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Simbegwire okwa li udite nai neenghono eshi ina a xulifa. Xe ya Simbegwire okwa kendabala ngaashi tashi dulika a file oshisho omonakadona. Konina yefimbo ova endela ko kanini nakanini tava dimbwa nokukala va hafa nonande ina yaSimbegwire ke po. Ongula yefiku keshe ohava kala omutumba ndele tava kundafana nhumbi efiku ve na oku liendifa. Onguloshi keshe ohava teleke ouvalelo pamwe. Nokonima ngeenge va kosho oiyaxa, xe yaSimbegwire oha kwafele okamona okuninga oifiilwalonga yokeumbo ei va pewa kofikola.
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.
Efiku limwe, Xe yaSimbegwire okwe uya keumbo a tokelwa, hano ine uya pefimbo olo ha fiki shito. “Ou li peni mumwange.” Xe ta ifana. Simbegwire okwa lotokela kuxe. Okwa fikama manga, eshi a mona xe e kwete omukainhu meenyala. “Onda hala u shiivafane nomunhu umwe a fimana mumwange.” “Oye Anita,” xe osho a ti nokulimemesha.
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.
“Ongahelipi Simbegwire, xo oha lombwele nge shihapu kombinga yoye.” Anita osho a ti. Ashike ina menya yoo tuu nande ile a minike Simbegwire. Xe ya Simbegwire okwa li a hafa nokwa nyakukwa. Okwa li ta popi nhumbi vo vatatu tava ka kala pamwe nonghene onghalamwenyo tai ka kala iwa. “Mumwange onde lineekela oto ka tambula ko Anita onganyoko.” Xe osho a ti.
“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.
Onghalamwenyo yaSimbegwire oya lunduluka. Kapa li vali efimbo lokukala omutumba naxe efimbo longula. Anita okwa li he mu pe oilonga yomeumbo ihapu oyo kwa li hai mu lolola nongeenge a mane iha ka dula vali okuninga ofiilwalonga yaye yofikola konguloshi. Konima yokulya ouvalelo oha i ashike a ka nangale. Ekumbafa lomaluvala mawa olo a pelwe kuina, ola kala ehekeleko laye. Xe yaSimbegwire kakwa li a didilika kutya okamonakadona ka ke na ombili.
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.
Konima yeemwedi dinini, xe yaSimbegwire okwe va lombwela kutya ota di po manga okafimbo. “Ohandi di po noilonga,” xe osho ti. “Ashike onde lineekela kutya otamu ka filafana oshisho. Simbegwire okwa findimaneka oshipala, ashike xe ine shi didilika. Anita ina nyamukula sha nande, ashike naye kakwa li yo e shi hafela.
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.
Onghalo yaSimbegwire osho ya i moupyakadi. Ngeenge ina mana oilonga yomeumbo ile a ngongota kombinga yoshinima shonhumba, Anita ohe mu denge. Ngeenge tava li ouvalelo omukulukadi ou konyala oha li po oikulya aishe noha fiile po ashike Simbegwire ounyangudule vanini. Onguloshi keshe Simbegwire oha kala ta kwena fiyo ta kofa, omanga a papatela ekumbafa laina.
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.
Ongula yefiku limwe, Simbegwire okwa li a ovelelwa meemhofi. “Ove kakadona kokandedenhu!” Anita osho a ingida. Okwa shilako Simbegwire kombete. Ekumbafa ola kwata komboxa ndee tali pomboka moivando ivali.
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 okwa li a handuka neenghono. Okwa tokola a okuya, ndele ta di mo meumbo. Okwa kufa oivando yekumbafa laina, ta longele oikulya ndele ta i. Okwa shikula ondjila oyo ya ya naxe eshi a dja meumbo.
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.
Ngeenge ta ku wiwile, oha londo komuti mule u li popepi nokapomholonga ndele ta ningi ombete moitai yomuti. Eshi ta ka kofa oha imbi ta ti “Meeme, meeme, meeme, meeme, owa fiya nge po. Owa fiya nge po ndele ino aluka vali. Tate ke hole nge vali. Meme, oto aluka naini? Owa fiya nge po.”
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.”
Ongula eshi taku shi Simbegwire oha imbi natango eimbilo laye natango. Eshi ovakulukadi ve uya oku kosha oikutu yavo pokapomholonga, ova uda eimbilo loupongo noli etifa onghenda tali di moitai yomuti mule. Vo okwa li ve shi omafo tae linyengifwa komhepo, nova twikila noilonga yavo. Ashike umwe wavo okwa pwilikina nawa eimbilo olo.
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.
Omukainhu umwe okwa tala pombada momuti. Okwa mona okakadona noivando yekumbafa lomaluvala mawa, okwa lila, “Simbegwire, okamona komumwamememati!” Omukainhu umwe okwa efapo oku kosha ndele ta londo komuti opo a kwafela Simbegwire a londoloke ko komuti. Ina mumwaina waxe okwa papatela okamonakadona, ndele te ka hekeleke.
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.
Ina mumwaina waxe okwa twala Simbegwire keumbo laye. Okwe mu pa oikulya ya ndjena nawa, te mu nangeke mombete nekumbafa laina. Oufiku oo Simbegwire okwa li ta kwena eshi ta ka nangala. Ashike okwa li ta kwena omahodi ehafo, shaashi okwa fululuka. Okwa li e shi shi kutya ina mumwaina waxe ote mu file oshisho.
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.
Efiku xe yaSimbegwire a aluka, okwa didilika kutya onduda yaSimbaegwire oi li hamungaho. “Anita, oshike sha ningwa po?” Osho a pula nomutima wa nyemata. Anita okwa hokolola kutya Simbegwire okwa faduka po. “Okwa li nda hala a fimaneke nge.” Anita a ti. “Ashike mbela onda li onde shi ninga unene nomaandambadi.” Xe ya Simbegwire okwa dja mo meumbo ndee ta i nondjila ei ya yuka kokapomholonga. Okwa twikila ondjila a yuka komukunda oko ku na eumbo lamumwaina womukainhu e ke mu pule ngeenge oku na apa a mona 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.
Fimbo Simbegwire a li ta danauka novamwaina okwa monena p xe eshi ta di kokule. Okwa li a tila ta diladila kutya pamwe xe okwe mu handukila, okwa faduka po a yuka meumbo a ka hondame. Ashike xe okwa ya kuye ndele ta ti “Simbegwire, owa mona nyoko ou e ku hole ye oku ku udite ko lela. Ondi udite etumba molwoye, ame yo ondi ku hole.” Ova udafana kutya Simbegwire ota kala keumbo laina mumwaina waxe fiyo efimbo olo a hala.
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.
Xe okwa kala he mu talele po keshe efiku. Okudja opo, ove ke uya naAnita. Anita okwa yelula eke laye a minike Simbegwire. “Ombili kakadona kange, onda ninga epuko,” okwa lila. “Pe nge omhito ndi kendabale natango?” Simbegwire okwa li ta tale kuxe noshipala shaxe osho shi na omalimbililo. Okwa katuka kanini a yuka komesho, ndele ta papatele Anita nomaoko aye.
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.
Oshivike sha shikula ko, Anita okwa teleka, ndee ta ifana Simbegwire, vamwaina naina mumwaina waxe keumbo, va lye oitelekela yeendyandya! Anita okwa li a teleka oikulya aishe oyo i holike kuSimbegwire nakeshe umwe okwa lya fiyo ta kuta. Nokonima yokulya ounona okwa li tava danauka manga ovakulunhu tava kundafana. Simbegwire okwa li e udite ehafo noupenda. Okwa li a tokola kutya ota ka alukila keumbo diva, opo va kale pamwe naxe naina ou a hombolwa kuxe.
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.
