Odongo le Apiyo ba dula motsesetoropong le tatago bona.
Ba be ba fela pelo gore
maikhutšo a dikolo a thoma
neng.
Ba fela pelo ka gore ba ya go
etela koko.
Odongo le Apiyo ba be ba
thabile ka gore maikhutšo a ile
a fihla.
Odongo and Apiyo lived in the city with their father.
They looked forward to the holidays. Not just because school was closed, but because they went to visit their grandmother. She lived in a fishing village near a large lake.
Mantšiboa ba ile ba paka
diaparo tša leeto, ba itokišetša
leeto la bona le le telele go yo
etela koko.
Bošegong bjoo, bana ba ba ile
ba palelwa ke go robala, ba lala
ba bolela ka maikhutšo bošego
kamoka.
Odongo and Apiyo were excited because it was time to visit their grandmother again.
The night before, they packed their bags and got ready for the long journey to her village. They could not sleep and talked the whole night about the holiday.
Mesong, ba tloga ka koloi ya
tate ba leba go koko.
Koloi ya sepela ya feta dithaba,
ya feta diphoofolo tša naga le
polasa ya teye.
Bana ba ipshina ka go bala
dikoloi tšeo di fetago le ka go
opela dikoša.
Early the next morning, they left for the village in their father’s car.
They drove past mountains, wild animals and tea plantations. They counted cars and sang songs.
Morago ga nakwana, bana ba
lapa ba swarwa ke boroko.
After a while, the children were tired and fell asleep.
Tate o ile a tsoša Odongo le
Apiyo ge ba tsena ka motse.
Ba ile ba hwetša koko, Selaelo,
a dutše legogong tlase ga
mohlare.
Ka Sepedi, “Selaelo” ke gore,
‘ngwana wa mafelelo’.
Father woke up Odongo and Apiyo as they arrived in the village.
They found Nyar-Kanyada, their grandmother, resting on a mat under a tree.
Nyar-Kanyada in Luo, means ‘daughter of the people of Kanyada’. She was a strong and beautiful woman.
O ile a amogela baeng ba
gagwe ka go opela le go bina ka
ntlong ka lethabo
Odongo le Apiyo ba ile ba
thabela go fa koko Selaelo
dimpho tšeo ba mo reketšego
tšona go tšwa toropong.
“Bula mpho ya ka pele koko,”
gwa bolela Odongo. “Aowa, bula
ya ka pele!” gwa goelela Apiyo.
Nyar-Kanyada welcomed them into the house and danced around the room singing with joy.
Her grandchildren were excited to give her the presents they brought from the city.
“First open my gift,” said Odongo.
“No, my gift first!” said Apiyo.
Koko Selaelo o ile a leboga
dimpho ka go šegofatša bana le
go ba reta ka ditheto tša bona.
After she opened the presents, Nyar-Kanyada blessed her grandchildren in a traditional way.
Odongo le Apiyo ba ile ba ya
ntle go raloka.
Ba ile ba kitimiša dinonyane le
dirurubele..
Then Odongo and Apiyo went outside. They chased butterflies and birds.
Ba namela mehlare gape ba
raloka ka letamong.
They climbed trees and splashed in the water of the lake.
Mathapama ba boa gae go tlo
lalela.
Ba ile ba thoma go otsela ba le
gare ba eja!
When it was dark they returned to the house for dinner. Before they could finish eating, they were falling asleep!
Ka tšatši leo le latelago, tatago
bana o ile a boela morago gae,
bana ba šala le koko Selaelo.
The next day, the children’s father drove back to the city leaving them with Nyar-Kanyada.
Odongo le Apiyo ba ile ba thuša
koko ka mešongwana ya ka
gae.
Ba kga meetse, ba tla le
dikgong.
Ba tla le mae a dikgogo a go
tšwa ka hokong, ba kga le
merogo ka serapeng sa koko sa
merogo.
Odongo and Apiyo helped their grandmother with household chores. They fetched water and firewood. They collected eggs from the chickens and picked greens from the garden.
Koko Selaelo o ile a ruta
ditlogolo tša gagwe go apea
mageu.
A ba ruta gape go apea bogobe
bja mabele, ba šeba ka hlapi.
Nyar-Kanyada taught her grandchildren to make soft ugali to eat with stew. She showed them how to make coconut rice to eat with roast fish.
Tšatši le lengwe Odongo o ile a
iša dikgomo tša koko Selaelo
mafulong. Dikgomo di ile tša
šwahlela mašemo a moagišane
wa koko.
Mong polasa o ile a befelwa
kudu. O ile a tshepiša gore o
tlile go tšea dikgomo bakeng la
gore di jele ka mašemong a
gagwe.
Go tloga tšatšing leo, Odongo o
ile a tshepiša go hlokomela.
One morning, Odongo took his grandmother’s cows to graze. They ran onto a neighbour’s farm.
The farmer was angry with Odongo. He threatened to keep the cows for eating his crops. After that day, the boy made sure that the cows did not get into trouble again.
Ka mokibelo, bana ba ya
mmarakeng le koko Selaelo.
Koko o be a rekisa merogo,
swikiri le disepe gona kua
mmarakeng.
Apiyo o be a rata go botša
bareki kelo ya direkišwa tšeo
tša koko.
Odongo yena, a rata go
phuthela tšeo bareki ba di
rekilego.
On another day, the children went to the marketplace with Nyar-Kanyada. She had a stall selling vegetables, sugar and soap.
Apiyo liked to tell customers the price of items. Odongo would pack the items that customers bought.
Mathapama bana le koko ba
ipshina ka teye, morago ba bala
letseno la bona la tšatši leo
mmogo.
At the end of the day they drank chai tea together. They helped grandmother to count the money she earned.
Go se goye kae, ke ge
maikhutšo a fedile.
Odongo le Apiyo ba swanela go
boela gae motse-setoropong.
Koko Selaelo o ile a fa Odongo
kepisi, a fa Apiyo jeresi.
Morago a phuthella bana
mphago wa leoto
But too soon the holidays were over and the children had to go back to the city.
Nyar-Kanyada gave Odongo a cap and Apiyo a sweater. She packed food for their journey.
Ge tatago bona a fihla, bana ba
be ba sa nyake go sepela.
Ba kgopela koko Selaelo gore a
sepele le bona.
Koko Selaelo o ile a myemyela a
re, “Nna ke tšofetše gore nka
dula motse-setoropong. Ke tla
le emela ge le tla go nketela
gape.”
When their father came to fetch them, they did not want to leave. The children begged Nyar-Kanyada to go with them to the city.
She smiled and said, “I am too old for the city. I will be waiting for you to come to my village again.”
Odongo le Apiyo ba mo gokara
ka maatla, morago ba mo laela.
Odongo and Apiyo both hugged her tightly and said goodbye.
Ge ba boela sekolong, Odongo
le Apiyo ba anegela bagwera ka
bophelo bja naga-magaeng.
Bangwe bagwera ba re bona ba
rata bophelo bja motsesetoropong efela bangwe ba re
bja naga-magaeng bo kaone.
Seo ba kwanego ka sona ka
moka, ke gore Odingo le Apiyo,
ba nale koko wa go loka wa
lerato!
When Odongo and Apiyo went back to school they told their friends about life in the village. Some children felt that life in the city was good. Others felt that the village was better.
But most of all, everyone agreed that Odongo and Apiyo had a wonderful grandmother!
