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Ti fi sa a rele Khalai. Li gen sèt lane. Nan lang li, Lubukusu, Non li vle di ‘sa ki bon an’.
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.
Nan maten, lè Khalai leve li pale ak pye zoranj lan. “Tanpri pye zoranj, vin byen gwo pou’w bannou anpil zoranj mi.”
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.”
Sou wout li lè li pral lekòl li pale ak zèb yo “Tanpri grandi, vin pi vèt epi pa mouri.”
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.”
Sou wout li lè li pral lekòl li pale ak zèb yo “Tanpri grandi, vin pi vèt epi pa mouri.”
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.”
Nan lekòl la, Khalai pale ak pye bwa a ki nan mitan lakou a. “Tanpri pyebwa, blaye bèl branch ou yo pou nou ka chita anba lonbraj ou.”
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.”
Khalai pale ak lantiraj lekòl la. “Tanpri grandi ak fòs pou’w anpeche move moun rantre nan lakou lekòl la.”
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.”
Lè Khalai tounen lakay li apre lekòl, l ale wè pyebwa zoranj la. “Èske zoranj ou yo mi?” Khalai mande li.
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?”
Khalai te byen kontrarye men li di pye zoranj lan “Zoranj ou yo vèt toujou. Men map tounen wè ou demen nan maten…petèt wa gen zoranj mi pou mwen!”
“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!”
Written by: Ursula Nafula
Illustrated by: Jesse Pietersen
Translated by: ACE Haiti-University of Notre Dame USA
