Ito si Khalai. Pitong taong gulang siya. Sa Lubukusu, “mabuti” ang kahulugan ng pangalan niya.
This is Khalai.
She is seven years old.
Her name means ‘the
good one’ in her
language, Lubukusu.
Ella es Khalai. Tiene siete años. Su nombre significa “bondadosa” en su idioma llamado Lubukusu.
Kinakausap ni Khalai ang puno ng dalandan, “Dalandan, pasuyo naman, sana magkaroon ka ng marami at malalaking prutas.”
Khalai wakes up and
talks to the orange tree.
“Please orange tree,
grow big and give us
lots of ripe oranges.”
Khalai despierta y le habla a los naranjos. “Por favor naranjos crezcan mucho para que nos den muchas naranjas maduras.”
Naglalakad si Khalai papunta sa iskul. Nadadaanan niya ang damo, “Sana naman damo, lalo pang tumingkad ang berdeng kulay mo at ‘wag na ‘wag kang matutuyo.”
Khalai walks to school.
On the way she talks to
the grass. “Please
grass, grow greener
and don’t dry up.”
Khalai le habla al pasto mientras camina a su escuela. “Por favor pasto, crece muy verde y nunca te seques.”
Napapansin din ni Khalai ang mga ligaw na bulaklak, “Tuloy niyo lang ang pamulaklak, para meron akong pampaganda ng buhok.”
Khalai passes wild
flowers. “Please
flowers, keep blooming
so I can put you in my
hair.”
Khalai pasa frente a unas flores silvestres. “Por favor flores, sigan floreciendo para ponerlas en mi cabello.”
Kinakausap din ni Khalai ang puno sa gitna ng iskul, “Plis naman, malaking puno, palaguin mo pa mga sanga para sa lilim mo kami ay makapagbasa.”
At school, Khalai talks
to the tree in the
middle of the
compound. “Please
tree, put out big
branches so we can
read under your shade.”
En la escuela, Khalai le habla a un árbol que está en medio del recinto. “Por favor árbol, crece con ramas muy grandes para que podamos leer bajo tu sombra.”
May nasasabi rin si Khalai sa mga halamang-bakod, “Magpakatibay kayo, pigilin ninyong makapasok ang masasamang tao.”
Khalai talks to the
hedge around her school.
“Please grow strong
and stop bad people
from coming in.”
Khalai le habla a la cerca de arbustos que rodea su escuela. “Por favor, crece muy fuerte para que detengas a la gente mala que quiera entrar.”
Pagkauwi, pinupuntahan agad ni Khalai ang dalandan, “Hinog na ba mga bunga?”
When Khalai returns
home from school, she
visits the orange tree.
“Are your oranges ripe
yet?” asks Khalai.
Cuando Khalai vuelve a casa, ella visita al naranjo y le pregunta: “¿Están listas tus naranjas?”
“Hay naku, hilaw pa rin pala. Bukas uli ha, dalandan. Pagbibigyan kita at baka meron ng hinog, kahit isa!”
“The oranges are still
green,” sighs Khalai.
“I will see you tomorrow
orange tree,” says
Khalai. “Perhaps then
you will have a ripe
orange for me!”
“Las naranjas aún se ven verdes,” dice Khalai. “Nos vemos mañana, naranjo,” Khalai continúa. “¡Quizás, mañana tendrás una naranja lista y madura para mí!”
