dictates.
He clears the obstacles with sudden, fiery zeal,
A complex, dual power that is authentically real.
From ancient rituals to the modern operation,
He is the core of human innovation.
His influence is widespread, global, and profound,
Wherever iron tools and human will are found.
A universal, potent, vibrant energy,
The source of strength for all humanity.
Sonnet 21: The Unrelenting Hunt
He lives in the deep forest, a secluded space,
The quintessential hunter, strong and keen,
With faithful canine in a tireless race,
Observing all of nature's complex scene.
He finds a certain solace in the wild,
A fierce, untamed, and unencumbered child.
His concentration absolute, his vision clear,
He moves beyond all human doubt and fear.
This meditative hunting, this relentless chase,
Defines the depth of his essential grace.
For in the wildness, he perceives the truth,
The vital power of his eternal youth,
A necessary, potent, powerful pursuit,
Where strength and instinct form the absolute root.
Sonnet 22: The Creator-Destroyer
He holds the balance, a precarious line,
Between the building and the tearing down.
With powerful intent, a purpose so divine,
He brings prosperity or razes every town.
The city's infrastructure, its steel skeleton,
Is by his potent, mighty power done.
Yet in the conflict, in the battle's throe,
His fierce destruction makes the lifeblood flow.
He terminates the old, the obsolete,
So that renewal can become complete.
This powerful duality, a frightening sight,
Is necessary for a future bright.
A complex, vital, consequential force,
Of civilization's unrelenting course.
Sonnet 23: The Force of Evolution
Ogun represents a profound, vital shift,
From lithic ages to the age of steel,
A technological, dynamic gift,
The essence of the progress we now feel.
He moved humanity beyond the crude,
A civilizing force, often misconstrued.
The power that transforms the earth's raw core,
Creating tools to do much more than before.
This paradigm of unrelenting change,
Establishes his broad, expansive range,
From simple hunting in the primal wood,
To urban structures, for the general good.
He is the spirit of dynamic evolution,
The necessary, powerful resolution.
Sonnet 24: The Covenant of Iron
In courtrooms where integrity is sought,
A piece of iron, potent and severe,
Is kissed to validate the truth here taught,
Dispelling falsehood, eliminating fear.
The witness knows that deviation from the fact,
Will lead to sudden, consequential act
Of retribution, swift and unrestrained.
Ogun's fierce justice is thereby maintained.
He guards the covenant, the solemn oath,
A fearsome guardian, essential to them both:
The preservation of societal trust,
And punishment of the fundamentally unjust.
His is a justice that is sharp and cold,
A rigid, unassailable control.
Sonnet 25: The Anguish of the King
In Ire-Ekiti, where the myth unfolds,
He sank into the earth, a self-imposed end,
A story of deep sorrow, rarely told,
A disappointed king, without a friend.
The townsfolk, silenced by a ritual's law,
Ignored his presence, filling him with awe-
ful rage, a bloody, indiscriminate attack,
A momentary lapse he can't take back.
Then deep remorse, profound and deeply felt,
As at his feet the consequences knelt.
He promised future aid, a guiding grace,
To all who call upon him in that place.
A complex blend of leadership and ire,
The consequences of internal fire.
Sonnet 26: The Symbiotic Fires
Ogun's great power finds its complement
In Shango's fire, a necessary source.
The ore requires the heat, the fierce intent,
To shape the metal's predetermined course.
The blacksmith needs the furnace, blazing hot,
To forge the potential that the iron's got.
This symbiotic, crucial, deep exchange,
Keeps balance within the cosmic range.
For raw, unchanneled force cannot create,
It needs the fire to seal its proper fate.
The power of Ogun, formidable and vast,
Requires assistance, so the form can last.
Through unity, a grand design takes form,
A viable collaborative vital norm
Sonnet 27: The Hunter's Discipline
The solitude of hunting in the wood,
Requires profound discipline and skill.
Ogun observes the silence where he stood,
Submitting to the wilderness's will.
He studies nature's comprehensive plan,
The ancient, powerful ways that predate man.
This concentration, this determined focus,
Is a divine, powerful, undeniable locus
Of his great strength. He teaches patience too,
Awaiting the right moment to pursue.
The chase is not just mindless violence,
But a respect for nature's quiet silence.
He is the master of anticipation,
A powerful, calculated operation.
Sonnet 28: The Indomitable Spirit
Ogun embodies the indomitable will,
The human spirit's drive to forge ahead.
To conquer mountains, to ascend the hill,
To move beyond where caution's fear has led.
He is the pioneering, restless soul,
That seeks to dominate and take control
Of circumstances, shaping destiny,
Through sheer, persistent, raw energy.
The urge to build, to innovate, to strive,
Is how his vital essence stays alive.
He pushes boundaries, takes the daring risk,
A potent, powerful, existential whisk
Of change and challenge, ever forcing us
To move beyond the safe, the simple, thus.
Sonnet 29: The Mystique of Mariwo
The shredded palm fronds, mariwo, his dress,
A rugged, natural, protective shroud.
They speak of things beyond the human guess,
A simple, yet distinguished, dress so proud.
They form a boundary, a sacred space,
Around his shrine, within the holy place.
They signify the forest, wild and free,
The place where he achieves serenity.
This vegetation links him to the earth,
Acknowledging his fundamental worth
As part of nature, primal and sincere,
Dispelling all the city-dweller's fear.
A simple yet profound differentiation,
A powerful, green, deep communication.
Sonnet 30: The Transatlantic Journey
Across the ocean, to a different land,
Ogun's great spirit found a second home.
His complex legacy, a guiding hand,
In distant futures, underneath the foam.
In Brazil, Cuba, he is still revered,
A powerful force, respected and feared.
His syncretization, a clever guise,
Beneath the gaze of unfamiliar eyes.
His essence lives in new iterations,
Across the African diaspora nations.
A testament to his enduring might,
Transcending geography's limiting sight.
His spirit traveled, powerful and
A translantic deep continuity
Sonnet 31: The Paradox of Power
The power he bestows is a duality:
A tool for progress, or for sudden harm.
It challenges the soul’s morality,
A double-edged, potent, sharp alarm.
With iron we can build a world so grand,
Or bring destruction with a forceful hand.
Ogun provides the means, the potent might,
But leaves the choice to navigate the light
Or darkness. He is neither saint nor fiend,
But sheer potential, wonderfully convened.
He is the neutral force, the raw, hard steel,
That makes the human conscience truly feel
The weight of action, the consequence we bear,
A heavy, powerful, existential share.
Sonnet 32: The Call to Action
He has no patience for procrastination,
For idleness or lack of forward drive.
He urges immediate participation,
To keep the human enterprise alive.
To hesitate is to invite his scorn,
For strength and action in his world are born.
He teaches us to strike while the iron’s hot,
To utilize the chances we have got.
The call to action is his constant song,
To move ahead where we truly belong:
In the arena, facing every test,
Demanding of ourselves our very best.
He is the impetus, the vital push,
Through silence and the forest’s noisy hush.
Sonnet 33: The Scars of Mastery
To master iron takes a fearsome toll,
The burns of fire, the calloused, hardened hand.
Ogun demands the spirit of the whole,
The sacrifices necessary in this land.
He knows the cost of carving out a path,
The pain and suffering that come with wrath,
The wounds of battle, the deep, permanent scars,
That mark the warrior underneath the stars.
He does not promise an easy, gentle ride,
But strength to face the pain we cannot hide.
The mastery of metal is mastery of self,
A higher value than accumulating pelf.
He asks for dedication, blood, and sweat,
The price for progress that must still be met.
Sonnet 34: The Inevitable Presence
Ogun cannot be circumvented or ignored,
He is the fundamental reality of might.
Whether by hunter's arrow or a warrior's sword,
He manifests in power, dark and light.
He is the essence of all forceful change,
Across a wide, comprehensive, human range.
In every machine, every sophisticated device,
His presence makes the ultimate sacrifice
Of the old order, bringing in the new.
His spirit is persistent, through and through,
A necessary, potent, vital force,
Continuing upon its ancient course.
The modern world relies upon his grace,
His iron will displayed in every place.
Sonnet 35: The Wisdom of the Edge
There is a wisdom in the cutting edge,
A clear discernment that divides the truth.
Upon that sharp, decisive, vital ledge,
Ogun provides instruction for our youth.
He teaches clarity, a lack of fuzziness,
The end of vague, unproductive busyness.
To use the blade is to make a stark choice,
To listen to the purposeful, clear voice
Of action. The edge demands precision, skill,
A powerful, concentrated, iron will.
No hesitation, no ambiguous delay,
Just clear intent that illuminates the way.
The wisdom lies in focus and in might,
To cut the chaos and achieve the light.
Sonnet 36: The Eternal Worker
He is the spirit of perpetual toil,
He cannot rest, his work is never done.
He works the metal, cultivating soil,
Beneath the watchful, bright, eternal sun.
He finds no satisfaction in repose,
His energy consistently flows and grows.
For progress is a constant, steady fight,
Requiring effort, morning, noon, and night.
He is the worker god, the tireless hand,
The driving force throughout the Yoruba land,
And far beyond, in every modern nation,
The source of all industrious application.
His spirit drives the world to forge ahead,
By his persistent, powerful purpose led.
Sonnet 37: The Incantation of the Blade
Ogun Alada Méjì, the one with blades twin-forged,
The nature is spoken to clarify the path;
The wilderness where primal life has gorged,
Must yield its hold, and dissipate its wrath.
Ofi okan sanko, ofi okan yena,
One for the farm, one to illuminate the way.
As fire consumes, as iron cuts the earth,
Obstacles will lose all their worth.
The Ase of the word, a potent sound,
Upon this metal, let the will be found.
Igi kii ku l'eji-omi, a tree does not die in heavy rain,
The purpose, Ogun, shall forever ascertain its reign.
By the own essence, constant and so deep,
The path cleared, the future will be kept.
Sonnet 38: The Invocation of Truth
Ogun, guardian of the truth, I call your name,
Upon this iron, let the word take hold.
No prevarication, no deceitful game,
But genuine intention, stark and bold.
The liar fears the iron's cold, hard kiss,
For consequences fall without amiss.
Iro buruku ni jo, bad lies cause trouble every day,
Let truth stand firm, and falsehood melt away.
The ofo of justice, an uncompromising sound,
Where only righteous consequence is found.
Ma da wahala silu, bring no trouble to this town,
But clarity of action, justice's renown.
In this declaration, power is conceived,
In Ogun's nature, truth is thus believed.
Sonnet 39: The Sustenance of Iron
Ogun Onire, owner of all fortune's flow,
You eat the dog, the snail, the juicy tree;
From these simple things, blessings grow,
A powerful, vital, vast reality.
Mariwo yeyeye, your garments, simple frond,
Establishing a deep and natural bond.
The power to sustain, to feed the land,
Rests in the iron in your mighty hand.
As fire cooks the yam, so it is fit to eat,
Your power makes sustenance complete.
Ki won wa gbe ise fun mi, ise kekere owo nla nla ni ki won wa ma gbe wa fun mi,
Bring work, small work with large prosperity.
This truth is spoken, the nature is the key,
For all abundance flows from your decree.
Sonnet 40: The Path of Evolution
Ogun, osin imole, the first among the gods,
Who came to earth when all was wilderness;
You broke the ground against tremendous odds,
Transforming chaos into blessedness.
Osa to sogbo digboro, who made the forest a town,
Establishing permanent renown.
The iron smelter, in a fierce embrace
Of heat and will, transforming time and space.
The power of perpetual change is invoked,
To order and reorder, to rearrange
Life, circumstance, and spirit's form.
To navigate the powerful, vital norm
Of constant evolution, strong and deep,
The promises of progress will be kept
No comments:
Post a Comment