Opo va dohorokire vawina Simbegwire,a guvire shiri. Vasha vaSimbegwire kwa kondjire mpopo va vhulira mukupakera mbiri monavo wamukadona. Kadidi-kadidi,ava vareke nka kuyuvha ruhafo va hana kukara kumwe navawina vaSimbegwire. Kehe yino ngurangura kava shungiranga mukutimwitira kuhamena liyuva lyakuuto.Kehe yino ngurova kava wapayikanga murarero kumwe. Nange vana mana kukusha visha,vasha vaSimbegwire kava muvateranga navirughanatapo vyendi vyakumundi.
When Simbegwire’s mother died,
she was very sad. Simbegwire’s
father did his best to take care of
his daughter. Slowly, they learned
to feel happy again, without
Simbegwire’s mother.
Every morning they sat and talked
about the day ahead. Every evening
they made dinner together. After
they washed the dishes,
Simbegwire’s father helped her with
homework.
Liyuva limwe vasha vaSimbegwire ava huliliri kuya tika kumundi ene ngoli kapishi mo vyashwa kushoroka.”Kuni una kara monande?”ava yita. Simbegwire a duka a shamberere vashe. A yimana teghete opo a dimburulire ashi vashe kuna kwaterere livoko lyamukamali.”Nashana uya morore umwe washikoda, monande. Ghuye ndje Anita,”ava ghamba vavo kuno kuna kumenyamenya.
One day, Simbegwire’s father came
home later than usual. “Where are
you my child?” he called.
Simbegwire ran to her father. She
stopped still when she saw that he
was holding a woman’s hand. “I
want you to meet someone special,
my child. This is Anita,” he said
smiling.
“Moro Simbegwire,vasho va ntantera vyavingi vyakuhamena kukoye,a ghamba Anita. Ene ngoli kapi a menyunine ndi nampiri ndi a kwate mukadona unya mulivoko. Vasha vaSimbagwire kwa kalire vana hafa. Ava timwitiri ngoli vyakuhamena kukwavo vatatu mukutunga kumwe, ntani weni omo ngali va wapa liparu.”Monande,na huguvara ashi ngaghu mutambura Anita ashi vanyoko,”ava ghamba vasha vaSimbegwire.
“Hello Simbegwire, your father told
me a lot about you,” said Anita. But
she did not smile or take the girl’s
hand.
Simbegwire’s father was happy and
excited. He talked about the three
of them living together, and how
good their life would be. “My child, I
hope you will accept Anita as your
mother,” he said.
Liparu lyaSimbigwire ali kutjindji. Kapi nka kawananga ruvede rwa kushungira navashe ngurangura. Anita kamu panga virughana vyamumundi vyavingi ngudu ovyo kavi murororango ngudu nange dogoro a pire kuwana ruvede rwa kurughana virughanatapo vyendi vyashure kungurova. A vyukiliri aka rare munyima yamurarero. Shininke ashi huru ti shamuyitiliro likuyuvho nawa nguvo yendi yaruvara rwakumoneka shiwa oyo vamu shuvilire vanakufa vawina. Vasha vaSimbegwire kapi va monekire ashi vana vi dimburura ashi monavo kapi ana hafa.
Simbegwire’s life changed. She no
longer had time to sit with her
father in the mornings. Anita gave
her so many household chores that
she was too tired to do her school
work in the evenings. She went
straight to bed after dinner.
Her only comfort was the colourful
blanket her mother gave her.
Simbegwire’s father did not seem to
notice that his daughter was
unhappy.
Munyima yamwedi tupu dadisheshu,vasha vaSimbegwire, ava va tantere ashi vavo ngava tunda mo tanko mumundi karugho kangandi.”Na kona kukara naruyendo rwakuvirughana vyande,” ava ghamba.”Ene ngoli ame navi yiva ashi ngamu kufera mbiri.” Simbegwire a negheda shipara sharuguvo ene ngoli vashe kapi vavi dimburulire. Anita uye pore yendi nankumbu shi. Naye kapi a hafire.
After a few months, Simbegwire’s
father told them that he would be
away from home for a while. “I have
to travel for my job,” he said. “But I
know you will look after each other.”
Simbegwire’s face fell, but her
father did not notice. Anita did not
say anything. She was not happy
either.
Vininke avi kumana mo ngoli mwamudona kwaSimbegwire. Nange kapi ana mana virughana ovyo vana mupa ndi a tape rushivano rwendi,Anita kumu toghona. Ntani pashirugho shamurarero,mugholikadi uno kalyanga shingi shandya,Simbegwire kumu shuvira po tupu tughu vhughunyunu twa ngandi. Kehe ghano matiku Simbegwire kaliranga a kushengawide a rare,okuno uye ana mamatere nguvo yavawina.
Things got worse for Simbegwire. If
she didn’t finish her chores, or she
complained, Anita hit her. And at
dinner, the woman ate most of the
food, leaving Simbegwire with only
a few scraps.
Each night Simbegwire cried herself
to sleep, hugging her mother’s
blanket.
Ngurangura yimwe,Simbegwire a huliliri kurambuka.”Ove mukadona waudwa!” a haruka Anita. Anita a koko Simbegwire a tunde pambete. Nguvo yinya yashikoda ayi haka mumboha makura ayi papuka mukatji mapapi maviri.
One morning, Simbegwire was late
getting out of bed. “You lazy girl!”
Anita shouted. She pulled
Simbegwire out of bed. The
precious blanket caught on a nail,
and tore in two.
Simbegwire a guvu shiri ngudu. A tokora kutjwayuka mo mumundi. A upu mapapi ghanya ghanguvo yavawina,a rongere ko ndya dangandi,a tundu mo mumundi. A kwama shitavura osho va pitire vashe.
Simbegwire was very upset. She
decided to run away from home.
She took the pieces of her mother’s
blanket, packed some food, and left
the house. She followed the road
her father had taken.
Opo lya tokire liyuva,a rondo kushitondo shashire shapepi nashidiva makura a yara mukatji kadimutavi dashitondo shinya di kare cegca yendi. Kughuto wakurara a yimbi:”Yiina,yiina,yiina mwa ntjuva. Mwa ntjuva anwe nka kapi mwa kavyuka. Vavava kapi vana horo nka. Yina,shirugho munke ngamu ka vyuka. Mwa ntjuva.”
When it came to evening, she
climbed a tall tree near a stream
and made a bed for herself in the
branches.
As she went to sleep, she sang:
“Maama, maama, maama, you left
me.
You left me and never came back.
Father doesn’t love me anymore.
Mother, when are you coming back?
You left me.”
Ngurangura yakukwama ko,Simbegwire a yimbi rushumo ndorunya nka. Vagholikadi opo va yire vaya kushe vyuma vyavo kushidiva shinya,ava yuvhu rushumo rwaruguvo runa kutundiliro kushitondo shinya shashire. Vavo kwa ghayalire ashi walye mpepo yina kupepo ngudu dogoro mahako gha shitondo gha tape mushagharo wantjiva, ene ngoli vavo ava twikiri navirughana vyavo. Umwe wavagholikadi vanya a tegherere nawa kurushumo runya.
The next morning, Simbegwire sang
the song again. When the women
came to wash their clothes at the
stream, they heard the sad song
coming from the tall tree.
They thought it was only the wind
rustling the leaves, and carried on
with their work. But one of the
women listened very carefully to
the song.
Mugholikadi uno a kenge kushitondo. Opo a monine mukadona namaruvambi ghanguvo yayiwa ngudu,a liri,”Simbegwire,mona mukurwande wamukafumu!”Vagholikadi vamweya navo ava shagheke kukusha makura ava vatere Simbegwire a gcumpuke kushitondo. Vawinaghona ava mumamatere ava shetekere ko kumu shengawida.
This woman looked up into the tree.
When she saw the girl and the
pieces of colourful blanket, she
cried, “Simbegwire, my brother’s
child!”
The other women stopped washing
and helped Simbegwire to climb
down from the tree. Her aunt
hugged the little girl and tried to
comfort her.
Vananeghona vaSimbegwire ava mutwara kumundi wavo. Opo vaka tikire kumundi vananeghona vendi ava kamu yumbura ndya dauyenyu,ava mufuku nakuyweka nguvo yavawina mumbete. Matiku ghanya Simbegwire a liri kuuto wakurara. Ene ngoli kwa kalire maruntjodi ghalipwiyumuko kwa navintje ovinya a monine kuuto wakutjwayuka mumundi. Avi yivire ashi vawinaghona ngava mupakera mbiri.
Simbegwire’s aunt took the child to
her own house. She gave
Simbegwire warm food, and tucked
her in bed with her mother’s
blanket.
That night, Simbegwire cried as she
went to sleep. But they were tears
of relief. She knew her aunt would
look after her.
Vasha vaSimbegwire opo vaka vyukire kumundi, ava ya wana nkonda yendi yakurara muporongwa.”Vinke vya shoroko,Anita?” ava pura namutjima wakundundumana. Mugholikadi Anita a fwaturura ashi Simbegwire a tjwayuka mumundi.”Na shanine a mfumadeke,”a ghamba.”Nani ngoli nakalire nyanya naye.”Vasha vaSimbegwire ava tundu mumundi va pirukire kuruha rwashidiva. Ava katwikira kumukunda a kalire muunyavo wamukamali mukapulida nange vamu mona ko Simbegwire.
When Simbegwire’s father returned
home, he found her room empty.
“What happened, Anita?” he asked
with a heavy heart. The woman
explained that Simbegwire had run
away. “I wanted her to respect me,”
she said. “But perhaps I was too
strict.”
Simbegwire’s father left the house
and went in the direction of the
stream. He continued to his sister’s
village to find out if she had seen
Simbegwire.
Simbegwire kwa danaukire navaviro vyendi opo a monine vashe vavo shimpe ure vana kuyendera vaye. A kara naghoma ashi walye kuvhura va kare ashi vana garapa,makura a dukiri mundjugho aka vande. Nampiri ndi ngoweyo vashe ava mushupura mundjugho makura ava ghamba ashi,”Simbegwire,waya wana nyokwa wakuwapera. Ogho a kuhoro ntani uye nka kukutegherera. Una hafita ntani nakuhora.” Ava kughu maghano ashi Simbegwire nga kare navawinaghona shirugho ntjosho a shanine mwene.
Simbegwire was playing with her
cousins when she saw her father
from far away. She was scared he
might be angry, so she ran inside
the house to hide.
But her father went to her and said,
“Simbegwire, you have found a
perfect mother for yourself. One
who loves you and understands
you. I am proud of you and I love
you.”
They agreed that Simbegwire would
stay with her aunt as long as she
wanted to.
Vashe kava mudinguranga kehe liyuva. Va hana kuvi taterera,ava ya naAnita. A kwata livoko lyaSimbigwire. Ngupire po yaya,nakupukire,”a liri.”Kuvhura nka umpe ko mpito ni shetekere ko nka?”Simbegwire a kenge kushipara shavashe sha kaliro naruguvo.Makura a tampura mpadi kadidi-kadidi a yende kumeho makura aka mamata Anita.
Her father visited her every day.
Eventually, he came with Anita. She
reached out for Simbegwire’s hand.
“I’m so sorry little one, I was
wrong,” she cried. “Will you let me
try again?”
Simbegwire looked at her father
and his worried face. Then she
stepped forward slowly and put her
arms around Anita.
Shivike shakukwama ko,Anita a rekere Simbegwire,navaviro vyendi kumwe navawinaghona,vaye kumundi mposhi vaya kare namuyusha. Ashi ndya kughungi!Anita kwa wapayikire marudi ghandya nadintje odo a hora Simbigwire ano navantje ava li nange dogoro ava kuta. Vanuke ava danauka okuno vakurona vavo kuna kutimwitira. Simbegwire a kara naruhafo a hana kuyuvha ghoma. A tokora ashi ntantani-ntantani nga vyuke kumundi wavo nga katunge kumwe navashe navawina vashitumbwena.
The next week, Anita invited
Simbegwire, with her cousins and
aunt, to the house for a meal. What
a feast! Anita prepared all of
Simbegwire’s favourite foods, and
everyone ate until they were full.
Then the children played while the
adults talked.
Simbegwire felt happy and brave.
She decided that soon, very soon,
she would return home to live with
her father and her stepmother.
