TOJU IWA RE ORE MI (Written by the late J.F. ODUNJO in his popular book series ‘ALAWIYE’)

Toju iwa re, ore mi;
Ola a ma si lo n'ile eni,
Ewa a si ma si l'ara enia,
Olowo oni 'nd’olosi b'o d'ola.
Okun l'ola; okun n’igbi oro,
Gbogbo won l'o nsi lo n’ile eni;
Sugbon iwa ni m’ba ni de sare’e.
Owo ko je nkan fun ni,
Iwa l'ewa omo enia.
Bi o l'owo bi o ko ni’wa nko?
Tani je f'inu tan e ba s'ohun rere?
Tabi ki o je obirin rogbodo;
Ti o ba jina si'wa ti eda nfe,
Tani je fe o s'ile bi aya?
Tabi ki o je onijibiti enia;
Bi o tile mo iwe amodaju,
Tani je gbe'se aje fun o se?
Toju Iwa re, ore mi,
Iwa ko si, eko d'egbe;
Gbogbo aiye ni 'nfe 'ni t'o je rere.

(ENGLISH TRANSLATION not by the Author)
Enhance your character, my friend;
Prosperity may depart from one’s home,
Beauty may retreat from the body,
And today’s rich could become poor tomorrow.
Prosperity is like ocean surf; and wealth is an ocean wave,
They come and go from one’s home as they please;
But, only good character follows one to the grave.
Money is not everything to someone,
Good character is the beauty of a mortal.
What if you are wealthy without good character?
Who would trust you with something serious?
Perhaps, you are a gorgeous woman;
If you are far from societal norms,
Who would marry you as a wife?
Or you are a fraudulent person;
May be you are well educated,
Who would transact business with you?
Enhance your character, my friend,
In the absence of character, education is a waste;
The whole world appreciates a well-mannered person.