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Once upon a time,
there lived a happy
family.
Enn fwa, ti ena enn fami bien ere.
Il était une fois une famille bien heureuse.
Once upon a time,
there lived a happy
family.
They never fought with
each other. They helped
their parents at home
and in the fields.
Zame zot pa ti pe lager. Zot ti pe ed zot paran dan lakaz ek dan karo.
Ils ne se disputaient jamais. Ils aidaient leurs parents à la maison et dans les champs.
They never fought with
each other. They helped
their parents at home
and in the fields.
But they were not
allowed to go near a
fire.
Selman zot pa ti ena drwa koste ek dife.
Mais ils n’avaient pas le droit de s’approcher d’un feu.
But they were not
allowed to go near a
fire.
They had to do all their
work during the night.
Because they were made of wax!
Zot ti bizin fer tou zot travay aswar. Parski zot ti kree ar lasir !
Ils devaient faire tout leur travail pendant la nuit. Puisqu’ils étaient faits de cire !
They had to do all their
work during the night.
Because they were made of wax!
But one of the boys
longed to go out in the
sunlight.
Selman enn bann garson-la ti ena dezir pou promne dan soley.
Mais un des garçons désirait se promener au soleil.
But one of the boys
longed to go out in the
sunlight.
One day the longing
was too strong. His
brothers warned him…
Enn zour so lanvi ti tro for. So bann frer ti averti li…
Un jour son désir était trop puissant. Ses frères l’avertirent…
One day the longing
was too strong. His
brothers warned him…
But it was too late!
He melted in the hot
sun.
Selman ti tro tar,li’nn fonn dan gro soley.
Mais c’était trop tard ! Il fondit au soleil brûlant.
But it was too late!
He melted in the hot
sun.
The wax children were
so sad to see their
brother melting away.
Bann zanfan lasir ti bien sagrin pou trouv zot frer fonn.
Les enfants de cire étaient si tristes de voir leur frère fondre.
The wax children were
so sad to see their
brother melting away.
But they made a plan.
They shaped the lump
of melted wax into a
bird.
Selman zot finn fer enn plan. Avek enn bout lasir ki ti’nn fonn, zot finn fasonn enn zwazo.
Mais ils firent un plan. Ils façonnèrent le morceau de cire fondue en oiseau.
But they made a plan.
They shaped the lump
of melted wax into a
bird.
They took their bird
brother up to a high
mountain.
Zot finn amenn zot frer zwazo ziska some enn montagn ot.
Ils apportèrent leur frère l’oiseau jusqu’au sommet d’une montagne haute.
They took their bird
brother up to a high
mountain.
And as the sun rose, he
flew away singing into
the morning light.
Lerla, kan soley finn leve, li’nn sant-sante, li’nn anvol ver lalimier gramatin.
Et lorsque le soleil se leva, il s’envola vers la lumière du matin en chantant.
And as the sun rose, he
flew away singing into
the morning light.
Written by: Southern African Folktale
Illustrated by: Wiehan de Jager
Read by: Darshan Soni
