Iherehere (Bit by Bit — Orunmila and the Sea Orisha)
A cosmological verse connecting patient, incremental action to the greatness of natural forces including the sea, the Oni of Ife, and the cow's head.
Philosophical Summary
This Bascom verse is one of the most cited in the Eji Ogbe corpus. It operates on multiple levels: as a praise poem for moderation, as a cosmological ordering of natural forces, and as an explanation for the Yoruba word-magic embedded in divination practice. The word "iherehere" (bit by bit) is the keynote ethic of Eji Ogbe — slow, deliberate, complete action as the path to lasting achievement.
Liturgical Verses
English: Orunmila says it should be done bit by bit; I say it is bit by bit that we eat the head of the rat; It is bit by bit that we eat the head of the fish. The one who comes from the sea, who comes from the lagoon to receive the head of the cow was not unimportant at Ife long ago. We are not as large as the elephant nor as stout as the buffalo. No king is as great as the Oni. No string of cowries is as long as that of Yemideregbe; Yemideregbe is what we call the Sea Orisha.
Yoruba: Ọrunmila ni o di iherehere, m(o)-(n)i iherehere l(i)-a j(ę)-ori eku, iherehere ni a j( )-ori eja, a t(i)-okun t(i)-osa la gb(a)-ori ęrinla ki kere n(i)-Ifę o d(e)-aiye, a ki igba du-du t(o)-erin a ki şe yękętę t(o)-efon. elu-k(u)-elu ki it(o)-Qni; okun ki l(i)-oruko a p(e)-O-1(i)-okun.
Sacred Verses
Yorùbá
Ọrunmila ni o di iherehere, m(o)-(n)i iherehere l(i)-a j(ę)-ori eku, iherehere ni a j( )-ori eja, a t(i)-okun t(i)-osa la gb(a)-ori ęrinla ki kere n(i)-Ifę o d(e)-aiye, a ki igba du-du t(o)-erin a ki şe yękętę t(o)-efon. elu-k(u)-elu ki it(o)-Qni; okun ki l(i)-oruko a p(e)-O-1(i)-okun.
English
Orunmila says it should be done bit by bit; I say it is bit by bit that we eat the head of the rat; It is bit by bit that we eat the head of the fish. The one who comes from the sea, who comes from the lagoon to receive the head of the cow was not unimportant at Ife long ago. We are not as large as the elephant nor as stout as the buffalo. No king is as great as the Oni. No string of cowries is as long as that of Yemideregbe; Yemideregbe is what we call the Sea Orisha.