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Once upon a time,
there lived a happy
family.
Nan tan lontan te gen yon fanmi ki tap viv ak kè kontan.
Il était une fois une famille bien heureuse.
They never fought with
each other. They helped
their parents at home
and in the fields.
Yo pa te janm goumen yonn ak lòt. Yo te ede paran yo nan kay la ak nan jaden an.
Ils ne se disputaient jamais. Ils aidaient leurs parents à la maison et dans les champs.
But they were not
allowed to go near a
fire.
Men, yo pa te gen dwa ale twò pre dife.
Mais ils n’avaient pas le droit de s’approcher d’un feu.
They had to do all their
work during the night.
Because they were made of wax!
Yo te fè tout travay sa yo nan lannwit paske yo te fèt ak lasi!
Ils devaient faire tout leur travail pendant la nuit. Puisqu’ils étaient faits de cire !
But one of the boys
longed to go out in the
sunlight.
Men yonn nan ti gason yo te anvi wè limyè solèy la.
Mais un des garçons désirait se promener au soleil.
One day the longing
was too strong. His
brothers warned him…
Yon jou anvi sa a te gwo anpil. Frè li avèti’l …
Un jour son désir était trop puissant. Ses frères l’avertirent…
But it was too late!
He melted in the hot
sun.
Men, li te twò ta! Li fonn nan solèy cho a.
Mais c’était trop tard ! Il fondit au soleil brûlant.
The wax children were
so sad to see their
brother melting away.
Timoun yo te si tèlman tris lè yo wè yo frè ap fonn.
Les enfants de cire étaient si tristes de voir leur frère fondre.
But they made a plan.
They shaped the lump
of melted wax into a
bird.
Yo fè yon plan. Yo pran lasi, yo fonn lasi a enpi yo fè’l tounen yon zwazo.
Mais ils firent un plan. Ils façonnèrent le morceau de cire fondue en oiseau.
They took their bird
brother up to a high
mountain.
Yo mennen frè zwazo yo sou tèt yon mòn wo.
Ils apportèrent leur frère l’oiseau jusqu’au sommet d’une montagne haute.
And as the sun rose, he
flew away singing into
the morning light.
Lè solèy la leve, zwazo an vole pandan l’ap chante nan limyè maten an.
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
Read by: Darshan Soni
