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Syana sya Mũvũa
Children of wax
Les enfants de cire
Southern African Folktale
Wiehan de Jager
Anna Kula
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Ĩvinda ya tene na tene,
vaĩna musyĩ wekalaa na
ũtanu.
Once upon a time,
there lived a happy
family.
Il était une fois une famille bien heureuse.
Mayaũkitanaa ene kwa
ene. Nimatetheesyaa
asyai moo musyĩ na
mĩundani.
They never fought with
each other. They helped
their parents at home
and in the fields.
Ils ne se disputaient jamais. Ils aidaient leurs parents à la maison et dans les champs.
Ĩndĩ mayanengetwe
mwanya wakũthi vakuvĩ
na mwaki.
But they were not
allowed to go near a
fire.
Mais ils n’avaient pas le droit de s’approcher d’un feu.
Maĩlĩte kũthũkũma wĩa
woo w’onthe ũtukũ.
Nũndũ mĩĩ yoo yaseovetw’e na mũvũa!
They had to do all their
work during the night.
Because they were made of wax!
Ils devaient faire tout leur travail pendant la nuit. Puisqu’ils étaient faits de cire !
Ĩndĩ mwana ũmwe aĩ na
mea ma kũthi nza
kwĩanĩkĩa kyeni kya sua.
But one of the boys
longed to go out in the
sunlight.
Mais un des garçons désirait se promener au soleil.
Mũthenya ũmwe
nĩwethĩiw’e na mea asu
ma kũthi nza muno.
Ĩndĩ aamwanainya
nĩmamũkanisye…
One day the longing
was too strong. His
brothers warned him…
Un jour son désir était trop puissant. Ses frères l’avertirent…
Ũũi! Mwana ũsu
ndaatetheka.
Nĩwanyinyũkie nũndũ
wa ũvyuvu wa sua.
But it was too late!
He melted in the hot
sun.
Mais c’était trop tard ! Il fondit au soleil brûlant.
Syana sya mũvũa
nĩsyakwatiwe ni kyeva
nũndũ wa kwona
mwanaainya
ainyinyuka.
The wax children were
so sad to see their
brother melting away.
Les enfants de cire étaient si tristes de voir leur frère fondre.
Ĩndĩ nĩmethĩiw’e na
mũvango. Nĩmosie
mũndo wa mũvũa ula
wanyinyukie maseovya
kasũni.
But they made a plan.
They shaped the lump
of melted wax into a
bird.
Mais ils firent un plan. Ils façonnèrent le morceau de cire fondue en oiseau.
Nĩmosie mwanaainya
kasũni mamũlĩsya ĩũlu
wa kĩĩma kĩtũlu.
They took their bird
brother up to a high
mountain.
Ils apportèrent leur frère l’oiseau jusqu’au sommet d’une montagne haute.
Na sua ĩkuuma
nĩwolũkile athi kũu
akwina kyeninĩ kya
kĩoko.
And as the sun rose, he
flew away singing into
the morning light.
Et lorsque le soleil se leva, il s’envola vers la lumière du matin en chantant.
Written by: Southern African Folktale
Illustrated by: Wiehan de Jager
Translated by: Anna Kula
