Kale kale koo, nekunani lubasi lone lupila mwa tabo.
Once upon a time,
there lived a happy
family.
Nebasa lwanangi. Nebatusanga bashemi babona kwa ndu ni kwa masimu.
They never fought with
each other. They helped
their parents at home
and in the fields.
Kono nebasa lumelezwi kusutelela fakaufi ni mulilo.
But they were not
allowed to go near a
fire.
Nebanani kubelekanga misebezi yabona kaufela ka nako ya busihu kakuli nabapangilwe fa bulota.
They had to do all their
work during the night.
Because they were made of wax!
Kono yomuñwi kwa bashimani na nyolezwi kuya mwa lizazi.
But one of the boys
longed to go out in the
sunlight.
Zazi leliñwi linyolwa lahae selitoba lelituna hahulu. Mizwale bahae bamufa mamela…
One day the longing
was too strong. His
brothers warned him…
Kono nesekuliyehile! Hashengunukela mwa lizazi lenelicisa.
But it was too late!
He melted in the hot
sun.
Bana ba bulota nebaswabile hahulu kubona muhabo bona inge ashengunuka cwalo.
The wax children were
so sad to see their
brother melting away.
Kono baba ni mulelo. Babupa nyunywani fa sikoto sa bulota bone bushengunukile boo.
But they made a plan.
They shaped the lump
of melted wax into a
bird.
Baisa munyenaabona wa nyunywani fa lilundu leli pahami luli.
They took their bird
brother up to a high
mountain.
Lizazi haselipazuzi, afufa inge aopela mwa liseli la kakusasani.
And as the sun rose, he
flew away singing into
the morning light.
Southern African Folktale
Wiehan de Jager
Christabel Songiso, Akombelwa Muyangana
SiLozi (Zambia)
Level 2
The audio for this story is currently not available.
