Apa va dogorokere ozina va Simbegwire, age kwa kuguvire unene. Oguhwe va Simbegwire kwa rugene momu va vhulira mokupakera mbili munwawo gomukadona. Mokaruwogona tava ya lirongo kukara simpe noruhafo, pwa hana ozina va Simbegwire. Nkenye ngurangura ngava hingire tava uuyunga kuhamena ezuva olyo. Nkenye ngurova ngava tereke murarero kumwe. Konyima zokumana ku kuhwa yiyaha, oguhwe ngava mu vatere kurugana yiruganenambo yendi.
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.
Ezuva limwe, oguhwe va Simbagwire kwa hulilire kuwiza kembo kapisi moomu ava wiza nkenye siruwo noruveze. “Kupi ono kara munwange?” Yimo ga mu zigidire. Simbagwire ta dukire koguhwe. Ta sikama ndjikiti mokuvamona awo vana kwata mewoko lyomukadi. “Na hara ni kulikide muharwa gwange, munwange. Ogu yige Anita,” kwa tumbwire edina lyendi nehafo.
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.
“Ngapi Simbegwire, oguho kwa tantera nge yoyinzi yokuhamnea koge,” yimo ga uyungire Anita. Nye kapi ga menya-menyene ndi a kwate ewoko lyendi. Oguhwe va Simbagwire kwa hefe unene. Awo kwa uuyungire kuhamena omu nava paruka kumwe moutatu wawo. “Munwange, na huguvara asi to mu tambura Anita va kare onane woge,” yimo ga uyungire.
“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.
Eparu lya Simbegwire kwa litjindjire, kapi nga gwana siruwo sokuhingira kumwe noguhwe ngura-ngura. Anita nga mu pe yirugana yoyinzi yemembo yiyo ngayi murorora a dire kuvhura kurugana yirugana yendi yosure ngurova. Nkenye apa nga mana kulya murarero nga vyukilire pombete aka rare. Nga gwanene mbili ko nguho ezi va mu sigira onakufa ozina. Oguhwe va Simbagwire kapi va dimbwilire asi munwawo kapi ana kara nehafo.
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.
Konyima zomakwedi gongandi, oguhwe va Simbagwire tava va tantere asi kapi nava kara po pembo pokaruwo kokasupi. “Ame tani zi koyirugana yange,” yimo va uuyungire. “Nye nayidiva asi nomu lipakera mbili nyamweni.” Sipara sa Simbegwire kwa kuguvire, nye oguhwe kapi vayi dimbwilire. Anita kapi ga uuyungire yuma. Nagesi kapi ga kere noruhafo.
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.
Yininke ya Simbagwire tayi zi nye kokudona. Nsene kapi ana mana yirugana, yendi ndi asivane, Anita nga mu toona. Nsene pokulya murarero, mukadi nga li nondja dononzi, ta sigire tupu Simbagwire nondja dononsesu. Nkenye masiku Simbegwire nga lili dogoro ta rara, nokulidingira nguho ezi vamusigira onakufa ozina.
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 zimwe, Simbegwire kwa hulilire kutunda pombete. “Ove mukadona goudwa!” yimo ga zigilire Anita. Ta mukoko po pombete. Nguho tazi lihaka membwara, tazi tauka pavali,
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 kwa handukire. Yipo gadukire a tunde po pembo. Ta gusa nye yizupangwidi yonguho ozo za taukire pavali vamusigira onakufa ozina, nokurongera nondja, makura ta tundupo pembo. Age kwa kweme nzira ezi va gendere oguhwe.
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.
Apa za sikire ngurova, ta rondo kositji sosire sakara pepi nediva makura tawapaike mbete zendi konomutayi. Komeho a rare, ta dimbi, “Nane, nane, nane, mwasiga nge. Mwasiga nge kapi mwakatengura. Otate kapi vana hara nge hena. Nane, siruwo ke nomutengura? Mwasiga nge.”
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 zo kukwamako, Simbegwire ta dimbi simpe rusumo rooro. Apa va wizire vakadi kediva va ya kuhwe, tava zuvhu rusumo rweguwo runa kutundilira kositji sosire. Awo kwagazazarere asi nampo mpepo zina kepepagura mahako, makura tava twikire noyirugana yawo. Nye mukadi gumwe yipo gapurakenene nawa rusumo oro.
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.
Ogu mukadi ta tara keguru lyositji. Apa ga mwene mukadonagona noyizupangwidi yendi yonguho, ta lili, “Simbegwire, munwa mumbyange gomugara!” Vakadi wokuhupako tava hageke ku kuhwa va vatere Simbagwire kuhumburuka kositji. Mukurwa goguhwe gomukadi makura ta mu lidingire a mu pakere mbili.
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.
Simbegwire ta mu gusa nye mukurwa goguhwe gomukadi a mu tware kembo lyendi, Age kwa pere simbagwire nondja dougenya , ta mu tura pombete nonguho zendi. Masiku ogo, Simbegwire kwa lilire komeho a rare. Nye kapisi mahodi geguwo. Morwa gadivire asi ozina gona tava mu pakere mbili.
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.
Apa va katengwire oguhwe kembo, tava ya gwana monzugo zendi mwato yuma. “Yinke yahoroka, Anita?” kwa pulire nomutjima gomudigu. Mukadi ta faturura asi Simbegwire kwa duka mo membo. “Ame kwa here a fumadeke nge” yimo a na kuuyunga. “Nye nampo ame ngani mu vyukilire kumutantera.” Oguhwe va Simbegwire tava tundu membo noku vyukilira vaze kediva. Tava ka twikira vaze komukunda oku ga kara mukurwendi gomukadi noku ka pura nsene asi vamonako Simbengwire.
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 noyipwa yendi apa gamwene oguhwe koure. Age kwa kere no woma asi nampo oguhwe kuvhura vahanduke, makura ta dukire monzugo aka vande. Nye oguhwe tava zi kwendi makura tava uuyunga asi, “Simbegwire, ono ya gwana onane woge wovawa. A va vakuhara noku kuzuvha. Ame kwa kulizuvha mfumwa ntani nakuhara.” Yipo va lizuvasanene asi Simbagwire ta kara namumbya goguhwe gomukadi ku kwama omu ana hara 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.
Oguhwe ngava ya mu tarerepo nkenye ezuva. Ngava wiza na Anita. Ta kwata ewoko lya Simbagwire. “Mbili musesugona, ame kwa kere mepuko,” age ta lili. “Kuvhura o pulisire nge ni heteke ko hena?” Simbagwire ta tara oguhwe ntani nosipara sawo sosinka. Makura age ta heda komeho kuliwora ntani ta tura mawoko gendi korutu rwa 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.
Sivike sokukwama ko, Anita ta zigida Simbegwire, kumwe noyipwa yendi ntani namukurwa goguhwe gomukadi, va wize va ya lye kumwe kembo lyoguhwe. Yininke yoyiwa! Anita kwa terekere nondja nadinye edi gahara Simbagwire, nkenye gumwe kwalire dogoro ana kuta. Ano vanona kwa danaukire siruwo oso vakorona awo kuna ku uuyunga. Simbagwire kwa hefe ntani kwa lizuvhire upenda. Age ta tokora, asi ntaantani, ntaantani a tengure kembo a ya tunge noguhwe nozina wositumbwena
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.
