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Bana ba kerese
Children of wax
Les enfants de cire
Southern African Folktale
Wiehan de Jager
Maphokane Mapule Mohlamme
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Kgale kgale go be go na
le balapa le lengwe la
go phela ka thabo.
Once upon a time,
there lived a happy
family.
Il était une fois une famille bien heureuse.
Ba be ba sa kgopišane.
Ba be ba thuša
batswadi ba bona ka
gae le kua mašemong.
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.
Eupša ba be sa
dumelelwa go ba
kgaufsi le mollo.
But they were not
allowed to go near a
fire.
Mais ils n’avaient pas le droit de s’approcher d’un feu.
Ba be ba swanetšwe ke
go dira mešomo ya
bona bošego fela.
Ka gobane ba be ba bopilwe ka kerese!
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 !
E fela, e mongwe wa
bašimanyana o be a
hlologela go bona
letšatši.
But one of the boys
longed to go out in the
sunlight.
Mais un des garçons désirait se promener au soleil.
Ka letšatši le lengwe
tlhologelo ya gagwe e
ile ya tla ka maatla.
Bomorwarragwe ba ile
ba mo lemoša…
One day the longing
was too strong. His
brothers warned him…
Un jour son désir était trop puissant. Ses frères l’avertirent…
Eupša go be go šetše
go senyegile.
O ile a tologa mo
letšatšing le le fišago.
But it was too late!
He melted in the hot
sun.
Mais c’était trop tard ! Il fondit au soleil brûlant.
Bana ba kerese ba ile
ba kwa bohloko go bona
yo mongwe wa bona a
tologa.
The wax children were
so sad to see their
brother melting away.
Les enfants de cire étaient si tristes de voir leur frère fondre.
Eupša ba ile ba dira
maano. Ba ile ba tšea
lekwate la kerese ye e
tologilego gomme ba le
bopa go ba nonyana.
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.
Ba ile ba tšea
morwarrabo wa
nonyana ba mo iša
godimo dimo kua
thabeng.
They took their bird
brother up to a high
mountain.
Ils apportèrent leur frère l’oiseau jusqu’au sommet d’une montagne haute.
Ge letšatši le hlaba, o
ile a fofela godimo a
opela ka fase ga tlhabo
ya letšatši.
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: Maphokane Mapule Mohlamme
