Khale le khale hone ho ena le
monna oa mofutsana le mosali oa
hae. Bane baena le morali a le
mong, lebitso la hae eleng
Nonkungu. O ne a le motle, a
hlompa. Batsoali ba hae bane ba
mo rata haholo.
Once upon a time there was a poor
man and his wife. They had only
one child, a girl. The child’s name
was Nonkungu.
Her parents loved Nonkungu very
much.
Ka letsatsi le leng batsoali ba hae
ba khetha ho mo romela ho
rangoane oa hae Mtonyama.
Rangoane Mtonyama ene ele
monna oa morui. Mme oa Nonkungu
o ile a etsetsa Nonkungu mose oa
sepele, likonopo le lifaha. A boela a
etsetsa Nonkungu sefaha se setle
sa molaleng.
One day her parents decided to
send her to stay with her rich Uncle
Mtonyama.
Nonkungu’s mother made a special
skirt with ribbon, buttons and
beads.
She also made a beautiful bead
necklace for Nonkungu.
Then she sent her off to her uncle’s
village.
Hoseng ka tsatsi le hlahlamang,
Nonkungu o ile a sia batsoali ba hae
a ea ho rangoane oa hae. Nonkungu
ha a le tseleng a ea a lebile nokeng,
o ile a ts`ela noka eeo, a tsamaea
holima majoe. Ho tseleng ha hae
noka, o ile a teana le ngoanana ea
tenneng likatana.
On the way Nonkungu came to a
stream. She crossed the stream
using the stepping stones.
On the other side she met a young
girl wearing rags.
“O ea kae?” ho rialo ngoanana ea
monyane. “Ke chakela rangoane
Mtonyama,” ho rialo Nonkungu.
“Oa tla ‘makatsa,” ho rialo
ngoanana ea monyane, “le nna,
Mtonyama ke rangoane oa ka ebile
ke tseleng ea ho mo chakela.”
“Where are you going?” asked the
young girl.
“I’m going to visit my Uncle
Mtonyama,” said Nonkungu.
“Well, Mtonyama is my uncle, too
and I am also on my way to visit
him,” said the young girl.
So they walked on together.
Eaba ngoanana ea monyane o re,
“mose oa hao le lifaha tsa hao
lintle. Ke kopa hoitekanyana.”
Imbulu eile ea tena mose oa
Nonkulongu ea roala le sefaha sa
hae sa molaleng,eaba le Nonkungu
o tlameha ke hotena mose o
tabohileng oa Imbulu.
Before they had gone very far, the
young girl said, “Your skirt is so
beautiful and your beads are so
pretty. Please let me try them on.”
So Nonkungu took off her skirt and
beads and gave them to the young
girl.
Nonkungu oile a tseba hore
ngoanana enoa ke Imbulu ea nnete.
Nonkungu o ne a ts`ohile.
When the girl took off her rags and
changed into Nonkungu’s clothes,
Nonkungu saw that the young girl
had a tail!
Nonkungu was afraid.
She knew now that the young girl
was really an imbulu.
Baile ba tsamaea ha mmoho eare
habantse ba tsamaea eaba
Nonkungu ore “ke kopa o khutlise
mose oaka le sefaha saka” “Ere ke
litene hofihlela sefateng sane.”
Horialo Imbulu, oile a supa sefate se
leralleng.
They walked on together.
“Please give me back my skirt and
my beads,” asked Nonkungu.
But the imbulu answered, “Let me
wear them until we get to that
tree.”
She pointed to a tree on the hill.
Nonkungu a re ho Imbulu “ke kopa
o khutlise sefaha saka le mose
oaka.”
Imbulu a re, “ere ke litene hofihlela
khohloaneng eka pele.” Nonkungu
oile a lumela a tsohile.
Xa befika emthini, uNonkungu wathi
kwimbulu, “Nceda undinike
umbhinqo neentsimbi zam.”
Kha undivumele ndizinxibe side
sifike kulaa mfula ulandelayo,”
yatsho imbulu. UNonkungu
wayesoyika ngoko ke wavuma.
When they reached the tree,
Nonkungu said to the imbulu,
“Please give me back my skirt and
beads.”
“Just let me wear them until we get
to the next stream,” said the
imbulu.
Nonkungu was afraid, so she
agreed.
Bafihla khohloaneng.
Nonkungu a boela a botsa Imbulu
hape are “ke kopa o khutlise mose
oa ka le sefaha saka. “Ere kelitene
ho fihleletse basaling bane ba
lutseng motlotloaneng oane”
horialo Imbulu. Batsamaea.
Ekugqibeleni bafika emfuleni.
Kwakhona uNonkungu wabuza
imbulu, “Nceda undinike umbhinqo
wam neentsimbi zam.” Kha
undiyeke ndizinxibe nje side
siyokufika kulaa ndlu, apho abafazi
bahleli khona,” yatsho imbulu. Baza
baqhubeka behamba.
At last they reached the stream.
Again Nonkungu asked the imbulu,
“Please give me back my skirt and
my beads.”
“Just let me wear them until we get
to that hut where the women are
sitting,” said the imbulu.
So they walked on.
Ba ba fihla motlotloaneng moo,
Imbulu ea suthumeletsa Nonkungu
morao eaba e re hobasali
badutseng motlotloaneng. “Bonang
ngoanana enoa a tenne mose oa
khale otabohileng. E sale a nts`etse
morao ke lakatsa hore eke aka
tsamaea. Nonkungu o ne a tletsoe
ke mosoabi abile aitloile bohloko
hao aileng a matha hoeaipata
sakeng.
When they reached the hut, the
imbulu pushed Nonkungu back and
called to the women sitting by the
hut.
“Look at this girl wearing rags. She
has been following me all day. I
wish she would go away,” said the
imbulu.
Nonkungu was so ashamed and so
frightened that she ran hid in the
kraal.
Imbulu eile ea ea harangoane
Mtonyama eare “ ke mochana oa
hao, Nonkungu. Batsoali baka
baitse ketlo lula le oena.”
Mtonyama oile a amohela Imbulu.
Mtonyama le lapa leile la hlompha
Imbulu haholo ba nahana
Nonkungu. Nonkungu oile a tlameha
horobala ka sakeng.O ne a rolelana
lijo le lintja.
Then the imbulu went to Uncle
Mtonyama’s hut. She said sweetly,
“I am your niece, Nonkungu. My
parents sent me to stay with you.”
Mtonyama welcomed the young
girl. He and his family were very
kind to the imbulu.
But poor Nonkungu had to sleep in
the kraal and share the dog’s food.
Motseare eaba Nonkungu o ea
nokeng eaba o ea bina naheng
moo.
“ke koatile, ke koatile
Mme oaka le ntate oaka baile ba
nromella hoea lula le rangoane
Mtnoyama.
Keile ka kopana le Imbulu ea ba
enka mose oaka le sefaka saka
Ke koatile, ke koatile!”
Emini uNonkungu wayehamba
aye emasimini, acashe
ngamahlanga acule:
“Oh mina engilusizi,
ngangithunyelwe ngubaba
nomama, ukuba ngizohlala
nomalume uMntonyama.
Endleleni ngaficana nembulu
yangithathela isiketi sami kanye
nobuhlalo. Oh mina engilusizi.”
During the day Nonkungu went to
the fields, hid in the corn, and sang:
“Oh misery me, misery me.
I was sent by my father and mother
to stay with my Uncle Mtonyama.
On the way I met an imbulu and she
took my skirt and my beads.
Oh misery me, misery me.”
Ke tsatsi leleng ba utloa pina ena
eaba , bajoetsa Mntonyama hore
hona le ngoanana naheng ea
binang pina e bohloko e monate.
Mtonyama motseare oa mantsibua
oile a ea naheng moo. Oile autloa
motho ea ntseng a bina. Oile a ema
kamora sehlahla eaba o ea mamela.
One day, one of Mtonyama’s
brothers was walking in the fields.
He heard the strange and beautiful
song.
He didn’t know who was singing,
but when he got home, he told
Mtonyama the words.
Mtonyama went into the fields. He
heard the song, and looked until he
found Nonkungu.
Mtonyama oile a ea ho sebini sena,
o ne a tenne liphahlo tse satlehileng
tsa Imbulu. Mtonyama oile a botsa
“o mang? O mochana oa
Nonkungu?”Eaba Nonkungu o
mophetela se etsa hetseng.
Mtonyama oile a khutlisetsa
Nonkungu hahae.
Nonkungu told him what had
happened, how the imbulu had
taken her beautiful clothes.
Mtonyama took her back to his
place and hid her in a hut.
Mtonyama knew what he was going
to do to catch the imbulu.
Mtonyama eaba outloa hore
mohatla oa Imbulu a rata lebese
hoo okekeng oa feta pela lebese o
sa lenoa. Mtonyama eaba o re ho
monna enoa a cheke sekoti ebe o
tsela lebese la mafi kahare hosona.
Banana bohle motseng moo baile
babitsetsoa ha Mtonyama hoea
eanka tlholisano ea hotlola sekoti
Mtonyama had heard that an
imbulu’s tail loves milk and that it
can’t go past milk without drinking
some.
So he told his men to dig a deep
ditch and to fill the ditch with sour
milk.
Then he called all the girls of the
village to take part in a jumping
competition.
ngoanana emong le emong o ne a
lokela hotlola sekti seo. Ngoanana
eaneng a tenne mose oa Nonkungu
le sefaka sa hae one a siame. Ha
aka batla hotlola sekoti seo. Oile a
tseba hore mohatla oa hae o tla
nyoreloa lebese leo la mafi.
Eeba Imbulu e ea ka motlotloaneng
hoea fasa mohatla ‘meleng oa eona
eaba e ea o teisa haholo ka mokhoa
eka atlehang. Eaba e ea ho banana
babang ho eanka karolo
The imbulu was worried. She did
not want to jump over the ditch.
She knew that her tail would be
thirsty for the sour milk.
So she went into a hut and tied her
tail to her body as tightly as she
could. Then she took her place with
the other girls.
Qetellong ene ele nako ea Imbulu
hotlola sekoti. Eile ea leka hotlolela
holimo hosekoti seo, eaba mohatla
oa eona oa fasoloha, oa morutlela
tlase-tlase ka lebeseng la mafi leo
leleng kahare hose koti.
Yathi uma yeqa umgodi, umsila
wayo waqonda emasini.
One girl after another jumped over
the ditch.
At last it was the imbulu’s turn.
She tried to jump high over the
ditch, but her tail broke loose.
The imbulu’s tail pulled her down,
down, down into the sour milk.
Ha antse a sokola ka lebeseng leo la
mafi monna emong a potlakela
hotšela le hlabathe ka sekting ho
pata Imbulu.eaba ke qetello ea
mbulu.Nonkungu oile a lula ha
monate ha’moho le ranoanae ea
hae.
Eaba ke qetello ea pale ea rona.
As the imbulu struggled in the sour
milk, the men quickly filled the
ditch with sand and buried her. That
was the end of the imbulu.
Nonkungu stayed happily with her
uncle for a long, long time.
And that is the end of the story.
