Enn gramatin boner, Vusi so gramer finn apel li. « Vusi rann enn servis amenn sa dizef-la pou to paran. Zot pe anvi fer enn gro gato pou maryaz to ser. »
Early one morning Vusi’s granny
called him, “Vusi, please take this
egg to your parents. They want to
make a large cake for your sister’s
wedding.”
Ler li pe al kot so paran, Vusi finn rankont de garson ki ti pe kas fri. Enn ladan finn pran dizef-la e finn avoy li lor enn pie. Dizef-la finn kase.
On his way to his parents, Vusi met
two boys picking fruit. One boy
grabbed the egg from Vusi and shot
it at a tree. The egg broke.
Vusi, ki ti pe plore finn dir : « Ki to finn fer ? ». Sa dizef-la ti pou gato maryaz mo ser. La ki mo ser pou dir si pena gato maryaz ?
“What have you done?” cried Vusi.
“That egg was for a cake. The cake
was for my sister’s wedding. What
will my sister say if there is no
wedding cake?”
Bann garson-la ti sagrin ki zot finn takinn Vusi. Enn ant zot finn dir « Nou pa pou kapav ede pou gato-la, me ala enn baton-marse pou to ser, ». Vusi pourswiv so larout.
The boys were sorry for teasing
Vusi.
“We can’t help with the cake, but
here is a walking stick for your
sister,” said one.
Vusi continued on his journey.
Lor sime, li’nn rankont de zom ki ti pe aranz enn lakaz. Enn ladan finn dimann-li « Eski nou kapav servi sa baton solid la ? » Me baton-la pa ti ase solid pou konstriksion-la e li finn kase.
Along the way he met two men
building a house. “Can we use that
strong stick?” asked one.
But the stick was not strong enough
for building, and it broke.
« Ki zot finn fer ? » Vusi ki ti pe plore finn dir « Sa baton-la ti enn kado pou mo ser. Bann dimoun ki ti pe kas fri inn donn mwa-sa akoz zot finn kas dizef pou gato. Gato-la ti pou maryaz mo ser. La pena dizef, pena gato, ek pena kado. Ki mo ser pou dir la ? »
“What have you done?” cried Vusi.
“That stick was a gift for my sister.
The fruit pickers gave me the stick
because they broke the egg for the
cake. The cake was for my sister’s
wedding. Now there is no egg, no
cake, and no gift. What will my
sister say?”
Bann mason-la ti sagrin ki zot finn kas baton-la. Enn ladan finn dir « Nou pa pou kapav fer nanye pou gato-la me ala enn bot lapay pou to ser ». Vusi pourswiv so larout.
The builders were sorry for breaking
the stick.
“We can’t help with the cake, but
here is some thatch for your sister,”
said one.
And so Vusi continued on his
journey.
An rout, Vusi finn zwen enn fermie ek enn vas. Vas-la finn diman li « bot lapay-la paret bon, mo kapav pan inpe ? » Me bot lapay-la ti telman bon ki vas-la finn manz tou.
Along the way, Vusi met a farmer
and a cow. “What delicious thatch,
can I have a nibble?” asked the cow.
But the thatch was so tasty that the
cow ate it all!
Vusi, ki ti pe plore finn dir « Ki to finn fer ? Sa bot lapay la ti enn kado pou mo ser. Bann mason finn donn mwa-sa parski zot finn kas baton bann dimounn ki ti pe kas fri la. Bann dimounn ki ti pe kas fri la finn donn mwa sa baton-la parski zot finn kas dizef ki ti pou servi pou gato mo ser. Gato-la ti pou maryaz mo ser. Asterla pena dizef, pena gato et okenn kado. Ki mo ser pou dir la ? »
“What have you done?” cried Vusi.
“That thatch was a gift for my
sister. The builders gave me the
thatch because they broke the stick
from the fruit pickers. The fruit
pickers gave me the stick because
they broke the egg for my sister’s
cake. The cake was for my sister’s
wedding. Now there is no egg, no
cake, and no gift. What will my
sister say?”
Vas-la ti sagrin ki li’nn azir kouma enn gourman. Fermie-la finn aksepte pou ki vas-la al ek Vusi e servi kouma enn kado pou so ser. Vusi pourswiv so larout.
The cow was sorry she was greedy.
The farmer agreed that the cow
could go with Vusi as a gift for his
sister. And so Vusi carried on.
Me kan finn ariv ler pu dine, vas-la finn sove et finn retourn kot fermie-la. E an rout, Vusi finn perdi. Li finn arriv bien tar pou maryaz so ser. Bann invite ti deza pe manze.
But the cow ran back to the farmer
at supper time.
And Vusi got lost on his journey.
He arrived very late for his sister’s
wedding. The guests were already
eating.
Vusi, ki ti pe plore, finn dir « Ki mo sipoze fer ? Vas ki finn sove la ti enn kado an esanz bot lapay ki bann mason ti donn mwa. Bann mason ti donn mwa sa bot lapay-la parski zot finn kas baton bann dimounn ki ti pe kas fri la. Bann dimounn ki ti pe kas fri-la finn donn mwa sa baton-la parski zot finn kas dizef ki ti pou servi pou gato. Gato-la ti pou maryaz. Asterla, nepli ena dizef, ni gato e pena kado. »
“What shall I do?” cried Vusi.
“The cow that ran away was a gift,
in return for the thatch the builders
gave me. The builders gave me the
thatch because they broke the stick
from the fruit pickers. The fruit
pickers gave me the stick because
they broke the egg for the cake.
The cake was for the wedding. Now
there is no egg, no cake, and no
gift.”
Vusi so ser finn reflesi pandan enn moman apre li finn dir « Vusi, mo frer, mo pa kas latet ar bann kado. Mo pa mem gagn traka gato-la ! Nou tou ansam isi, mo erez. Asterla, ale met to zoli linz et anou selebre sa zour-la ! E samem Vusi finn fer.
Vusi’s sister thought for a while,
then she said,
“Vusi my brother, I don’t really care
about gifts. I don’t even care about
the cake! We are all here together, I
am happy. Now put on your smart
clothes and let’s celebrate this
day!”
And so that’s what Vusi did.
Written by: Nina Orange
Illustrated by: Wiehan de Jager
Translated by: Shameem Oozeerally & MIE French Students
Nina Orange
Wiehan de Jager
Shameem Oozeerally & MIE French Students
Mauritian Creole
Level 4
The audio for this story is currently not available.
