Ogun, olona, owner of the road, the path, the way,
We call upon your guidance, your protective shield.
Guard us from accidents that may hold sway,
As modern vehicles your iron essence wield.
Iba Ogun, Iba Olomiile, respect to Ogun, owner of the home,
Wherever we may wander, wherever we may roam.
Protect the steel that carries us through night and day,
Keep danger and destruction far away.
Kiniun igboro, the lion of the street,
Your presence makes our journeying complete.
The ase for safety, spoken, clear, and true,
We place our faith in your continuing view.
Your vigilance, a powerful, strong defense,
A necessary, potent, consequence.
Sonnet 42: The Wisdom of the Elder
Ogun, the Elder, full of ancient lore,
Who saw the world in its original state.
You know the wilderness, the sea, the shore,
The consequences of our human fate.
Afon ti a ba ge l'oni, l'o ntu ewe l'ola,
The felled tree of today puts forth new leaves tomorrow.
A powerful reminder of the cycle deep,
Of life and death, the promises we keep.
Your wisdom teaches continuity,
The strength to face adversity's decree.
The past informs the future, strong and vast,
The lessons of the iron that must last.
You are the reservoir of ancient might,
Dispelling ignorance and bringing light.
Sonnet 43: The Force of Justice
Ogun, onijaja, the one who fights the fight,
The champion of those who are oppressed.
A powerful, formidable light stands,
Putting the wicked to the ultimate test.
Gbogbo eni to fe ba mi ja, ogun ni o ba won ja,
All those who wish to fight, let Ogun fight with them.
The invocation is a protective charm,
A shield against those who do wrong.
Intervention is a swift decree,
Freeing from negativity.
A powerful advocate, a mighty friend,
On whom dependence can be made.
Justice is the sword, the primary goal,
To balance the scales and make the spirit whole.
Sonnet 44: The Acceptance of the Hunt
The hunter enters the deep forest,
Aja at heel, faithful, swift, and true.
The two must keep a pact of sustenance,
To harvest life and renew the world.
Ma je ki nj'owo ejo, ma je ki nj'owo ekute,
Do not let anyone be a victim of snakes or small rodents;
Grant the hunter the greater quarry, the vital, potent kill.
The hunter asks the spirit for his will
To guide the weapon, making the aim precise,
Accepting that life must be the sacrifice.
Ogun provides the means, skill, and might,
To bring necessary sustenance and light.
The circle of existence, the primal fight,
Is sanctioned by his powerful oversight.
Sonnet 45: The Warrior's Temper
His temper is renowned, a sudden blaze,
Ogun gbele, o pa onile, the one who builds the house, kills the owner,
Demonstrating his fearsome ways.
A power that is difficult to hold or discover
Its limit. The quick, spontaneous wrath
Can bring destruction to the human path.
Agboogun, agboogbon, wisdom and medicine entwined,
A knowledge of the dangers one might find.
The invocation speaks to calm the rage,
To turn a new, more peaceful, gentle page.
Oil is offered, the cool, red epoo pupa,
To smooth the temper and keep the anger away.
A difficult, wild spirit to appease,
But necessary for a moment's ease.
Sonnet 46: The First Blacksmith
Olu gbena, master of the fire and forge,
Taught humans how to work the ore.
From him all metallurgical arts emerge,
A powerful, unprecedented store.
A da irin sile, ta o le ka iye re mo,
He made iron to be in quantities that cannot be counted anymore.
This wealth of metal, this profound resource,
Established civilization's vital course.
The ofo acknowledges the source, the gift,
The power that allowed mankind to lift
Themselves from stasis to a world of steel,
A fundamental transformation everyone feels.
His knowledge is the base, the powerful start,
Of every skillful, technological art.
Sonnet 47: The Silent Strength
Ogun does not require excessive noise,
His power often manifest in quiet strength.
He listens to the heart's immediate voice,
And measures human purpose at great length.
O f'eti ire si'nu igbo, he listens with good ears in the forest deep,
Observing all the secrets that the creatures keep.
His focus is a silent, potent thing,
The concentration that the blacksmiths bring
To shaping metal in the quiet shop.
The noise of conflict is a sudden stop
To contemplation, clear and focused will.
The quiet strength on which the world is built,
A meditative power, deep and vast,
A silent legacy designed to last.
Sonnet 48: The Fear of the Unjust
The wicked fear the mention of his name,
Ogun gbona, Ogun is hot and fierce in truth.
His justice brings an end to every game,
No special treatment for the corrupt youth.
He is the consequence of action's sting,
The necessary end that falsehoods bring.
A ki i fi ada roju weyin, we don't use a cutlass to check our back,
We move forward with precision, focus, and no lack
Of courage. He demands accountability,
A rigid, powerful, morality.
The unjust tremble when his power’s nigh,
Beneath the gaze of his all-seeing eye.
His force is the great equalizer here,
Dispelling evil through the force of fear.
Sonnet 49: The Persistence of Memory
Though centuries have passed, his name is strong,
Iba Ogun Onire, homage to Ogun, owner of Ire.
His story told in festival and song,
His vital essence never fading away.
From ancient Ife to the distant lands,
His influence is felt in strong, capable hands.
The memory of his first path, his great descent,
Is a continuous, powerful event.
Ogun ni mo pe, it is Ogun I call upon,
His presence here from midnight until dawn.
The remembrance of his powerful deed,
Ensures that progress plants a potent seed.
His legacy is permanent and deep,
The promises of future life we keep.
Sonnet 50: A Final Salutation
Modupe lowo Ogun, I thank Ogun for the grace,
For iron, strength, and the determined will
To shape the world, to clear a vital space,
Upon the challenging, steep, ascending hill.
He is the power, the focus, and the might,
The guide through darkness to the brilliant light.
We honor him with palm oil, dogs, and wine,
Acknowledging his purpose, his design.
Ase, so be it, let the word take hold,
The power of Ogun, mighty and bold.
May his fierce energy continue to inspire,
To fuel the forge with unrelenting fire.
He is the path, the future, and the key,
For all of time, for all humanity.
Sonnet 51: The Fire Within the Forge
Ogun, the spirit of an incandescent flame,
The heat that liquefies the stubborn ore,
He is associated with fire, a potent name,
The transformative power we cannot ignore.
This fiery energy is borne out in his spirit,
Aggressive, powerful, demanding merit.
The forge is where this sacred union starts,
The fire and iron, technological arts.
This creative, yet destructive, primal heat,
Makes all of human progress feel complete.
A powerful dynamic, both feared and sought,
The essence of the lessons Ogun has taught.
The fire purifies, refines, and bends,
Upon its power, our civilization all depends.
Sonnet 52: The Palm Wine Libation
The frothy emu, a simple, sweet libation,
Is offered to the Orisha of the blade.
It brings a moment's calm, a neutralization,
For Ogun's temper that must be allayed.
The tapper climbs the tree with practiced hand,
To gather the offering throughout the land.
In traditional rites, the clear, white wine
Is poured upon the altar, a potent sign
Of peace and hospitality's embrace,
A cooling comfort in a fearsome place.
Iba Ogun Onire, we offer this to you,
Accept the wine, authentic, fresh, and true.
It eases the warrior's soul, the hunter's heart,
A necessary, peaceful, healing part.
Sonnet 53: The Surgeon's Precision
Ogun, the patron of the surgeon's steel,
The guiding force in medical procedure.
Upon the operating table, we feel
His presence, a protective, iron feature.
The incantation is a silent plea,
For skillful hands and guaranteed clarity.
The blade that cuts, the scalpel used to cure,
Relies on his precision, sharp and sure.
Ogun Ikola, the Ogun of surgery,
Ensures the healing through complexity.
He guides the hand to mend the body's form,
To navigate the calm within the storm
Of sickness, using iron to make us whole,
Restoring health to body and to soul.
Sonnet 54: The Colours of the Orisha
His colors speak a powerful, potent truth,
Of passion, strength, and life's essential flow:
The vigorous red, the green of vibrant youth,
And black, where all the deeper mysteries grow.
The red of blood, the vitality of life,
The searing emotion, the conflict and the strife.
The green of palm fronds, nature's wild domain,
Where he finds solace from the human pain.
These hues are signatures, a visual ode,
To all the complex paths on life's long road.
He is not cool and calm, but warm and bold,
A vibrant story in these colors told.
His essence is dynamic, strong, and vast,
A colorful, deep history designed to last.
Sonnet 55: The Interplay of Orishas
Ogun and Shango, powers interconnected,
One rules the fire, the other rules the steel.
Their different energies must be respected,
A powerful balance that the world must feel.
The thunder god respects the iron smith,
A complementary, profound myth.
Obatala's white is peace, cool and serene,
A contrast to the red and fiery scene
Of Ogun's domain. In every interaction,
A necessary, balanced, human action.
The pantheon of gods, a complex weave,
A world of intertwined belief.
Through all these relationships we see the plan,
The comprehensive view of gods and man.
Sonnet 56: The Global Legacy
Beyond the boundaries of native earth,
Ogun's great spirit found new, vital space.
His powerful, enduring, lasting worth
Is recognized in every distant place.
From Bahia’s shores to Cuban sanctuaries,
His essence thrives across the necessary
Journey of the slave ship, a resilient light,
That pierced the darkest, most oppressive night.
He became Saint George, a disguised form,
To weather the terrible, unrelenting storm
Of forced conversion, keeping faith alive.
A powerful survival, a continuous thrive
Of culture, memory, and sacred might,
The diaspora’s enduring, burning light.
Sonnet 57: The Paradox of Peace
He clears the way to build a prosperous town,
His goal a settled, peaceful life for all.
Yet to achieve this, he must bring things down,
An aggressive power that must heed the call.
The quiet peace we seek, the calm repose,
Is purchased through the battles that he chose.
The necessary conflict, the vital strife,
Is fundamental to the peaceful life.
He understands that harmony requires strength,
A firm defense maintained at every length.
The warrior’s heart desires the quiet home,
But will fight the forces that would come
To shatter order, bringing back the wild.
A powerful peace, both tough and undefiled.
Sonnet 58: The Unforgiving Path
The path of Ogun is not paved with ease,
It asks for courage, focus, and strong will.
There are no moments of a gentle breeze,
But the demanding climb upon the hill.
He teaches that existence is a fight,
To claim your purpose and assert your right.
He has no time for weakness or despair,
He demands endurance you must bear.
A ki i r'ogun loju titi ka ma s'oro, We don't look at Ogun's face for long without saying something,
His power is a challenging, intense thing.
The path is hard, the iron is severe,
But following it conquers every fear.
A journey of commitment, strong and vast,
A future built to permanently last.
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