The audio for this story is currently not available.
Kimye baina Simbegwire bafwile, aye wajinga biingi na bulanda. Bashanji Simbegwire baesekele biingi na ngovu kumulama bulongo mwanabo. Pachepache batendekele kusangalala jikwabo kwakubula baina Simbegwire. Kimye kyonse lukelo baikalnga na kwisamba pa byo basa kuba mujoja juuba. Kimye kyonse mabanga batekaanga kajo ka mulajilo pamo. Panyuma yakovwa bijilo, bashanji Simbegwire bamu kwashangako kuba miingilo ya ku sukulu ya kubila ku nzubo.
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.
Juuba jimo bashanji Simbegwire babwelele ku nzubo kimye kyo babula kufikilapo kimye kyonse.”ujipi mwanami?” ba ichiile.Simbegwire wanyemejile bashanji.Waimeene byo amwene amba bakwata kuboko kwa mwanamukazhi. “beena kukeba uyuke uno muntu wapusanako, mwanami.Uno ke Anita,”ba ambile na kumwemwesela.
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.
“Byepi Simbegwire, bashobe bambula byavula pe obewa,” Anita waambile. Pano kechi wamwemwesejile nangwa ku kwata kuboko kwa mwanyike wa mukazhi. Bashanji Simbegwire batemenwe biingi ne kusangalala. Bashilangene pabyo abo basatu bakekalanga pamo nebyo bwikalo bwabo bukawama. “Mwanami, naketekela usa kumuswa Anita nobe inobe,” baambile bashanji.
“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.
Bwikalo bwa kwa Simbegwire bwa pimpwilwe. Kechi wajingapo na kimye kya kwikalapo nabashanji kimye kya lukelo. Anita wamupanga mingilo yavula yapa nzubo kyakuba amba wakankalwanga ne kuba mingilo yaku sukulu mabanga. Wayanga na kulala pa nyuma yakuja kajo ka mabanga nangwa ka mulaajilo.Kyamutekeneshangatu ke mweemba wa mushijile bainanji. Bashanji Simbegwire kechi bamwenga amba mwaanabo amba kechi wasangalala ne.
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.
Pakupitapo ba ng’ondo bacheche, bashanji Simbegwire bebabujile amba bakafumapo pa nzubo ka kimye kacheche. “Nkayanga ku mingilo,” baambile. “Mino nayuka mukelama bulongo.” Simbegwire wa tamishe pa menso, bino bashanji kechi bamwene ne. Anita aye kechi waambile kintu. Naye kechi watemenwe ne.
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.
Bintu bya tamijileko kwi Sambigwire. inge kechi wapwisha mingilo yapa nzubo nangwa wijizhang’anya, anita wa mupumanga. Ne kimye kya kuja kajo kaku lajilapo, uno inetu wajanga kajo kavula kushilako Sambegwire bukuku. Kimye kyonse pakulala, Sambegwiri wajilanga ne ku kwachijila mweemba wa mushijile bainanji.
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.
Juuba jimo lukelo Simbegwire kechi wabukile bukiji ne. “Obewa nkope!” Anita wabijikile. Wamukokele Simbegwire kufuma mu mwanya. Mweemba wanji wawama wakobele mu musumali ne kutabuka pabiji.
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 waumvwine biingi kutama. Wafukwile kunyema ne kufuma pa nzubo. Wasendele bipimvwa bya mwemmba wa bainanji,walongele kajo kabiji wafumine ne pa nzubo. Walondejilenga jishinda mwaile bashanji.
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.
Byokyafikile mabanga, wa kanjijile ku kichi kya lepa kwipi na mukola ne kunengezha pa kulaala mu misampi. Byo alajilenga watendekele kwiimba. “Maama, maama, maama, mwansha mwabunke. Mwanshile kabiji ke mwabwela ne. Ba taata baleka ku ntemwa. Maama mukeya kimye ka? Mwansha buunke.”
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.”
Juuba ja londejilepo, Simbegwire waimbile lwimbo jikwabo. Ba mainetu byo baishile kuchapa bivwalo ku kakola, baumvwine lwiimbo wa bulanda saka afuma ku kichi kyalepa. Balangulukile amba kampe mwela ubena ku lelaula mabula kabiji batwajijile ne mingilo yabo. Pano umo inetu watelekeshe biingi bulongo ku uno lwiimbo.
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.
Uno inetu watajile bingi mu kichi. Byo amwene mwanyike wamukazhi ne bipimvwa byanji bya mweemba wajijile, “Simbegwire, mwana kolojami!” Bainetu bakwabo balekele kuchapa ne ku kwasha Simbegwire kufuma ku kichi.Banyenga ya bashanji bamupakete ne kumu tekenesha.
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.
Banyenga ya bashanji bamu sendele Simbegwire ku nzubo yabo. Ba mupele Simbegwire byakuja byapyana ne ku muvweta bulongo mu mweemba wa bainanji. Abwa bufuku Simbegwire wajijile byoaile na kulaala. Bino yajinga mipolo ya lusekelo. Wayukile amba ba nyeenga ya bashanji baka mulama.
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.
Bashanji Simbegwire byo ba bwelele ku nzubo, bataine mu kibamba moalaalanga ufwamo. “Kiika kya mwekele, Anita?” Bashikizhe na muchima wa bulanda. Uno inetu walumbulwile amba Simbegwire wanyema. “Nakebelenga amba ampe mushingi,” waambile. “Pano mino kampe nakizhizhemo.” Bashanji Simbegwire balupukile mu nzubo ne kuya mwaya kakola. Batwajijile ne kuya ku muzhi waba nyenga yabo na kukeba kuyuka inge ba mwenepo Simbegwile.
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 wa kailenga ne bavyala banji byo amwene bashanji paleepa. Waumvwine moyo amba kampe basakumu kajipila, onkao mambo wanyemejile mu nzubo ne kufyama. Bino bashanji kwiaye ne ku mwambila amba, “Simbegwire, witaina inobe wakishinka. Umo wakutemwa kabiji wa kuyuka byouji. Nasekela mwi obewa kabiji na kutemwa.” Baswang’ene amba Simbegwire wikalanga neba nyenga ba bashanji.
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.
Bashanji ba mupempulanga mooba onse. Mwayanga mooba, baile na ku mupempula ne Anita. Anita wakwachile kuboko kwakwa Simbegwire. “Ndekeleko mambo, nalubankenye,” Anita waambile. “Wafwainwa kunswisha ngeseke jikwabo nyi?” Simbegwire watajile bashanji bajina kilungi kya milaangwe. Simbegwire wanyamukile ne kupakata 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.
Mulungu walondejilepo, Anita waichile Simbegwire ne bavyala banji ne bashanji nkazhi ku nzubo na kujila pamo. Anita wanengezhezhe konse kajo ko atemenwe kuja Simbegwire. Kabiji ne bonse bajile ne kwikuta. Banyike baile na ku kaya kabiji ne bakulumpe besambilenga. Simbegwire waumvwine bulongo ne kubula moyo. Kabiji wafukwile amba katataka aka bwele ku nzubo nakwikala na bashanji ne bainanji bakushinda
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.
