Othi ne thithimwetwedha tha Ngende, muneghedhi ghowiki ghomuka nomurumeghana ghokahoma ha ta Gingile. Diyuwa dimweya apa gha yendire Gingile kukushana gha yuvire Ngede ghana kwitha. Gingile gha tangire kuminaghura mate pakughayara wiki ghomuka. Ghemanine nogha tegherere thiwana, gha temaghurire kate gha monine thinyunyi kumute pawiru dho mutwi wendi. ” Tjitiki-tjiitik-tjitiki, ” kanyunyighana ka kaparapapire, ako pakutuka tunda thitondo yenda thitondo. “tjitiki, tjiitiki,tjitiki,” kethire, katurera turerire mukukoneka eshi Gingile ne kuna kukakutha.
This is the story of Ngede, the Honeyguide, and a greedy young man named Gingile.
One day while Gingile was out hunting he heard the call of Ngede. Gingile’s mouth began to water at the thought of honey. He stopped and listened carefully, searching until he saw the bird in the branches above his head.
“Chitik-chitik-chitik,” the little bird rattled, as he flew to the next tree, and the next.
“Chitik, chitik, chitik,” he called, stopping from time to time to be sure that Gingile followed.
After half an hour, they reached a huge wild fig tree.
Ngede hopped about madly among the branches. He then settled on one branch and cocked his head at Gingile as if to say, “Here it is! Come now! What is taking you so long?”
Gingile couldn’t see any bees from under the tree, but he trusted Ngede.
Gingile gha turire dighonga dyendi dyokushanitha pamuve mwishi dhothitondo , ghogha kongawedhire twaghara tokukukuta nokukoñera mudiro. Apa wa tumbukire thiwana mudiro, gha turire katondo kate pakatji komudiro. Oko katondo kwaka dimukitha kuwingi mwithi oku kone pakutumbuka. Gha tangire kudhina, oku ghana mbandeka thithiki thomudiro ethi thina kututumuka mwithi nomayegho.
So Gingile put down his hunting spear under the tree, gathered some dry twigs and made a small fire.
When the fire was burning well, he put a long dry stick into the heart of the fire. This wood was especially known to make lots of smoke while it burned.
He began climbing, holding the cool end of the smoking stick in his teeth.
Kapupikamanana gha yuvire muka dhina kutukatuka. Adho dha ngenine no kushwagha murupako rodighundhi - mudiwende. Apa gha kakumine Gingile kudiwende ghaka tjotjekire thithiki thomudiro ethi thathimutukire mwithi mudipango. Muka dha shwayiremo ghutambuka, noghupata nonyinya. Dhatukire yoyishi mbadi dhahakire mwithi, ene kughutho ghokutuka ne dhamuhumine nokumuthiyera Gingile marunonga!
Soon he could hear the loud buzzing of the busy bees. They were coming in and out of a hollow in the tree trunk – their hive.
When Gingile reached the hive he pushed the smoking end of the stick into the hollow.
The bees came rushing out, angry and mean. They flew away because they didn’t like the smoke – but not before they had given Gingile some painful stings!
Opa dha shwayiremo muka, Gingile gha ngenekire moko ghendi muthitunguru. Ghaka shwayire mo nomoko ghokuyara thindana thowiki ghomuka thoghuremu, kuna kundoka wiki ghomuka nomaghadhi. Gha turire thiwanathiwana thindana thowiki ghomuka mundjato edhi ghaku kurekire pamapeghe no gha shurukire kuthitondo.
When the bees were out, Gingile pushed his hands into the nest. He took out handfuls of the heavy comb, dripping with rich honey and full of fat, white grubs.
He put the comb carefully in the pouch he carried on his shoulder, and started to climb down the tree.
Ngede gha rorere yoyiheya eyi gha rughanine Gingile. Gha tatererire eshi ngogha muthiyereko dihenda dyothindana thowiki ghomuka dho ndangi dhendi mu ku muneghedha oku wa karire wiki ghomuka. Ngede gha tukire tunda mute yenda mute, pepi pepi no pamuve . Paghuhura Gingile ghaka kumine kumuve dhothitondo. Ngede gha turumuthere padiwe pepi noyo mungaghu ghutaterera furufenda dhendi.
Ngede eagerly watched everything that Gingile was doing. He was waiting for him to leave a fat piece of honeycomb as a thank-you offering to the Honeyguide.
Ngede flittered from branch to branch, closer and closer to the ground. Finally Gingile reached the bottom of the tree.
Ngede perched on a rock near the boy and waited for his reward.
Ene , Gingile gha munekire mudiro, kokushimba dighonga dyendi nogha tangire kuyenda kudighumbo, ghunyatha thinyunyi thi. Ngede ghethire noghupata, “VIC-torr! VIC-torr!” Gingile ghemanine, gha nungurukire kanyunyighana noghahekire ghukugherera. “Ghuna shana wiki ghomuka ndi, ghuna shana ndi, mushere wange? Ha! Ene pithange nayi rughana yirughana yoyiheya, nokunihuma kate kuni thiyera marunonga. Pashanye sho tu ghu kutaperere oghu wiki ghomuka noye? ” Ghogha kayendire. Ngede gha tokotire! ene ngo mbadi dyo gha roghere kumutenda kengeyo! Ene naye ñanyi mbogha muhuthe nyara.
But, Gingile put out the fire, picked up his spear and started walking home, ignoring the bird.
Ngede called out angrily, “VIC-torr! VIC-torrr!”
Gingile stopped, stared at the little bird and laughed aloud. “You want some honey, do you, my friend? Ha! But I did all the work, and got all the stings. Why should I share any of this lovely honey with you?” Then he walked off.
Ngede was furious! This was no way to treat him! But he would get his revenge.
One day several weeks later Gingile again heard the honey call of Ngede. He remembered the delicious honey, and eagerly followed the bird once again.
After leading Gingile along the edge of the forest, Ngede stopped to rest in a great umbrella thorn. “Ahh,” thought Gingile. “The hive must be in this tree.” He quickly made his small fire and began to climb, the smoking branch in his teeth. Ngede sat and watched.
Gingile climbed, wondering why he didn’t hear the usual buzzing. “Perhaps the hive is deep in the tree,” he thought to himself. He pulled himself up another branch. But instead of the hive, he was staring into the face of a leopard!
Leopard was very angry at having her sleep so rudely interrupted. She narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth to reveal her very large and very sharp teeth.
Kughutho gho kuninga ndhogho eshi gha mu reghere Gingile, aye gha tambukithire wangu kushuruka kuthitondo. Pakutambukera ghashuruke gha reyire ko mute ghofotji, no ghandyambukire pamuve kate kuthungumuka dingongotji. Fiyaghudhi dhendi ne Ndhogho gha karire nomangendhangedha ghoturo nombadi gha konine kumutjidha. Ngende, muneghedhi ghowiki ghomuka, gha huthire naye nyara. No Gingile ghaku hongerepo.
Before Leopard could take a swipe at Gingile, he rushed down the tree.
In his hurry he missed a branch, and landed with a heavy thud on the ground twisting his ankle. He hobbled off as fast as he could. Luckily for him, Leopard was still too sleepy to chase him. Ngede, the Honeyguide, had his revenge.
And Gingile learned his lesson.
Munyimadhopo,ngeshi hakerekandongo wa Gingile ha yuvu thithimwetwedha tha Ngende ñanyi haku kutekerange thinyunyi ghana thi. Kehe pano ghokayeya wiki ghomuka, ñanyi ha karange nothinga muka muthiyera ko dihenda dyothindana thowiki ghomuka kwa muneghedhi wiki ghomuka.
And so, when the children of Gingile hear the story of Ngede they have respect for the little bird. Whenever they harvest honey, they make sure to leave the biggest part of the comb for Honeyguide!
Zulu folktale
Wiehan de Jager
Maria M Dikuua
Thimbukushu
Level 4
The audio for this story is currently not available.
