Fágbesisa of the Kpólí Fá

For some years now, we have be introducing the New Afrikan world to the beautiful spiritual science embedded in the ancient African Vodún tradition. Part of this manifests in the revelation of the sacred ancient teachings contained in the 𞤠𞤮𞥊𞥅𞤤𞤭𞥊𞥅 𞤬𞤢𞥉 Kpólí Fá (called Odù Ifá among the Yọrùbá) and their various 𞤬𞤢𞥉𞤩𞤫𞤧𞤭𞤧𞤢 Fágbesisa.

Fágbesisa are incantations or chants. It is like what we call ese, or verse, in the Ìṣẹ̀ṣe tradition of the 
Yorùbá people. The term is a morpheme made up of 𞤬𞤢𞥉 "Fá" plus 𞤩𞤫𞤧𞤭𞤧𞤢 "gbesisa"- incantatory speech. The term "gbesisa" or 𞤩𞤫𞤧𞤢 "gbesa" formed by elision means "the voice of effective speech". This is the mantra of sorts. It is the effective, active, activating and amazing speech of Fá. It’s an incantatory poem, a noema, a motto or a moral maxim.

From 𞤢𞤳𞤤𞤢𞥈𞤲 𞤼𞤵𞤤𞤢 Aklàn Tula (Okanran Òtúrá)

𞤾𞤭𞥇 𞤥𞤭𞥊𞥅𞤼𞤽𞤲 𞤤𞤹𞥇𞤹 𞤲𞤽𞥇 𞤸𞤽𞤲 𞤻𞤭𞥇𞤳𞤽 𞤼𞤮𞤱𞤫 𞤣'𞤢𞤴𞤭𞥇 𞤸𞤱𞤫𞤲𞤵 𞤫 𞤥𞤭𞥇 𞤥𞤢 𞤧𞤽𞥇 𞤣𞤫 𞤢𞤯𞥇 𞤫𞥊𞥅

Vǐ mǐtɔn lɛ́ɛ nɔ́ hɛn nyǐkɔ towe ɖ'ayǐ hwenu e mǐ ma sɔ́ ɖe ǎ é.

Our children preserve our name when we are gone.

From the 𞤮𞥊𞤮𞥊𞥅𞤤𞤭𞥊𞥅 𞤬𞤢𞥉 𞤩𞤫𞥊 𞤥𞤫𞥁𞤭𞥊 Kpólí Fá Gbè Mézì (Èjì Ogbè among the Yọrùbá).

In this Kpólí, 𞤬𞤢𞥉 𞤢𞤴𞤭𞥊𞤣𞤫𞥊𞤺𞤵𞥊𞥅𞤲 Fá Ayìdègún (Ọ̀rúnmìlà) told his 𞤬𞤢𞥉𞤾𞤭𞥊 Fávǐ (Fá students) that true success and dagbe (blessings... ìrè for the Yọrùbá) was through successfully securing a spouse and having children all under the guidance and approval of Fá. 

His students were counting  small material gains as signs of success which Fá Ayìdègún said were nothing in relation to the bigger picture - 𞤸𞤱𞤫 - hwe - family. This is yet another example of the emphasis on family in Afrikan culture, coming from the sacred literature itself. 

From Dí Mézì:

𞤁𞤭𞥊𞥅𞤥𞤫𞥊𞥅𞥁𞤭𞥊 𞤱𞤮𞤣𞤭 𞥂𞤢. 𞤥𞤭 𞤳𞤢𞤲 𞤣𞤭𞥊𞥅𞤥𞤫𞥊𞥅𞥁𞤭𞥊⹁ 𞤥𞤢 𞤶𞤱𞤫 𞥂𞤢𞤳𞤮 𞤣𞤮 𞤥𞤭 𞤮𞥞 𞤂𞤵 𞤲𞤢𞤸𞤮 𞥂𞤢𞤳𞤮⹁ 𞤢𞥁𞤮𞤲 𞤲𞤢𞤸𞤮 𞥂𞤢𞤳𞤮⹁ 𞤳𞤱𞤹 𞤲𞤢𞤸𞤮 𞥂𞤢𞤳𞤮⹁ 𞤸𞤱𞤫𞥊 𞤥𞤢𞤸𞤮 𞥂𞤢𞤳𞤮. 𞤢𞤾𞤽 𞤣𞤭𞤲𞤣𞤭𞤲 𞤥𞤢 𞤴𞤭 𞤾𞤹 𞤵𞤲 𞤥𞤹. 𞥂𞤽 𞤲𞤽 𞤥𞤽 𞤱𞤭𞤤𞤭 𞤢𞤾𞤵𞤲 𞤣𞤮 𞤺𞤢𞤲𞤶𞤢 𞤥𞤹. 𞤼𞤽 𞥂𞤮 𞤣𞤫𞥊𞥅 𞤲𞤮𞤲 𞤣𞤢𞤫𞤢 𞤦𞤮 𞤲𞤮 𞤵𞤭 𞤩𞤢 𞤣𞤫𞥊𞥅𞤽 𞤢𞥇

Dímézì wodi kpa. Mi kan Dímézì, ma hwe kpako do mi o! Ku naho kpako, azon naho kpako, kwɛ naho kpako, hwè naho kpako. A vɔ dindin ma yi vɛ un mɛ. Kpɔ mɔ nɔ wili avun do ganja mɛ. Tɔ Kpo dé non dawa bo nɔ yi gba déɔ ã. 

We have consulted Dímézì, that you do not close us in and crush us. Death, sickness, and trial cannot reach you; we do not enter a bush of thorns dressed in a large loincloth. The leopard does not catch the dog locked in a resistant metal cage. A riverbank cannot move to go to war on the opposite riverbank.

Yɛku Mɛji wɛ nyi Mɛtɔlɔnfin sin vĭ mɛxo

It is Yɛku Mɛji (Òyèkú Méjì) who is Mɛtɔlɔnfin's eldest

𞤦𞤽 𞤩𞤫 𞤥𞤹𞤶𞤭 𞤱𞤢 𞤶𞤹 𞤲𞤹𞤩𞤫𞥊𞥅 𞤼𞤽𞤲 𞤥𞤹𞤼𞤽𞤤𞤽𞤲𞤬𞤭𞤲 𞤱𞤢 𞤴𞤤𞤽 𞤴𞤫𞥇 𞤩𞤫𞤣𞤮𞥂𞤮

Bɔ Gbe Mɛji wa jɛ nɛgbé tɔn

Then Gbe Mɛji, the youngest

𞤃𞤹𞤼𞤽𞤤𞤽𞤲𞤬𞤭𞤲 𞤱𞤢 𞤴𞤤𞤽 𞤴𞤫𞥇 𞤦𞤫𞤣𞤮𞥂𞤮

Mɛtɔlɔnfin wa ylɔ yĕ gbeɖokpo

Mɛtɔlɔnfin called them one day

𞤫𞤫𞥊𞥅 𞤴𞤫𞥇 𞤣𞤮 𞤢𞤤𞤭 𞤶𞤹 𞤲𞤹𞤦𞤫𞥊𞥅 𞤼𞤽𞤲

Eé yĕ ɖo ali jɛ nɛgbé tɔn

They were on their way 

𞤴𞤹𞤳𞤵 𞤥𞤹𞤶𞤭 𞤣𞤽 𞤲𞤵 𞤩𞤫 𞤥𞤹𞤶𞤭 𞤣𞤽 𞤲𞤭 𞥁𞤽𞤲

Yɛku-Mɛji ɖɔ nu Gbe-Mɛji ɖɔ ni zɔn

On the way Yɛku-Mɛji told Gbe-Mɛji to continue

𞤤𞤫 𞤥𞤭 𞤲𞤢 𞥁𞤫 𞤲𞤵𞤣𞤫 𞤣𞤮 𞥁𞤵𞤲𞤳𞤢𞤲 𞤥𞤹

Lé mi na ze nŭɖé ɖo zunkan mɛ

Under the guise that he was going to look for something in the bush (Gold)

𞤿𞤹𞤧𞤭 𞤱𞤹 𞥁𞤫 𞤫 𞤳𞤢 𞤣𞤭

Xɛsi wɛ zé é ka ɖi 

he was afraid 

𞤫𞥊𞥅 𞤱𞤢 𞤢𞥇 𞤳𞤢𞤳𞤢

É wa ă kaka

He stayed there for a long time 

𞤦𞤽 𞤩𞤫 𞤹𞤹𞤶𞤭 𞤣𞤮𞥂𞤮 𞤩𞤮 𞤴𞤭

Bɔ Gbe-Mɛji ɖokpo gbɔ yi

At the point where Gbe-Mɛji went alone to Mɛtɔlɔnfin 

𞤉 𞤦𞤤𞤮 𞤼𞤹𞤲𞥂𞤽𞤲 𞤲𞤭

È blo tɛnkpɔn ni

He was put to the test 

𞤠𞤮 𞤤𞤹𞤩𞤢 𞥂𞤮 𞤸𞤵𞥊𞤲 𞤤𞤹 𞥂𞤮

Kpo Lɛgba kpo hùn lɛ kpo

With Lɛgba and the deities

𞤐𞤽 𞤫 𞤣𞤵 𞤣𞤫𞥊𞥅𞤶𞤭

Bɔ e ɖu déji 

And he came out victorious 

𞤉𞤫𞥊𞥅 𞤴𞤹𞤳𞤵 𞤥𞤹𞤶𞤭 𞤱𞤢 𞤫𞥊𞥅 𞤽

Eé yɛku-Mɛji wa é ɔ

As Yɛku-Mɛji arrived Gbe-Mɛji had already become chief

𞤼𞤭𞥊𞥅𞤲𞤥𞤹𞥇𞤹 Tínmɛ̀ὲ (interpretation)

Plain and simple, Yɛku-Mɛji lost her birthright to Gbe Meji because of fear.

Fágbesisa Gùdáfliwɔgbe (Ògúndá Bèdé)

𞤀𞤱𞤢𞤴𞤢 𞤲𞤵 𞤥𞤢 𞤳𞤹 𞤿𞤽 𞤿𞤽 𞤣𞤮

Awaya nu ma kɛ xɔ xɔ do

You can't build a house on the ocean

𞤸𞤹𞤲 𞤲𞤢 𞤸𞤱𞤫 𞤦𞤽 𞤳𞤢𞤲 𞤲𞤢 𞤸𞤱𞤫

Hɛn na hwe bɔ kan na hwe 

The building materials will be lacking

𞤧𞤭𞤲 𞤥𞤽𞤲𞤽 𞤲𞤹 𞤻𞤭 𞤣𞤮 𞤺𞤢𞤲𞤩𞤢𞤲𞤥𞤹

Sin mɔnɔ bɛ nyi ɖo

Water does not remain silent in a metal container

𞤼𞤵𞤲 𞤢𞤬𞤽 𞤲𞤵 𞤳𞤵𞤳𞤵 𞤲𞤵 𞤳𞤵𞤳𞤵 𞤶𞤭 𞤦𞤮 𞤣𞤽 𞤫𞤥𞤭 𞤼𞤹 𞤶𞤮𞤩𞤫

tun afɔ nu kuku ji bo ɖɔ emi tɛ jogbé

The scavenger tramples on a carrion and proclaims a Jogbe insurance

𞤿𞤮𞤥𞤹𞤧𞤭𞤲 𞤼𞤽 𞤦𞤽 𞤼𞤽 𞤩𞤢𞤲

Xomɛsin tɔ bɔ tɔ gban

In its anger, the river made detours

𞤿𞤮𞤥𞤹𞤧𞤭𞤲 𞤢𞤤𞤭 𞤦𞤽 𞤢𞤤𞤭 𞤦𞤢𞤲

Xomɛsin ali bɔ ali gban

In his anger, the road made detours

𞤀𞤤𞤢𞤣𞤢𞤸𞤱𞤭𞤧𞤮 𞤻𞤽 𞤣𞥉𞤹𞥂𞤹

Aladahwiso nyɔ ɖɛkpɛ

The sword of Alada despite its beauty

𞤄𞤮 𞤳𞤢 𞤩𞤢𞤲 𞤣𞤮 𞤦𞤹𞥇

Bo ka gban do bɛ́

Is crooked at the end 

Many pertinent 𞤬𞤢𞥉𞤩𞤫𞤧𞤭𞤧𞤢 Fágbesisa ("ẹsẹ" or "verse" among the Yọrùbá) like these from the Afrikan Vodún tradition can be found in my book Kpólí Fá of Afrikan Vodun.

ekaabokilombo@gmail.com