Kgalekgale ho ne ho ena le ngwananyana ya bitswang Tselane. Tselane o ne a dula le batswadi ba hae ka thabo motsaneng a neng a o rata ka pelo ya hae yohle. Eitse hoba ntatae a hlokahale, Tselane le mmae ba tlameha ho fallela sebakeng se seng se se tjha ho ya qala bophelo bo botjha teng.
Tselane ha a ka a dumellana le sena, mme a lla ha bohloko ha a nahana ho tlohela motsana wa habo a neng a o rata. MmaTselane o ile a utlwa bohloko ho bona moradiae a lla ha bohloko tjena.
Once upon a time there was a little girl called Tselane. After her father died, she lived alone with her mother. One day her mother decided that they would move to another village to start a new life. Tselane did not want to leave her old village and she started to cry.
O ne a batla ho dumela hore Tselane a sale, empa o ne a tshaba ho mo siya motsaneng ona hobane ho ne ho ena le madimo a neng a dula mahaheng a haufi le ona. Empa Tselane a se kgitla sello ho fihlela mmae a dumela hore a ka sala.
Her mother was scared to leave her daughter alone because giants lived in the caves nearby that village. But Tselane cried so much that her mother finally agreed that she could stay behind.
Mma Tselane a re o tla mo tlisetsa dijo kamehla mme ha a fihla o tla bina pina hore Tselane a tsebe hore ke yena.
A bina a re, “Tselane ngwanaka! Tselane ngwanaka! Tlo nke bohobe o je! Tlo nke bohobe o je.” A mo laela hore a se bulele mang kapa mang.
Tselane’s mother told her that she would bring food every day. She said, “I will sing a song so that you know it’s me. Don’t open the door for anyone else, my child.” She sang the song: “Tselane my child! Tselane my child! Come out and eat your porridge! Come out and eat your porridge!”
Hoseng mma Tselane a tlisa dijo, a bina pina ya bona e ikgethileng.
Tselane a bula monyako a nka dijo tsa mmae tse hlabosang, mme mmae a mo suna a kgutlela ntlong ya hae e ntjha.
The next morning Tselane’s mother came to the house with food. She sang their special song. Tselane opened the door and took her mother’s delicious food. Then her mother kissed her and went back to her new home.
Le leng la madimo a sebaka seo, le ne le ipata dihlahleng le mamela Tselane le mmae.
Bosiung boo, ha Tselane a qeta ho tima lebone a ilo robala, a utlwa lentswe le letenya kantle ho monyako le bina pina ya bona e ikgethileng le re, “Tselane ngwanaka! Tselane ngwanaka! Tlo nke bohobe o je! Tlo nke bohobe o je!” Yaba Tselane o araba o re, “Tsamayaela kwana ha o mme, o ledimo!”
A giant was hiding in the bushes, watching and listening to Tselane and her mother! After Tselane switched off her light that night, she heard a deep voice singing her mother’s song outside the door. “Tselane my child! Come out and eat your porridge!” sang the giant. “Go away! You are not my mother! You are a giant!” shouted Tselane.
Ledimo la kgutlela lehaheng le swabile. Mme wa Tselane o ne a tlisa dijo tsatsi le leng le le leng hoseng le mantsiboya.
Ledimo le lona le ne le tla kamehla hoseng le mantsiboya empa Tselane o ne a le tebela hobane o ne a utlwa lentswe la lona le letenya le bina pina ya mmae.
The giant walked away disappointed and disappeared into the caves. Every morning and every evening, Tselane’s mother brought her food. Every morning and every evening, the giant also came. But each time Tselane sent him away. She recognised his deep voice as he sang her mother’s song.
Tsatsi le leng ledimo la ba le mohopolo, “Nka fetola lentswe la ka hore le Tshwane le la mme wa Tselane.”
La besa mollo la lahlela lejwe hara ona. Ha lejwe le se le tjhesa le le lefubedu la le ntsha mollong la le kwenya. Lejwe la tjhesa kgokgotho ya ledimo.
One day the giant had an idea. “I can change my voice to resemble that of Tselane’s mother!” he said to himself. He made a fire and threw a round smooth stone into the flames. When the stone was very hot and red, he took it out of the fire and swallowed it! “Kudutlu!” went the hot stone down the throat of the giant.
Kamora hoba le kwenye lejwe, ledimo la bina, la tlolatlola ka thabo ha e elellwa hore lentswe la lona le se le le phefa jwaloka la mme wa Tselane.
Tsatsi le latelang ledimo la ya habo Tselane, ha le fihla monyako la bina la re, “Tselane ngwanaka! Tselane ngwanaka! Tlo nke bohobe o je! Tlo nke bohobe o je!”
The giant started singing. He jumped for joy when he heard his voice sounding as sweet as that of Tselane’s mother! Early the next day, the giant went to Tselane’s house early in the morning. When he got to the door of the house, he sang: “Tselane my child! Tselane my child! Come out and eat your porridge! Come out and eat your porridge!”
Tselane o ne a thabile ho utlwa lentswe la mmae. A bula monyako yaba ledimo le itahlela ka hare.
O ile a leka ho kwala lemati empa ledimo la mo hlola ka matla, la nka Tselane la mo lahlela ka mokotlaneng wa lona.
Tselane was excited to hear her mother’s voice. She opened the door, and there was the giant! She tried to close the door but the giant was too quick. He grabbed Tselane and threw her into a sack.
“Aa! Tsatsi le monate!” ke ledimo leo. “Ha ke ne ke ena le jwala, bo ne bo tla theohela ha monate le dijo tsa ka tsa mantsiboya kajeno.”
The happy giant walked back to his cave.”What a beautiful day! If only I had traditional beer, it would go so well with my dinner tonight,” he said to himself.
Hoseng hoo, mma Tselane a fihla a mo tliseditse dijo jwaloka ka kamehla. A bina pina ya bona e ikgethileng empa Tselane ha a ka a tla ho bula monyako. A bina hape empa Tselane ha a bula.
Kamora hoba a bine kgetlo la boraro ho se nko e tswang lemina, a raha lemati la buleha. Tselane o na seyo ka tlung, yaba mmae o ellelwa hore o nkilwe ke ledimo mme a loha leqheka.
A little later in the morning, Tselane’s mother came as usual to bring her daughter food. She sang her song, but Tselane did not come out. She sang her song again, but still Tselane did not come out. After singing for the third time, she kicked the door open. Tselane was nowhere to be found. Her mother realised what had happened, and she quickly made a plan.
A ritela jwala mme a bo tshela ka hara nkgo e kgolo, a e rwala mme a ya mahaheng. “Dumela ledimo,” mma Tselane a dumedisa. Ledimo la utlwa monko wa jwala la bula monyako kapele.
Mma Tselane a re, “Ke ne ke feta ke ya moketeng motsaneng o mong, yaba ka utlwa o bina ha monate ka re e re nke ke hlodise.”
She poured some beer into a big calabash, put it on her head, and walked down to the caves. “Good evening, giant!” called Tselane’s mother. The giant smelled the delicious smell of traditional beer and opened the door. Tselane’s mother said, “I was passing through and I heard you singing so beautifully. I am on my way to another village for a party.”
“E re ke o tshelle jwalanyana pele ke tswela pele ka leeto la ka.” Ledimo la thaba mme la nka monyetla ona.
La memela mma Tselane ka lehaheng. Ledimo la metsa jwala boo hanghang. Mma Tselane a nna a tswela pele ho mo tshella ho fihlela jwala bohle bo fela. Ledimo la tahwa yaba le a kgaleha.
“Let me pour you some beer before I continue on my journey,” said Tselane’s mother. The giant was not going to let the opportunity of drinking traditional beer pass him by! He invited Tselane’s mother into his cave. The giant drank the beer in one great gulp. Tselane’s mother gave him more and more – and more – until the calabash was empty. The giant was soon so drunk that he fell asleep on the floor.
Eitse ha mma Tselane a utlwa ledimo le kgona, a bula mokotlana o neng o dutse kamoo ka lehaheng, Tselane a tlola a tswa ka mokotlaneng mme ba matha ba ya hae.
Ho tloha mohlang oo, tselane a ya dula le mme wa hae motsaneng o motjha, mme ba dula ka lethabo hobane ba ne ba sa kgathatswe ke madimo moo.
As soon as Tselane’s mother heard the giant’s loud snores, she opened the sack lying in the cave. Tselane jumped out of the sack, and they ran home as fast as they could. From then on Tselane stayed with her mother at the new village. They lived happily and were never again bothered by giants.
