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Mga Batang Sera
Children of wax
Les enfants de cire
Southern African Folktale
Wiehan de Jager
Arlene Avila
La Trinidad Mina
Noong unang panahon, may isang masayang mag-anak.
Once upon a time,
there lived a happy
family.
Il était une fois une famille bien heureuse.
Pawang mga lalaki ang mga anak at hindi sila kailanman nag-aaway. Tinutulungan nila ang kanilang magulang sa bukid at sa gawaing-bahay.
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.
Malaya nilang nagagawa ang anuman, maliban sa isang bagay. Hindi sila maaaring lumapit sa apoy.
But they were not
allowed to go near a
fire.
Mais ils n’avaient pas le droit de s’approcher d’un feu.
Sa gabi lamang sila nagtatrabaho dahil sila ay mga sera!
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 !
Ngunit pinangarap ng isa na makita ang araw.
But one of the boys
longed to go out in the
sunlight.
Mais un des garçons désirait se promener au soleil.
Isang umaga, hindi niya nalabanan ang matinding pag-aasam. Pinigilan siya ng kanyang mga kapatid…
One day the longing
was too strong. His
brothers warned him…
Un jour son désir était trop puissant. Ses frères l’avertirent…
Subalit huli na ang lahat! Siya ay nalusaw na ng mainit na araw.
But it was too late!
He melted in the hot
sun.
Mais c’était trop tard ! Il fondit au soleil brûlant.
Labis na nalungkot ang mga batang sera sa nakitang dinanas ng kapatid.
The wax children were
so sad to see their
brother melting away.
Les enfants de cire étaient si tristes de voir leur frère fondre.
Kaya gumawa sila ng paraan upang matupad ang kanyang pangarap. Sama sama nilang hinubog ang serang labi ng kapatid at ginawa itong ibon.
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.
Dinala nila ang ibon sa tuktok ng bundok.
They took their bird
brother up to a high
mountain.
Ils apportèrent leur frère l’oiseau jusqu’au sommet d’une montagne haute.
At sabay ng pagsikat ng araw, lumipad ang ibon tungo sa liwanag ng araw, na may awit na taglay.
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: Arlene Avila
Read by: La Trinidad Mina
