Motsana wa Sinyaire o dikaneditšwe ke dithabana. Dinoga tše dintši di dula lešokeng leo gona dithabaneng tšeo. Badudi ba motsana woo ba bitša noga ye kgolokgolo ka leina la Unyalego. Noga ye e be e tšhoša batho ba bantši kage e be e kgona go metša dipudi le dinku.
Sinyaire village is surrounded by
hills.
Many snakes live in the forest on
those hills.
The biggest snake was called
Unyalego by the villagers.
This snake scared many people.
It swallowed whole goats and
sheep.
Ka letšatši le lengwe Apiyo, Ajoh le Atieno ba ileba ya lešokeng go nyaka dikgong. Koko wa bona a ba lemoša a re, “Le hlokomele Unyalego, noga ye kgolo. Le se ke la tšea selo kua lešokeng ge e se dikgong fela.” Ajoh o ile a iphetoša ngwana wa go hloka tsebe go koko wa gagwe.
One day, sisters Apiyo, Ajoh and
Atieno were going to the forest to
fetch firewood.
The girls’ grandmother warned,
“Beware of Unyalego the big snake.
Do not take anything from the
forest except the wood.”
Only Ajoh did not pay attention to
her grandmother.
Basetsana ba ile ba lokiša mphago wa maswi, dipanana, merepa le meetse. Ba ile ba tšea dithapo tša go bofa dikgong le selepe sa go rema dikgong. Morago ba wela tsela go leba lešokeng.
The girls packed milk, bananas,
sweet potatoes and water.
They took ropes for tying firewood
and a sharp machete for chopping
the wood.
Then they left for the forest.
Ba be ba itshwaretše mehlamo, ba bile ba itshegela geba le tseleng. Ka bjako, Apiyo, e lego yo mogolo go bona a re, “Homolang. Re fihla legaeng la Unyalego.”
On the way, the sisters chatted
and laughed.
Suddenly, Apiyo, the eldest of
them, said, “Be quiet. We are
coming to where Unyalego lives.”
Atieno a goelela ba bangwea re, “Bonang meno a gauta a Unyalego ke a. A re a tšeeng.” Apiyo o ile a ba gopotša a re, “Le se ke la lebala temošo ya koko. Ga se ra swanela go tšea selo mo lešokeng ge e se go dikgong fela.”
Atieno called to the others, “Look,
here are Unyalego’s golden teeth.
Let us take them.”
Apiyo reminded them, “Don’t forget
grandmother’s warning. We must
not take anything from the forest
except firewood.”
Ajoh a re, “Koko ga ke mo tshepe. Ke nagana gore koko o leka go re thibela go hwetša seo re se nyakago. Koko o na le lehufa go rena. Nna ke tla a tšea meno a gauta.” Bosesi ba gagwe ba be ba tshwenyegile ka seo. “Ajoh re go lemošitše,” bona ba realo. Ajoh o be a se na taba le bona.
U-Ajoh wathi, “Andiyikholelwa mna into ethethwa ngumakhulu. Ndicinga ukuba ubesitsho nje kuba engafuni ukuba sizithathele izinto esizithandayo. Unomona umakhulu. Ndiza kuwathatha mna la mazinyo egolide.” Oodadewabo bakhathazeka kakhulu ngale nto. “Ajoh, uze ungathi khange sikuxelele.” U-Ajoh akazange abahoye.
Ajoh said, “I don’t trust
grandmother. I think she said that
to stop us having what we want. I
want the golden teeth.”
Her sisters were worried. “Ajoh, we
warned you,” they said.
Ajoh did not care.
Ka yona nako yeo, Unyalego ya tšwelela e nyakana le meno a yona. Noga e be e befetšwe kudu ka ge e sa hwetše meno a yona a gauta. Unyalego ya kwa basetsana ba bolela ba bile ba sega. E ile ya iphihla ka fase ga leswika ka thoko ga tsela fao basetsana ba tlogo feta gona.
At that moment Unyalego came
looking for his golden teeth. He was
furious when he could not find the
teeth.
Then Unyalego heard the girls
chatting and laughing. He hid under
a rock next to the road where the
girls would pass on their way back.
Basetsana ba ile ba rwala dikgong tša bona dihlogong. Ka bjako ba kwa modumo wa “Sssssssss!” Ba ileba tšhoga kudu gomme ba leka go iphihla. E be e le Unyalego, e ahlamišitše legano e itokišetša go loma.
The sisters were going home
carrying their firewood on their
heads.
Suddenly, they heard “Hzzzzzzzz!”
There was Unyalego with his mouth
wide open, ready to bite. The girls
were terrified.
Unyalego e ile ya botšiša basetsana ya re, “Ke mang yoo a tšerego meno a ka a gauta?” Basetsana ba homola. Noga e ile ya tšea sephetho sa go leka basetsana gore e hwetše yoo a tšerego meno a yona. “Yoo a se nago molato, o tla opela gabotse ntle le go dira diphošo. O tla ya gae ledikgong tša gagwe. Efela yoo a nago le molato, o tla dira diphošo. O tla ba dijo tšaka matšatši a mararo a go latela.”
Unyalego asked the girls, “Who
took my golden teeth?” No one
answered.
The snake decided to test the girls.
“Whoever is innocent, will be able
to sing without mistakes. She will
go home with her firewood.
But the guilty one will sing badly.
She will be my food for the next
three days!”
Apiyo a thoma go opela ga botse ka lentšu la go hlweka. Morago gwa latela Atieno.
Apiyo started to sing with a clear
voice:
“Sio mimi, sio mimi aliye na meno,
Mwenye meno bado yuko nyuma.”
Then Atieno sang the song. She also
sang well.
Bofelelong e be e le Ajoh. O be a tšhogile. O ile a tla ka pele gomme a thoma go opela. Koša ya gagwe e be e le ya bošaedi le mantšu a yona a na le diphošo. Noga ya goeletša ya re, “Na ga o kgone go opela gabotse go swana le ba bangwe?” Noga ya lemoga gore Ajoh ke yena a tšerego meno a yona a gauta.
Lastly, it was Ajoh’s turn. She was
scared. She stepped forward and
started singing. But her singing
sounded terrible and the words
were wrong.
Unyalego shouted, “Can’t you sing
properly like the others?”
The snake knew that Ajoh took his
golden teeth.
Unyalego e ileya metša Ajoh. Bana babo ba ileba kitimela gae go hlaloša seo se diregilego.
Bimbilili! U-Unyalego wamginya u-Ajoh. Oodadewabo babaleka bagoduka bayokuxela esi senzo sibi kangaka esenzekileyo.
Unyalego opened his huge jaws and
swallowed Ajoh.
Her sisters ran back to the village.
They told everyone the story of
what happened.
“I warned her, if only she had
listened,” the girls’ grandmother
said sadly.
