Yon jou, Lapen tap mache bò yon rivyè.
One day, Rabbit was walking by the riverside.
Ipo te la tou, li tap flannen enpi li tap chache bèl zèb vèt.
Hippo was there too, going for a stroll and eating some nice green grass.
Ipo pat wè Lapen, li mache sou pye li san’l pa konnen. Lapen tonbe rele “Anmwey Ipo ! Ou pa wè ou fèk pile’m?”
Hippo didn’t see that Rabbit was there and she accidentally stepped on Rabbit’s foot.
Rabbit started screaming at Hippo, “You Hippo! Can’t you see that you’re stepping on my foot?”
Ipo eskize li bò kote Lapen. Li di li “Eskize’m, mwen pate wè ou, tanpri padonnen’m!” Men, Lapen pa koute’l, li tonbe rele pifò “Ou fè eskprè! Yon jou, wap wè! Wap peye sa a!”
Hippo apologised to Rabbit, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you. Please forgive me!”
But Rabbit wouldn’t listen and he shouted at Hippo, “You did that on purpose! Someday, you’ll see! You’re going to pay!”
Lapen ale jwenn dife pou’l di li, “Ale mete dife sou Ipo lè li soti nan dlo a pou’l manje zèb … Li pile’m!” Dife an reponn, “Pa gen pwoblèm Lapen, zanmi mwen, mwen pral fè sa ou mande mwen la a”.
Rabbit went to find Fire and said, “Go, burn Hippo when she comes out of the water to eat grass. She stepped on me!”
Fire answered, “No problem, Rabbit, my friend. I’ll do just what you ask.”
Yon lòt lè, Ipo tap manje zèb byen lwen bò rivyè a. Dife pete Woush!” enpi gwo flanm kòmanse boule plim Ipo.
Later, Hippo was eating grass far from the river when, “Whoosh!” Fire burst into flame. The flames began to burn Hippo’s hair.
Ipo pete kriye, li kouri nan dlo a. Tout plim sou tèt li te gen tan boule. Ipo kontinye kriye, “tout plim tèt mwen boule nan dife a! Bèl plim sa yo ‘!”
Hippo started to cry and ran for the water. All her hair was burned off by the fire.
Hippo kept crying, “My hair has burned in the fire! My hair is all gone! My beautiful hair!”
Ipo pete kriye, li kouri nan dlo a. Tout plim sou tèt li te gen tan boule. Ipo kontinye kriye, “tout plim tèt mwen boule nan dife a! Bèl plim sa yo ‘!”
Rabbit was happy that Hippo’s hair was burned.
And to this day, for fear of fire, the hippo never goes far from the water.
