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Ándrá ũ’dú rĩ sĩ, áú kí ándrí jó
Yúkú bé wórí gá.
Kí ándrí jó ũá ásí ígbé sĩ ãríŋá
ãzí rĩ kí ábé pírí.
Í kí ákó pírí kí ídé ãlú.
Í ‘bã ází álu jó ngápí la jó ‘dawú.
Once upon a time, Hen and
Eagle were friends. They lived
in peace with all the other birds.
None of them could fly.
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.
Ángú ũwíjó múké ‘bó rĩ vũtígá,
áú ‘bá ágílí ází úníámbá lá cĩ.
Í’dó ‘bíkô í’bá wórĩká árĩŋá rũ rĩ
kí trá.
“Ũsó kí ãlú ámádrĩ ‘bíkô rĩ kí drí
gá,” jó íní.
“’Dá ícó lé ‘dí félé la ácíŋá ní
ádrú jó íwákó rú rã.”
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.”
Árĩŋá pírí kí drídríŋí gá, Yúkú í lú
ándrá síndání trũ tórómé ágá ní,
síní, í’dó ‘bíko só drídrí.
Ídé íní úpípí kí ũníámbamba rú
írĩ, vútílága ngájó ú’rugá áú ‘bá
drígásí.
Áú ándré jó Yúkú ní ífé jó mání
síndání ‘bíkô sójó, gbóŋá rú Áú
ándré ándé gá rá.
Á’bé síndání kábádí drígá ‘dá sí
mújó ákóná á’díjó í ãnzí ‘bání
kúkú gá lé áyu.
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.
Wó ísú ‘dísí árĩŋá ázírí ndré kí
Yúkú nga’ ágá lé rã.
Múkí áú ándré zí í’bání síndání
féjó sí í’bádrí úpípí rí só jó sínĩ.
Sá wéréŋá vútí gá, áríŋá kásárá
í’dó úngá úrú ga.
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.
Áríŋá ásíjó rĩ ní síndání ágú gá
úgógó, ísu ‘dísí Áú ándré í yu.
Síní áyú ãnzí ‘dúkí síndání ‘dí
í’dó kí ává sínĩ.
Í’bání ándéjó áváŋá sí’bó rí
vútígá, á’bé kí síndání cínyákí
drí gã.
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.
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.
Áú úci rú Yúkú dri, “Ífé lú mání
ú’dú ãlú.
Mí vá mí úpípí kí úsú sí ngájo
ákóná nd’rujó lé ídí rá.”
Yúkú jó, “Áfé lú míní ú’dú ãlú ídí.
Ídrí síndání dí ísú kú, mí mádrí
tílágá mí mváŋá ãlú rí fé áyũ.”
“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.”
Yúkú ní ámújó drúsí ínírĩ sí ‘bórí
sí, ísú áú ándré lá cínyákí á úvá,
wó ísú síndání kú.
Íjó ‘dísí, Yúkú újá ásá vúgá ‘dó
ó’pkó’si áú ‘bá mváŋá álú rĩ
‘bijó.
Yúkú ‘dú í’dí mújó trúní.
Í’dójó ú’dú ‘dásí, Yúkú drí úngá
úlí ágá, í’dí áú ándré í sú cínyákí
a íré ágá síndání ndrújó.
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.
Yúkú ‘bá indri ácá jó únókú gá
‘bó, áú ándré lá í ánzí kí ‘bá bile
índú lí.
“Ímí ápá ángú úlé rí gá rísĩ ázílá
ángú áí gá rí sí rá.”
Íkí do ũmví lá:
“Ámá ádrú ázázá rú kú. Ámá
ápá rá.”
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: Edektia Valente, Ociti Caleb, Aga Khan
