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A’U PI YUKU BE Hen and Eagle

Written by Ann Nduku

Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager

Translated by Alice Ojobiru

Language Lugbarati

Level Level 3

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Ndra drio a’u pi yuku be ndra aa aria azi ‘di pie asi anzu si. Yi ndra afu dria ‘ye tualu.

Once upon a time, Hen and Eagle were friends. They lived in peace with all the other birds. None of them could fly.


O’du alu liki ‘de yi vile angua. Yuku mu re nyaku nda. Emvi andezeza ru. Yuku nga ota, ‘’Geri acizu nyaka ndazu ri ma ewa ‘doni!”

One day, there was famine in the land. Eagle had to walk very far to find food. She came back very tired. “There must be an easier way to travel!” said Eagle.


A’u kama o’duko onyiru ‘bo, egata azi onyiru ni emu eri ma omia. E’do eyi ma agi aria ru odra’ba ‘bo ‘di ma ‘biko o’du. ‘’Le ama ma so ‘biko ‘di ri ama dri ri ma dria. ‘ Di nga azzini si ama fe aci ani ewakoko.”

After a good night’s sleep, Hen had a brilliant idea. She began collecting the fallen feathers from all their bird friends. “Let’s sew them together on top of our own feathers,” she said. “Perhaps that will make it easier to travel.”


Aria ma eselea dria yuku ndra lu sindani pie andu yi vileria ni, e’yo ni si e’do ‘biko so oko. Indikindi ayu ima ‘biko ‘di yi yi ngazu re de ku a’u ni ele dole. a;’u andri ande mbeleru ‘biko soza si. Ku sindani ‘diiri kabadi ma dria ra, mu di nyaka a’di ‘ima anzi ni kukua.

Eagle was the only one in the village with a needle, so she started sewing first. She made herself a pair of beautiful wings and flew high above Hen. Hen borrowed the needle but she soon got tired of sewing. She left the needle on the cupboard and went into the kitchen to prepare food for her children.


Esu de aria azi ‘di ndre yuku ni ngaria ‘dale. Aria azia ‘di ziki a’u andri ni eyini sindani fezu yi ma opilebi sozu be ni. Sawa were vutia, aria karakarau ri onga ‘bua.

But the other birds had seen Eagle flying away. They asked Hen to lend them the needle to make wings for themselves too. Soon there were birds flying all over the sky.


Aria asizu ‘di ni sindani omviria, esuni a’u andri ni ku. E’yo ‘di avi ani. Kamu ande avita si ‘bo, ku ki sindani cinya alea.

When the last bird returned the borrowed needle, Hen was not there. So her children took the needle and started playing with it. When they got tired of the game, they left the needle in the sand.


Estusi, yuku nga dri atri. A’I ‘ima sindani ima ‘biko azi alopi ‘di yi sozu vile. A’u nga kabadi ma si ne. Ne kuku ale. Ne angu aku dria.Te esuni sindani ku ye.

Later that afternoon, Eagle returned. She asked for the needle to fix some feathers that had loosened on her journey. Hen looked on the cupboard. She looked in the kitchen. She looked in the yard. But the needle was nowhere to be found.


A’u nga ‘I ma yuku, ‘’ife lu mani o’du alu.” ‘’Mi di nga mi opile su ngazu ‘dule nyaka ndazu dika.” Yuku nga ‘yo, afe lu mini o’du alu dika.” ‘ika sindani di esuku, mi nga parinia mi mva aluni fe ‘i.

“Just give me a day,” Hen begged Eagle. “Then you can fix your wing and fly away to get food again.” “Just one more day,” said Eagle. “If you can’t find the needle, you’ll have to give me one of your chicks as payment.”


Drusin’dini yuku ka mu emu ‘bo, esu a’u andri ni angu oviria cinya ma alea te esuni sindani ku ye. E’yo nisi yuku nga mbele ‘I eri va, ‘du a’u ma mva ra.

When Eagle came the next day, she found Hen scratching in the sand, but no needle. So Eagle flew down very fast and caught one of the chicks. She carried it away. Forever after that, whenever Eagle appears, she finds Hen scratching in the sand for the needle.


E’dozu o’du ‘dasi, yuku ka onga oli alea, eri a’u andri esu cinya ma ale ereria sindani ndazu. Yuku ma opile ma endrilendri ka ‘I ‘ba nyakua, a’u andri ni ‘ima anzi ma bile eti li. ‘’Mi da mi angu ole azini ‘wiza ‘di alea yi omvi. ‘’Ama adrini azaza ru ku.Ama nga apa te. Kere, kere,kere kere, kere Kere,kere Kere,kerer,kerer,kerer,kerer Kerer,kere, Kere,kere,mi ri di Kere,kere.

As the shadow of Eagle’s wing falls on the ground, Hen warns her chicks. “Get out of the bare and dry land.” And they respond: “We are not fools. We will run.”


Written by: Ann Nduku
Illustrated by: Wiehan de Jager
Translated by: Alice Ojobiru
Language: Lugbarati
Level: Level 3
Source: Hen and Eagle from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License.
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