Khayanga o be a dula ka lethabo le
batswadi ba gagwe.
Bona ba ile ba hlokofala ge
Khayanga a nale mengwaga ye
lesome.
Khayanga lived with her parents
happily until they died when she
was ten years old.
Khayanga o ile a ya go dula le koko
Rosa.
Koko Rosa e be ele motho wa go
loka, wa lerato, efela o be a tšofetše
kudu ebile a hloko sa gagwe.
Khayanga was taken in by Rosa, a
distant relative.
Rosa was kind to Khayanga, but she
was old, frail and poor.
Khayanga o be a fela a etela
mabitleng a batswadi ba gagwe. Ge
a le fao, o be a ba botša ka
tshotlego yeo a phelago go yona.
Khayanga often visited her parents’
graves to tell them of her misery.
Ka tšatši le lengwe o rile a le gona
fao mabitleng, a amogela mpho.
E be ele nkgo ye botsana yeo e
tšweletšego gona mabitleng ao a
batswadi ba gagwe.
One day when she visited, she
received a gift. It was a very special
Gourd which appeared from her
parents’ graves.
Nkgo ya thoma go opela košana ye
botsana yao kgothatša.
Khayanga o ile a lemoga gore
lentšu leo a le kwago, ke la mohu
mmagwe.
Košana e be ere;
Khayanga, ee, Khayanga!
Ngwana wa rena a morategi!
Ga wa lahlega morategi!
Tšea nkgo ye, morategi!
Oe rwale gohle mo o yago, morategi!
E tla go homotša, morategi!
The Gourd sang a beautiful and
soothing song. Khayanga
recognised the voice as that of her
late mother.
It went like this…
Khayanga, ee, Khayanga!
Our child the loved one!
You’re not alone, loved one!
Have this gourd, loved one!
Carry it everywhere you go, loved one!
Let it console you loved one!
Khayanga o be a robala le nkgo
gape a e rwala gohle mo a yago.
Ka go dira bjalo, o ile a kwa lerato le
tšhireletšo ya batswadi ba gagwe.
Khayanga carried her special Gourd
everywhere.
With her Gourd, Khayanga felt her
parents’ presence and protection.
Ka tšatši le lengwe, gwa direga
masetlapelo. Nkgo e ile ya thubega
ge Khayanga a ile go kga meetse
kua nokeng.
Pelo ya gagwe e ile ya kwa bohloko
kudu.
One day, something bad happened
to her special Gourd. It broke when
she was fetching water in the river.
Khayanga’s heart broke as well.
Khayanga o ile a rwala dikgapetlana
tšeo tša nkgo ka matsogwaneng
gomme a thoma go opela:
Mme le Tate,
Lea bona nkgo e thubegile.
Nkgo yeo le mphilego.
Naa ke dire eng, Mme le Tate?
Nthušeng le mpontšheng seka hle.
Gore le sa nale nna.
Khayanga held the pieces of the
broken Gourd in her small hands
and sang:
Father and Mother,
See the gourd is broken.
The gourd you gave me.
What do I do, Mother and Father?
Be kind and show me a sign…
That you are still with me.
Khayanga o ile a kwa lentšu la
mmagwe le re, “Ngwanaka, topa
dikgapetla tšeo di šetšego. Ekga
meetse ka tšona gomme o hlape
maoto.”
“Ge o feditše go hlapa, o tswalele
mahlo.”
Khayanga o ile a dira bjalo gomme
ka pelapela, nkgo yela ya boela ya
loka gape.
Khayanga heard her mother’s voice
saying to her:
“Our child, pick up the pieces that
are left.
Fetch water with them and wash
your feet.
When you finish washing, close your
eyes.”
Khayanga obeyed and suddenly,
the broken Gourd became whole
once again.
Khayanga o ile a phela a rwele nkgo
gape gohle mo a yaga.
Mo a fetago, batho ba botšišana
bare, “Naa ke nkgo ye bjang ye?”
Ka thušo ya nkgo yeo, Khayanga o
ile a hwetša tšohle tšeo a di
hlokago.
Khayanga continued to carry her
Gourd everywhere she went.
Wherever she passed, people
whispered to each other, “What
type of gourd is this?”
With her special Gourd, Khayanga
received everything she needed.
Ka nkgo yeo, Khayanga o be a
tseba gore batswadi ba gagwe ba
nale yena gohle mo a lego.
Ga go se sempe seo se ka
diragalago.
With the special Gourd, Khayanga
knew that her parents were
watching over her.
Nothing bad could happen to her.
