“Gbamigbo / Believe Me” by Rasaq Malik
GBAMIGBO
(fun Adunni)
Gbamigbo, ti mo ba ni iwo ni atupa ti o mo’le rokoso
ninu iyara ti mo ti n ko gbogbo ewi fun ewa re ti o
koja imole osupa. Gbamigbo, ti mo ba ni iwo ni ogiri
ti ko je ki agbara aye gbe orisun ife wa lo,
ti mo ba ni iwo ni eye orin, akewi igba,
okansoso omidan ti o n mi ninu awon okan egbegberun okunrin.
Gbamigbo, ti mo ba ni ife re so itakun aayun ti o
lagbara ju oogun lo. Gbamigbo, ti mo ba ni eyinoju re mo
asiri ti o farapamo ninu eyinoju mi, ti mo ba ni ohun re ro
mi nigbati ibinu mi gbinna bi iji. Gbamigbo, ti mo ba ni iwo ni
abere ati owu ti o ran okan mi o fo, ti mo ba ni iwo ni tesuba ti o bo
awon omo ika mi, ti mo ba ni iwo ni aworan aye ti o s’atona mi lo
si awon ilu ti n ko ti rinrinajo lo ri. Gbamigbo, ti mo ba ni iwo
ni idi ti mo fi n lo awon ale mi lori kiko oruko re si ara awon igi,
ewe, ati oju-ona. Gbamigbo, ti mo ba ni iwo ni aalomu ti o
fo awon idoti ti o ba omi mi je, eji ti o kan le eweko ti o wa
ni ogba okan mi. Gbamigbo, ti mo ba ni iwo ni idi ti mo fi
n rin ilu yii lati owuro di ale, Wiwa oorun ife re.
BELIEVE ME
(fun Adunni)
Believe me, if I say you are the lamp that glows
in a room where I scribble every poem for your beauty
that transcends the beam of the moon. Believe me, if I say you are the wall
that bars the flood of life from eroding the root of our love,
if I say you are the bird of songs, the chanter of Seasons,
the only maiden that breathes in the hearts of a thousand men.
Believe me, if I say your love spins a web of feelings more potent
than charms. Believe me, if I say your eyes know the
secrets that hide in my eyes, if I say your voice calms
me when my anger flares like wind. Believe me, if I say you are
the needle and the thread that stitch my broken heart,
if I say you are the rosary that wraps
my fingers, the map that voyages me
to cities I have never travelled to. Believe me, if I say
you are the reason why I spend my nights scribbling your name on trees,
leaves, and roads. Believe me, if I say you are the alum that
purifies the dregs that stain my water, the dew that dots the plant that
grows in the garden of my heart. Believe me, if I say you are the reason why
I walk this city from morn till dusk, searching for the scent of your love.
Rasaq Malik is a graduate of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. His poems have been published in Sentinel, AfricanWriters, One, Heart Journal, and elsewhere. He has also been published in Nigerian Newspapers.
Language: Yoruba
Written & Translated by Rasaq Malik
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