Bo mahe Simbegwire anebatimezi, naishondile hahulu. Bo ndatahe Simbegwire neba likile katata kubabalela mwanaa bona wa musizani. Hanyinyani- hanyinyani, nebaitutile kutaba hape kokusina bo mahe Simbegwire. Molipazulela lizazi kaufela, neba ina niku ambola kaza lizazi leo. Manzibwani neba lukisa za mulalelo hamoho. Kasamulaho wa kutapisa mikeke, bo ndatahe Simbegwire neba mutusanga kueza musebezi wa sikolo oezezwa kwandu.
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.
Zazi leliñwi, bo ndatahe Simbegwire nebatile kwandu kakuliyeha hanyinyani kufita monebatelanga mazazi kaufela. “Ukai mwanake?” babiza. Simbegwire amatela bo ndatahe. Angangamana asaboni kuli nebasweli lizoho la musali. “Nibata kuli ukopane nimutu yomuñwi yo yaipitezi, mwanake. Ba kibo Anita,” babulela inge bamenya.
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.
“Lumela Simbegwire, bo ndataho bani bulelezi hahulu zeñata zahao,” bo Anita babulela. Kono neba sikamenya kapa kuswala lizoho la musizani. Bo ndatahe Simbegwire neba tabile ni kunyakalala. Ba ambola za kupila hamoho kwa bona babalalu, mi ni bupilo bwabona monebukabela hande. “Mwanaka, nasepa ukabalumela bo Anita sina bo maho,” babulela.
“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.
Bupilo bwa Simbegwire bwa cinca. Nasina nako yakuina ni bo ndatahe kakusanani. Bo Anita nebamufanga misebezi yemiñata ya fa lapa kuli nakatalanga hahulu kupalelwa ni kuñola musebezi wa kwa sikolo manzibwani. Nayanga kwa kulobala hasafeza feela kuca mulalelo. Sene simu ombaombanga feela neli kubo yamibalabala yene bamufile bo mahe. Bo ndatahe Simbegwire nebasika lemuha kuli mwanaa bona nasina tabo.
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.
Hase kufitile li kwelinyana, bo ndatahe Simbegwire baba bulelela kuli bakazwa fa ndu ka nakonyana. “Niswanela kuya kwa musebezi,” babulela. “Kono naziba kuli mukaipabalela.” Simbegwire awisa sifateho, kono bo ndatahe nebasika lemuha. Bo Anita nebasika bulela sesiñwi kakuli nibona nebasikatabela.
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.
Lika zamutatafalela hahulu Simbegwire. Haiba nasikafeza kueza misebezi yafa lapa, kapa kubilaela, bo Anita neba munatanga. Hape ka nako ya mulalelo, bo Anita nebacanga lico zeñata, kusiyelanga Simbegwire malamba-lamba. Busihu kaufela Simbegwire naitilelanga konji buloko habuka muswala, ali kufumbatela kubo ya bo mahe.
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.
Lizazi leliñwi kakusasani, Simbegwire alobala singomba. “Wena musizani yabuzwa!” Anita ahuwa. Sahoha Simbegwire ku muzusa fa mumbeta. Kubo yakakatela fa mapo ni kupazuha kueza liyemba zepeli.
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 nafilikanile maswe mi abaleha kumata mwa lapa. Ashimba tuemba twa kubo ya bo mahe ni lico mi azwa aikela. A latelela nzila yene bafitile bo ndatahe.
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.
Ka nako ya manzibwani, apahama kota yetelele yeli kwa tuko a lyabwa ni kuipangela mumbeta mwa mitai. Hase alobala, aopela: “Ima, ima, ima, munisiile. Munisiile mi amusika kuta. Bo ndate abasanilata. Ima, mukuta lili? Munisiile.”
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.”
Kakusasani wa lizazi lelitatama, Simbegwire aopela pina yeo hape. Basali ba ne batile kuto tapisa libyana kwa kanukana, bautwa pina ya matomola pilu yenezwelela kwa kota yetelele. Banahana kuli mwendi ki moya wo no nyanganyisa matali mi bazwelapili ni misebezi yabona. Kono musali yomuñwi wa kubona ateeleza pina yeo katokomelo.
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.
Musali yo atalimisisa kwa kota. Abona musizani ni liemba za kubo ya mibala-bala, alila, “Simbegwire, mwana a kezelaka!” Basali babañwi batuhela kutapisa batusa Simbegwire kutuluka kwa kota. Bo ndatahe ba basali ba kakumbatela kasizani ni kulika ku kaombaomba.
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.
Bo ndatahe Simbegwire ba basali bamushimba kwa lapa labona. Bamufa lico ze futumala ni kumu lobaza inge bamuapesize kubo ya bo mahe. Busihu bo, Simbegwire nalilile hahulu konji buloko kumuswala. Kono neeli mioko ya tukuluho kakuli naziba kuli bo ndatahe ba basali baka mubabalela.
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.
Bo ndatahe Simbegwire haba kutile kwa ndu, batofumana musiyo wahae mukungulu. “Kuezahalile sikamani, Anita?” Babuza ka pilu ye bukiti. Musali muhulu atalusa kuli Simbegwire ubalehile. “Nenibata kuli anikuteke,” abulela. “Kono mwendi nenitatafalile hahulu.” Bo ndatahe Simbegwire bazwa fa lapa ni kulatelela nzila yeliba kwa lyabwa. Baliba kwa lapa ya kezelaa bona kuyo buza haiba neba muboni 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.
Simbegwire bapala ni likezeli zahae atobona bo ndatahe kwa hulenyana. Nasabile kuli mwendi baka nyema, konakuli amatela mwandu kuyoipata. Kono bo ndatahe baya kuyena mi babulela bali, “Simbegwire, uipumanezi bo maho bangana. Ba bakulata ni ku kuutwisisa. Niikuumusa ka wena mi nakulata.” Balumelelana kuli Simbegwire uta pila ni bo ndatahe ba basali kuisa fa kalatela.
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.
Bo ndatahe neba mupotelanga zazi ni zazi. Lizazi leliñwi bataha ni bo Anita. Baswala Simbegwire kwa lizoho. “Uniswalele mwanana tuwe, nenifosize,” balila. “Wakona kunifa sibaka sakulika hape, nji?” Simbegwire atalimela bo ndatahe ni kwa pata yabona yene ikalezwi. Cwale ataha fa pata hainyani-hainyani ni kuto potolohisa mazoho ahae ku bo 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.
Sunda yenetatama, bo Anita bamema Simbegwire, likezeli zahae, ni bo ndatahe ba basali kwa lapa kuyoca. Neeli malyalya! Bo Anita neba apehile lico kaufela zanalata hahulu Simbegwire mi batu kaufela neba cile kukula. Cwale banana babapala, babahulu inge baambola. Simbegwire naikutwile kutaba ni bundume. Saiketela kuli, cwanoñu, ukakuta kwandu kuyo pila ni bo ndatahe ni bo mahe ba mutose.
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.
Rukia Nantale
Benjamin Mitchley
Christabel Songiso, Akombelwa Muyangana
SiLozi (Zambia)
Level 5
The audio for this story is currently not available.
