Dit was ‘n meisie wat eerste die vreemde vorm in die verte gesien het.
It was a little girl who first saw the mysterious shape in the distance.
Soos die vorm nadergekom het, het die meisie gesien dat dit ‘n swanger vrou was.
As the shape moved closer, she saw that it was a heavily pregnant woman.
Skaam, maar dapper, het die meisie nader aan die vrou gestap. “Sy moet by ons bly,” het die meisie se mense gesê. “Ons sal haar en haar kind veilig hou.”
Shy but brave, the little girl moved nearer to the woman.
“We must keep her with us,” the little girl’s people decided. “We’ll keep her and her child safe.”
Gou was die kind oppad. Almal wou help. “Druk!” “Bring komberse!” “Water!” “Dru-u-uk!”
The child was soon on its way.
“Push!”
“Bring blankets!”
“Water!”
“Puuuuussssshhh!!!”
Maar toe hulle die baba sien, het almal van skok teruggespring. “‘n Donkie!”
But when they saw the baby, everyone jumped back in shock.
“A donkey?!”
Almal het begin stry. “Ons het gesê ons sal die ma en kind veilig hou, en dit is wat ons sal doen,” het sommiges gesê. “Maar hulle sal vir ons slegte geluk bring,” het ander gesê.
Everyone began to argue.
“We said we would keep mother and child safe, and that’s what we’ll do,” said some.
“But they will bring us bad luck!” said others.
Die vrou was meteens weer alleen. Sy het gewonder wat sy met die vreemde kind moes doen. Sy het gewonder wat sy met haarself moes doen.
And so the woman found herself alone again.
She wondered what to do with this awkward child.
She wondered what to do with herself.
Maar uiteindelik het sy aanvaar dat hy haar kind was en sy was sy ma.
But finally she had to accept that he was her child and she was his mother.
As die kind maar so klein kon bly, sou alles dalk anders kon wees. Maar die donkie het gegroei en gegroei totdat hy later nie meer op sy ma se rug kon pas nie. Dit maak nie saak hoe hard hy probeer het nie, sy gedrag was nie soos ‘n mens nie. Sy ma was gereeld moeg en gefrustreerd. Soms het sy hom werk laat doen wat vir diere bedoel was.
Now, if the child had stayed that same, small size, everything might have been different. But the donkey child grew and grew until he could no longer fit on his mother’s back.
And no matter how hard he tried, he could not behave like a human being. His mother was often tired and frustrated. Sometimes she made him do work meant for animals.
Verwarring en woede het binne Donkie opgebou. Hy kon nie dít doen nie, en hy kon nie dát doen nie. Hy kon nie sús wees nie, en hy kon die só wees nie. Hy het later so kwaad geword, dat hy eendag sy ma geskop het tot plat op die grond.
Confusion and anger built up inside Donkey. He couldn’t do this and he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t be like this and he couldn’t be like that.
He became so angry that, one day, he kicked his mother to the ground.
Donkie raak toe baie skaam. Hy het so ver en vinnig as moontlik weggehardloop.
Donkey was filled with shame. He started to run away as far and fast as he could.
Dit was al donker toe hy uiteindelik ophou hardloop het en Donkie het verdwaal. “Hie-ho?” het hy in die donker gefluister. “Hie-ho,” het dit ge-eggo. Hy was heeltemal alleen. Opgekrul in ‘n stywe balletjie, het Donkie diep en onrustig aan die slaap geraak.
By the time he stopped running, it was night, and Donkey was lost.
“Hee haw?” he whispered to the darkness.
“Hee Haw?” it echoed back. He was alone.
Curling himself into a tight ball, he fell into a deep and troubled sleep.
Toe Donkie wakker word, staar ‘n vreemde ou man op hom af. Hy het in die ou man se oë gekyk en ‘n sprankie hoop voel flikker.
Donkey woke up to find a strange old man staring down at him. He looked into the old man’s eyes and started to feel a twinkle of hope.
Donkie het by die ou man gaan bly. Die man het hom geleer hoe om te oorleef. Donkie het geluister en geleer en die ou man ook. Hulle het mekaar gehelp en hulle het saamgelag.
Donkey went to stay with the old man, who taught him many different ways to survive.
Donkey listened and learned, and so did the old man. They helped each other, and they laughed together.
Een oggend vra die ou man vir Donkie om hom na die berg se spits te dra.
One morning, the old man asked Donkey to carry him to the top of a mountain.
Hoog tussen die wolke het hulle aan die slaap geraak. Donkie het gedroom sy ma is siek en dat sy na hom roep.
High up amongst the clouds they fell asleep.
Donkey dreamed that his mother was sick and calling to him.
And when he woke up…
Toe Donkie wakker skrik, het die wolke verdwyn. Sy vriend, die ou man, was ook weg.
… the clouds had disappeared along with his friend, the old man.
Donkie het uiteindelik geweet wat hy moet doen.
Donkey finally knew what to do.
Donkie het sy ma weer gevind. Sy was alleen en het oor haar verlore kind getreur. Hulle het lank na mekaar gestaar. Toe gee hulle mekaar ‘n stywe drukkie.
Donkey found his mother, alone and mourning her lost child. They stared at each other for a long time.
And then hugged each other very hard.
Die donkie-kind en sy ma het weer vir mekaar lief geword. Hulle het geleer hoe om met mekaar saam te leef. Met die tyd het ander gesinne langs hulle kom bly.
The donkey child and his mother have grown together and found many ways of living side by side.
Slowly, all around them, other families have started to settle.
