OLOLADÉ

Come I sing—

Come with your tender hearts

And your bright eyes of love.

Come I sing—

Come with your open hearts

To hear a poem of life.

I found fortune in her eyes

And guidance in her smile.

When she laughs, the heaven opens

And pour down her blessings.

When she sings, eternal songs

Fill the space of the earth.

She is sweet like honey

And with this same sweetness,

She makes African dishes

That brings the great gods down

From their eternal throne—

Her meals are so special,

That I love to eat at her table,

Even my aged mother says so!

She is divine like an angel,

And with this same divinity,

She creates beautiful things

That has never been seen.

She is a caring sister

And a tender-eyed princess

That every great and noble king

Will want to make his only queen.

Have you seen her hazel palms

Etched with the lines of a bright fate?

Have you see her hazel hands

And the jewels she creates with them?

I have searched the universe—

Yeah! I have walked the paths of life

O! I looked O! How I searched

But I ne'er found anyone like you—

You are arèwá didárá

Ti baba ati mama fín yàngàn.

arèwá didárá - Beauty unseen

Ti baba ati mama fín yàngàn - Someone whose father and mother are proud of.

©Okunola Peace.