Tene tene vyũ andũ maĩ na
kĩndũ ona kĩmwe. Mayesĩ
kũvanda, kana kũtuma ngũa
kana kũtua mĩio ya kyũma.
Nake ngai wa matu Nyame aĩ
na ũĩ w’onthe ĩũlũ wa nthĩ. Aiaa
ũĩ ũsu nthĩnĩ wa mbisũ ya
ndaka.
Long long ago people didn’t
know anything. They didn’t
know how to plant crops, or
how to weave cloth, or how to
make iron tools.
The god Nyame up in the sky
had all the wisdom of the world.
He kept it safe in a clay pot.
Mũthenya ũmwe Nyame
nĩwasũanĩe kũnenge Ananzi
mbisũ ĩsu yaa ũĩ.
Kĩla ĩvinda Ananzi akunĩkĩla
mbisũ nthĩnĩ nĩwamanyaa kĩndũ
kyeũ. Nĩwew’aa mũyo mũno!
One day, Nyame decided that
he would give the pot of
wisdom to Anansi.
Every time Anansi looked in the
clay pot, he learned something
new. It was so exciting!
Ĩndĩ Ananzi nũndũ wa ĩtomo
nĩwaviindĩĩsye kwiya mbisũ ĩũlũ
wa mũtĩ vala mũndũ ũtamyona
nĩkana ekale na mbisũ ĩsu ee
weka.
Nĩwatumie ĩkanda ya mũsavivũ
na oovea ĩkanda ĩsu ĩla mbisũ
ya ndaka. Ananzi ĩndĩ niwovee
ĩkanda ĩsu mwĩyovonĩ, mbisũ
wethĩa ĩsũĩte mbee wake, na
anzĩa kũlĩsa mũtĩ.
Greedy Anansi thought, “I’ll
keep the pot safe at the top of a
tall tree. Then I can have it all
to myself!”
He spun a long thread, wound it
round the clay pot, and tied it to
his stomach.
He began to climb the tree. But
it was hard climbing the tree
with the pot bumping him in the
knees all the time.
Ĩndĩ kyaĩ kĩndũ kyũmũ kũlĩsa
mũtĩ akũkũnangwa nĩ mbisũ saa
syonthe. Ananzi nĩwanzĩe
kũthata na kũnoa.
Saa isu syonthe mwana mũnini
wa Ananzi ongamĩte uungu wa
mũtĩ asisĩlĩtye kĩla kyendee.
Nĩwaisye, “kũlĩsa wovee mbisũ
mwongo tikw’o laisi?”
Ananzi nĩwatatie kwovea ĩla
mbisũ mwongonĩ na mũio wake
wethĩwa nĩwavũtha.
All the time Anansi’s young son
had been standing at the
bottom of the tree watching. He
said, “Wouldn’t it be easier to
climb if you tied the pot to your
back instead?”
Anansi tried tying the clay pot
full of wisdom to his back, and it
really was a lot easier.
Ĩndĩ kyaĩ kĩndũ kyũmũ kũlĩsa
mũtĩ akũkũnangwa nĩ mbisũ saa
syonthe. Ananzi nĩwanzĩe
kũthata na kũnoa.
Saa isu syonthe mwana mũnini
wa Ananzi ongamĩte uungu wa
mũtĩ asisĩlĩtye kĩla kyendee.
Nĩwaisye, “kũlĩsa wovee mbisũ
mwongo tikw’o laisi?”
Ananzi nĩwatatie kwovea ĩla
mbisũ mwongonĩ na mũio wake
wethĩwa nĩwavũtha.
In no time he reached the top of
the tree.
But then he stopped and
thought, “I’m supposed to be
the one with all the wisdom,
and here my son was cleverer
than me!”
Anansi was so angry about this
that he threw the clay pot down
out of the tree.
Nĩyavalũkile nthĩ na yanyaĩka
tũlungu tunini.
Ũu nĩw’o andũ mamanyie
kũĩma, kũtuma ngũa na
kũsovya mĩio ya kyũma na
syĩndũ ingĩ ila andũ mesĩ kwĩka.
It smashed into pieces on the
ground. The wisdom was free
for everyone to share.
And that is how people learned
to farm, to weave cloth, to
make iron tools, and all the
other things that people know
how to do.
