"What did happen here?
Why are there no men?
No houses, no cattle, no farms?"
"My dear Anlugbau, there had been a war
A curse you gods had chose not to uplift.
It is the façade beauty of a deceptive woman
The very example of the power of a woman
Iyunloye she's called
The only true love of the Maye leader of the allied forces.
They came to us like a thunder-storm
After a clear horizon with a blue sky on a sunny afternoon.
They fell on us like the exodus of locusts,
Devoured our green-land and smoked our city
While we were jubilating and dancing
Thinking they had already retreated their siege.
But they had only retreated into the forest to fool us
So that we would fling our gates open in carnival;
It was only a formation of war
The Japanese call 'the tortoise formation'.
They have slaughtered all our men even the children
No single one left, no vibrations of the coarse masculine voice
To strengthen and reassure the women.
They have also defiled the chaste ladies, break brutally through
And unveil the supple tendrils of their innocent virginity
Even the betrothed of the gods, none was spared.
Now this is the dregs of Owu Ipole
Broken widows and orphans condemned to captivity.
This is Owu the pride of Yoruba-land disintegrated to rubble,
Humbled by the façade beauty of a deceptive woman..."
"Mnn...! Men, they are too obstinate,
Too carefree, too greedy and foolish.
Did not the gods warn the birth of that boy,
That lustful Prince, that cursed son of Lawumi?
Did not we the heavenly blow an alarm towards his birth?
We said he must not live, sacrifice him to uplift a terrible fate
But your queen took him and hid him for motherly love.
Now he has brought this tribulation to my people
My beloved city Owu Ipole whose very foundations I helped lay
By stealing the wife of Okunade the one endowed by
Obatala the god of creativity with the gift of craft-man-ship.
A mighty artist now turned warlord!
This is the problem with men
They will continue chasing vanity.
That is the problem with love
It causes havoc and commotion.
But I said before I left the earth and turned into a mountain,
Pull my chains, call me when there is trouble
And I will come before you sword in hand to cut them asunder
But how was it nobody remembered my shrine?"
"My lord Anlugbua, when man is in the gravest devastation,
The gods become starkly deafened and blind.
The gods would always tempt man with a barrier he can't jump across
So they would have excuses and reasons to showcase their powers.
Did you not hear our cries when the enemy's blades slit our necks?
Did you not hear our husband and sons parry
As the enemies blade traveled through their stomach?
Or did you not inhale the smokes of our tribulation condense in your heaven?
We never ceased in worship and pouring libations
But now we understand the gods only use man as a tool to showcase their prowess..."
(An excerpt of FEMI OSOFISAN'S Women of Owu).
Why are there no men?
No houses, no cattle, no farms?"
"My dear Anlugbau, there had been a war
A curse you gods had chose not to uplift.
It is the façade beauty of a deceptive woman
The very example of the power of a woman
Iyunloye she's called
The only true love of the Maye leader of the allied forces.
They came to us like a thunder-storm
After a clear horizon with a blue sky on a sunny afternoon.
They fell on us like the exodus of locusts,
Devoured our green-land and smoked our city
While we were jubilating and dancing
Thinking they had already retreated their siege.
But they had only retreated into the forest to fool us
So that we would fling our gates open in carnival;
It was only a formation of war
The Japanese call 'the tortoise formation'.
They have slaughtered all our men even the children
No single one left, no vibrations of the coarse masculine voice
To strengthen and reassure the women.
They have also defiled the chaste ladies, break brutally through
And unveil the supple tendrils of their innocent virginity
Even the betrothed of the gods, none was spared.
Now this is the dregs of Owu Ipole
Broken widows and orphans condemned to captivity.
This is Owu the pride of Yoruba-land disintegrated to rubble,
Humbled by the façade beauty of a deceptive woman..."
"Mnn...! Men, they are too obstinate,
Too carefree, too greedy and foolish.
Did not the gods warn the birth of that boy,
That lustful Prince, that cursed son of Lawumi?
Did not we the heavenly blow an alarm towards his birth?
We said he must not live, sacrifice him to uplift a terrible fate
But your queen took him and hid him for motherly love.
Now he has brought this tribulation to my people
My beloved city Owu Ipole whose very foundations I helped lay
By stealing the wife of Okunade the one endowed by
Obatala the god of creativity with the gift of craft-man-ship.
A mighty artist now turned warlord!
This is the problem with men
They will continue chasing vanity.
That is the problem with love
It causes havoc and commotion.
But I said before I left the earth and turned into a mountain,
Pull my chains, call me when there is trouble
And I will come before you sword in hand to cut them asunder
But how was it nobody remembered my shrine?"
"My lord Anlugbua, when man is in the gravest devastation,
The gods become starkly deafened and blind.
The gods would always tempt man with a barrier he can't jump across
So they would have excuses and reasons to showcase their powers.
Did you not hear our cries when the enemy's blades slit our necks?
Did you not hear our husband and sons parry
As the enemies blade traveled through their stomach?
Or did you not inhale the smokes of our tribulation condense in your heaven?
We never ceased in worship and pouring libations
But now we understand the gods only use man as a tool to showcase their prowess..."
(An excerpt of FEMI OSOFISAN'S Women of Owu).
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