Apa gha fire nyina Simbegwire, gha tokotire thikuma. Wiha Simbegwire gha kondjire po pa gha hureramu kupakera mwanendi thinga. Kamananakamanana ha kuhongire karo kushamberera ngambi kenge papirire nyina Simbegwire. Kehe mathikuthiku nga ha hungumananga no kukuvureka yodiyuwa dyo paghutho. Kehe runguro nga ha terekanga murarero pofotji. Munyima kokuyogha turonga pofotji, wiha Simbegwire nga mughamwenanga noyirughana yendi yoshure.
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.
Diyuwa dimweya, wiha Simbegwire gha hurere kwiya kudimbo kupitana mayuwa gho maheya. “Kupi ghudi mwanange?” ghethire. Simbegwire gha tjirere kwa wihe. Ghemanine apa gha monine eshi wihe ghana kwata dyoko dya mbuyama. “Nashana ghu kuwanekere na munu ghumwe gho mudyo, mwanange. Oyu ne yo Anita,” gha ghambire ghu menya-menya.
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.
“Moro Simbegwire, wiho gha nitongwera yoyingi yokuhatera kukoye,” gha ghambire Anita. Ene kadi gha menyune no kukwata temba dyoko dya mukamadighana yu. Wiha Simbegwire gha hafire no kushamberera. Gha ghambire yo kuhatera ku kutunga kwagho pofotji hahatu, no ngepi edi ya kukara yipara yawo. “Mwanange, nakurupera eshi ñanyi wa ku mutambure Anita eshi nyoko,” gha ghambire.
“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.
Yipara ya Simbegwire ya kutjindjire. Mbadi gha wanine karo noruvedhe ro kuhungumana na wihe mathikuthiku. Anita nga mupanga thikuma yirughana yo mudighumbo no nga ghayanga kate nga piranga kurughana yirughana yendi yoshure runguro. Nga yendanga gha karare pa kumana vene kudya murarero. Thinu ethi nga thi muhengaghuranga ne ngugho gho marudhi gha shawingi oyu gha mupire nyina. Wiha Simbegwire mbadi gha dimukire eshi mwanendi ne mbadi gha shambererire.
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.
Apa twa pitire po tughonda totupu, wiha Simbegwire gha wa tongwerire eshi ñanyi gha kutunde mudimbo mayuwa ghongandji. “Na kona kuyenda kuruyendo no yirughana,” gha ghambire. Ene, nadimuka eshi ñanyi mwa ku kukunge. Rupara rwa Simbegwire rwa ndjembukire ene, wihe mbadi gha yinongononine. Anita mbadiko eyi gha ghambire. Naye mbadi gha shambererire.
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.
Yinu ya kukutere Simbegwire. Ngeshi mbadi ghana mana yirughana yendi yo padighumbo, ngambi nga kushivana, Anita ne kumupumura. Karo pa kudya murarero , mbuyama yu ngadyanga yidya yoyingi kuthiyerapo Simbegwire tukukumwena totumbirumbiru. Kehe ghuthiku Simbegwire nga diranga kate kukotha, gho ndhondhera ngugho wa nyina.
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.
Mathikuthiku ghamweya, Simbegwire gha rarere no mbadi gha pindukire wangu.”Owe mukamadighana sha ghuva!” Anita gha kugherire. Gha kokire Simbegwire pa ghudidi. Ngugho yu sha ghuwa gha kakatere ku dimboha, no gha djadjukire muyipindhi yiwadi.
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 gha tokotire. Gha tokore kushwagha no kutjira mudimbo. Gha shimbire yipindhi yo nguwo wa nyina, kurongera yidya yimweya no gha tjwayukire mudimbo. Gha kuthire ndhira edhi gha yendire wihe.
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.
Apa rwa karire runguro, gha dhinine kuthitondo tho thire pepi no rware no gha tendire ghudidi pa mite dho thitondo. Apa gha rarire, ghembire: “Nawe, nawe, nawe, wa nithiya. Wa nithiya no mbadi karo wakahuka. Tate ne mbadi gha nihaka karo. Nawe, diyuwa munye wa kahuka? Wa nithiya.”
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.”
Mathikuthiku pa kuva diyuwa, Simbegwire ghembire karo dimbo di ya. Apa heyire hambuyama kurware no ha yoye yitere yawo hayuvire dimbo dyo thiñeke dya kushwayera kuthitondo tho thire. Ha ghayarire eshi ngwa mupepo wa kununganyunga mahako, no ha twikere no yirughana yawo. Ene yofotji gho po hambuyama ghaterere thiwana kudimbo di.
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.
Mbuyama yu gha kengire kuwiru dho thitondo. Apa gha monine mukamadighana yu no yipindhi yo ngugho wendi, gha dirire, “Simbegwire mwana mukurwange!” Ha mbuyama hamweya ha shayekire kuyogha no ha ghamwenine Simbegwire kushuruka kuthitondo thi. Nyinaghana gha ndhondherire mukamadighana yu no kumuhengaghura.
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.
Nyinaghana Simbegwire gha mushimbire kudimbo dyendi. Gha mupire Simbegwire yidya yo yiyenyu, no gha muvungerire mughudidi no ngugho wa nyina. Ghuthiku gho Simbegwire gha dirire apa gha rarire. Ene, maruhodhi gho yishamberera. Gha dimukire eshi nyinaghana ñanyi gha ku mupakere thinga no ku mukunga.
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.
Opa gha kahukire wiha Simbegwire kudimbo, kuna wana ndhugho dhendi ne mukunguru. “Yinye ya hokoka, Anita?” Ghepurire no mutjima gho kundundumena. Mbuyama yu gha tjwathanithire eshi Simbegwire ne gha tjira. “Ku nashanine eshi gha nikutekere, gha ghambire. Ene ngwa nakarire ghukenya thikuma. Wiha Simbegwire gha shwayire mudimbo no kupirukera mutara gho rware. Gha twikere kuyenda kumukunda wa minendi mu kepura ngeshi ha mumona 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 gha pepire no ha yiro yendi no gha kambekedhire wihe kokayenda. Gha yapire eshi ngwa ghana pata, no gha tjirere mwishi dho ndhugho no konda. Ene wihe gha muyendere no kumutongwera, “Simbegwire, nga ghu wana nyoko gho muwa no ghunongo. Oyu gha kuhaka no kukutjwathana. Na hafa no na kuhaka.” Hakuyuvire eshi Simbegwire ñanyi gha karange kwa nyinaghana yu kate popa gha kuhimena.
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.
Wihe nga ka mudhinguranga kehe diyuwa. Diyuwa dimweya, gheyire na Anita. Gha ghonyonine dyoko dyendi kwa Simbegwire. “Dishesha shemwa mwanuke, na kwirire,” gha dirire. “Kukona ghu nipe ruvedhe na kuyereke karo ndi?” Simbegwire gha kengire wihe oyu gha karire no rupara ro yikudhekera. Simbegwire gheyire kughutho kamanana no kundhondhera 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.
Thivike tho kurandako, Anita gha noyire ha Simbegwire, no yiro yendi na nyinaghana kudighumbo dyagho. Mawe mukandi! Anita gha terekire yida yoyihe eyi gha haka Simbegwire, no keheyuno gha dire kate kukuta. Munyima hanuke hapepire oku hakuru wo ne pakukuvureka. Simbegwire gha shambererire no gha tjimapire. Gha tokorire eshi tamba-tamba gha kahuke kudighumbo gha kuna tunge na wihe na nyina ghothitumbwena.
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
Ruthgela Shawanga
Thimbukushu
Level 5
The audio for this story is currently not available.
