Vroeg een oggend het Vusi se ouma hom geroep en gesê, “Vusi, neem asseblief hierdie eier na jou ouers toe. Hulle het dit nodig om ‘n groot koek te bak vir jou suster se troue.”
Early one morning Vusi’s granny
called him, “Vusi, please take this
egg to your parents. They want to
make a large cake for your sister’s
wedding.”
Op pad na sy ouers het Vusi twee seuns raakgeloop, wat besig was om vrugte te pluk. Een seun het die eier uit Vusi se hand gegryp en dit stukkend teen ‘n boom verpletter.
On his way to his parents, Vusi met
two boys picking fruit. One boy
grabbed the egg from Vusi and shot
it at a tree. The egg broke.
“Wat het jy gedoen?” skree Vusi. “Daardie eier was vir ‘n koek vir my suster se troue. Wat gaan my suster sê as daar nie ‘n troukoek is nie?”
“What have you done?” cried Vusi.
“That egg was for a cake. The cake
was for my sister’s wedding. What
will my sister say if there is no
wedding cake?”
Die seuns was baie jammer. “Ons kan nie help met die koek nie maar hier is ‘n kierie vir jou suster,” het een gesê. Vusi is toe weer oppad.
The boys were sorry for teasing
Vusi.
“We can’t help with the cake, but
here is a walking stick for your
sister,” said one.
Vusi continued on his journey.
Padlangs het hy twee mans ontmoet wat besig was om ‘n huis bou. “Kan ons daardie sterk stok gebruik?” vra een. Vusi gee toe die stok vir hom, maar die stok was nie sterk genoeg vir bouwerk nie en het gebreek.
Along the way he met two men
building a house. “Can we use that
strong stick?” asked one.
But the stick was not strong enough
for building, and it broke.
“Wat het jy gedoen?” huil Vusi. “Daardie stok was ‘n trougeskenk vir my suster. Die vrugteplukkers het vir my die stok gegee omdat hulle die eier wat in die koek sou wees, gebreek het. Die koek was vir my suster se troue. Nou is daar geen eier, koek of geskenk nie. Wat gaan my suster sê?”
“What have you done?” cried Vusi.
“That stick was a gift for my sister.
The fruit pickers gave me the stick
because they broke the egg for the
cake. The cake was for my sister’s
wedding. Now there is no egg, no
cake, and no gift. What will my
sister say?”
Die bouers het so sleg gevoel omdat die stok gebreek het. “Ons kan nie help met die koek nie, maar hier is ‘n bondel gras vir jou suster,” het een gesê. En so het Vusi voortgegaan met sy reis.
The builders were sorry for breaking
the stick.
“We can’t help with the cake, but
here is some thatch for your sister,”
said one.
And so Vusi continued on his
journey.
Verder aan het Vusi ‘n boer met ‘n koei ontmoet. “Daardie gras lyk heerlike. Kan ek ‘n happie kry?” vra die koei. Maar die gras was so smaaklik dat die koei alles opgeëet het!
Along the way, Vusi met a farmer
and a cow. “What delicious thatch,
can I have a nibble?” asked the cow.
But the thatch was so tasty that the
cow ate it all!
“Wat het jy gedoen?” skree Vusi. “Daardie gras was ‘n geskenk vir my suster. Die bouers het dit vir my gegee omdat hulle die stok gebreek het wat ek by die vrugteplukkers gekry het.” Die vrugteplukkers het die stok vir my gegee omdat hulle die eier vir my suster se koek gebreek het. Die koek was vir my suster se troue.
“What have you done?” cried Vusi.
“That thatch was a gift for my
sister. The builders gave me the
thatch because they broke the stick
from the fruit pickers. The fruit
pickers gave me the stick because
they broke the egg for my sister’s
cake. The cake was for my sister’s
wedding. Now there is no egg, no
cake, and no gift. What will my
sister say?”
Die koei was vreeslik jammer dat sy so gulsig was. Die boer het saamgestem dat die koei saam met Vusi gaan, as ‘n geskenk aan sy suster. En so het Vusi voortgegaan.
The cow was sorry she was greedy.
The farmer agreed that the cow
could go with Vusi as a gift for his
sister. And so Vusi carried on.
Maar later in die dag het die koei terug gehardloop na die boer toe. Dit het Vusi lank geneem om by die troue uit te kom en die gaste het alreeds begin eet.
But the cow ran back to the farmer
at supper time.
And Vusi got lost on his journey.
He arrived very late for his sister’s
wedding. The guests were already
eating.
“Wat moet ek nou doen?” vra Vusi. “Die koei wat weggehardloop het was ‘n geskenk in ruil vir die gras wat die bouers vir my gegee het. Die bouers het vir my gras gegee omdat hulle die stok gebreek het wat ek van die vrugteplukkers gekry het. Die vrugteplukkers het weer die stok vir my gegee omdat hulle die eier vir my suster se koek gebreek het. Die koek was vir my suster se troue. Nou is daar geen eier, geen koek en geen geskenk nie.”
“What shall I do?” cried Vusi.
“The cow that ran away was a gift,
in return for the thatch the builders
gave me. The builders gave me the
thatch because they broke the stick
from the fruit pickers. The fruit
pickers gave me the stick because
they broke the egg for the cake.
The cake was for the wedding. Now
there is no egg, no cake, and no
gift.”
Vusi se suster het gehoor wat hy sê en vir ‘n oomblik gedink voordat sy antwoord. “Vusi, my broer, ek gee regtig nie om oor geskenkies nie. Ek gee nie eers om oor die koek nie! Ons is almal saam hier, en daaroor is ek gelukkig. Gaan trek nou jou deftige klere aan en kom vier saam met ons hierdie spesiale dag!” En dit is net wat Vusi gedoen het.”
Vusi’s sister thought for a while,
then she said,
“Vusi my brother, I don’t really care
about gifts. I don’t even care about
the cake! We are all here together, I
am happy. Now put on your smart
clothes and let’s celebrate this
day!”
And so that’s what Vusi did.
