Ngalelinye lilanga Logwaja beka
hamba ngale eceleni kwemfula.
One day, Rabbit was walking by the riverside.
Nemvubu beyikhona nayo,
beyitihambela nje itiyalukela,
idlana netjani lobuluhlata
lobumnandzi.
Hippo was there too, going for a stroll and eating some nice green grass.
Imvubu ayizange ibone
kwekutsi logwaja ukhona
naye,ngeliphutsa imvubu
yanyatsela linyawo lalogwaja.
Logwaja wamemeta watsi,
“Wena Mvubu! Awuboni
kwekutsi uyangenyatsela?”
Hippo didn’t see that Rabbit was there and she accidentally stepped on Rabbit’s foot.
Rabbit started screaming at Hippo, “You Hippo! Can’t you see that you’re stepping on my foot?”
Yaticolisela iMvubu.
”Ngiyacolisa mngani wami.
Angizange ngikubone. Ngicela
ungicolele!”
Logwaja akalalelanga
watsetsisa iMvubu,”Wente
ngemabomu! Ngaleliye lilanga
utowubona! Utakubhadalela
lokwentile.”
Hippo apologised to Rabbit, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you. Please forgive me!”
But Rabbit wouldn’t listen and he shouted at Hippo, “You did that on purpose! Someday, you’ll see! You’re going to pay!”
Wasuka Logwaja wafuna umlilo wawutfola watsi, “Hamba uyoshisa Mvubu uma
aphuma kuyodla tjani. Unginyatselile!” Umlilo waphendvula watsi, “Akunakinga
Logwaja mgani wami.ngitokwenta njalo.”
Rabbit went to find Fire and said, “Go, burn Hippo when she comes out of the water to eat grass. She stepped on me!”
Fire answered, “No problem, Rabbit, my friend. I’ll do just what you ask.”
Kwatsi ngelikadze, Mvubu
bekadla tjani kudze lena
emfuleni “bhu” umlilo wavutsa
waba lilangabi, lilangabi lashisa
tinwele temvubu.
Later, Hippo was eating grass far from the river when, “Whoosh!” Fire burst into flame. The flames began to burn Hippo’s hair.
Imvubu yacala yakhala
yagijimela emantini.
iMvubu yachubeka yakhala,
“Tinwele tami tishiswe
ngumlilo! Tonkhe, tinwele tami
tonkhe tihambile! Tinwele tami
letinhle!”
Hippo started to cry and ran for the water. All her hair was burned off by the fire.
Hippo kept crying, “My hair has burned in the fire! My hair is all gone! My beautiful hair!”
Yingako imvubu ingahambeli kudze nemanti, kungenca yekwesabela kushiswa
ngumlilo.Logwaja wajabula makabona imvubu isha, atsi,”Ngimtfolile”
Rabbit was happy that Hippo’s hair was burned.
And to this day, for fear of fire, the hippo never goes far from the water.
