Kale kale hovha hu na khosi i no pfi Kayanja. O vha a tshi dzula pfamoni na muṱanuni na ṅwananyana, mukololo Apenyo. Mukololo Apenyo o vha e musidzana muṱuku wa lunako lwe munna muṅwe na muṅwe a tama u mu mala. Fhedzi Thovhele Kajanja o vha a khou ṱoḓa mamalo a ḓuraho vhukuma.
Long, long ago there was a king
called Kayanja. He lived in a palace
with the queen and their daughter,
princess Apenyo.
Princess Apenyo was such a
beautiful young woman that every
man wanted to marry her. But king
Kayanja demanded a very high
bride price for the princess.
Tsini na pfamo ya Thovhele Kayanja ho vha hu tshi dzula iṅwe khosi I no pfi Aluda Muhulu. O vhidzwa Muhulu ngauri vhahura vhoṱhe vho vha vha tshi mu thetshelesa. O vha a tshi halifhela muṅwe, na muṅwe a sa mu thetshelesiho. Muṱanuni wa khosi Aludah o vha o lovha nga maḽaria nahone o vha a tshi ṱoḓa muṅwe muṱanuni.
Near king Kayanja’s palace lived a
chief called Aludah the Great. He
was called “the Great” because
everybody in the neighbourhood
obeyed him. (He was very violent to
anyone who disobeyed him!)
Chief Aludah’s wife had recently
died of malaria and he wanted
another wife.
Zwenezwo khosi iyo ya u khwaṱha yo no vhaho ya maḓuvha ya ya ha thovhele Kayanja u mala Mukololo. Vha kha nyamedzano ya mutengo vha pfiwa nga muthusi Kakembo, o vha e tsinisa na mukololo Apenyo.
So the fat old chief went to king
Kayanja to offer bride wealth for the
young princess.
While the two men were discussing
the price, the maid Kakembo
overheard their conversation. Maid
Kakembo was very close to princess
Apenyo.
Khosi Aludah a tenda uri u ḓo ṋea thovhele hafu ya lupfumo lwawe khathihi na ṋeleṱe i re tshipiḓa tsha lumalo. Nzudzanyo dza mbingano vhukati ha khosi Aludah na mukololo Apenyo dza itwa lwa tshiphiri. Thovhele o vha a tshi zwi ḓivha uri ṅwananyana wawe ha nga takaleli uyo muhumbulo.
Chief Aludah agreed to give half of
his wealth to king Kayanja,
including a needle, which was also
part of the bride price.
Preparations were made in secret
for the wedding between chief
Aludah and princess Apenyo. The
king knew that his daughter would
not be happy with this decision.
Ho sala vhege nthihi uri mbingano i vhe hone, mufumakadzi Kakembo a kwamana na Apenyo. “Mukololo wanga, Khotsi aṋu vho dzudzanya mbingano yaṋu na Khosi Aludah. Mbingano i ḓo vha hone mafheloni a vhege nthihi.” O no ralo ndi Kakembo.
One week before the royal wedding
day, maid Kakembo approached
Apenyo.
“My dear princess, your father has
organised your wedding with Chief
Aludah, and it will take place in one
week,” said Kakembo.
Apenyo a mangala a si ḓivhe uri a ite mini. Zwenezwo a humbula uri ha nga vhingwi nga khosi Aludah, heneiḽa khosi ya u khwaṱha nahone ya mukalaha. Ndi fanela u ṱavhanya nda wana nḓila ya u ya ha Trevor ndi saathu u lenga. Trevor o vha e mufunwa wa mukololo Apenyo.
Princess Apenyo was shocked and
at first didn’t know what to do. Then
she thought, “I will never marry
chief Aludah, that fat old man.
Never! I must hurry to Trevor and
see what he can do before it’s too
late.”
Trevor was princess Apenyo’s
boyfriend.
Vhusiku honoho Apenyo a kokovha a bva pfamoni. Arali khotsi awe vha zwi tumbula uri u khou ya ngafhi vho vha vha tshi ḓo sinyuwa. A gidima a bva nga vhukati ha ḓaka ḽo pinzanaho nṱha ha matombo na mipfa u swika a tshi swika ha Trevor wawe. A tshi swika nḓuni ya Trevor o vha o neta e na nḓala na ḓora.
That night Apenyo crept out of the
palace. If her father discovered
where she was going he would be
very angry.
She ran through the thick, dark
forest over rocks and shrubs, until
she finally reached her Trevor. When
she arrived at his house she was
tired, hungry, and thirsty.
“Mufunwa wanga, ndi ngani no gidima lwendo lungafha ni noṱhe vhusiku vhungafha?” Trevor u a vhudzisa, a mu fha maḓi uri a nwe a awele. Trevor ha ngo dzulisea a sa athu pfa zwa haṋwani ha Apenyo.
“My love, why have you run all this
long distance alone and at such a
time of night?” asked Trevor. He
fetched drinking water for her and
allowed her to rest.
Trevor could not settle down while
he waited for Apenyo to talk.
“Thaidzo yaṋu ndi mini mufunwa wanga wa mukololo.” Apenyo a femela nṱha o dinalea. “Khotsi anga vha khou mmalisa nga khosi Aludah Muhulwane. Fhedzi ndi nga si malwe nga houḽa muthu wa khakhathi. Trevor, ndi ṱoḓa u malwa nga inwi naho ni tshisiwana. Ndo ḓi imisela u tambula. Ndi a ni funa.”
“My dear princess, what is the
problem?” asked Trevor.
Apenyo breathed heavily and said
sadly, “My father wants to marry
me off to chief Aludah the Great.
But I can’t marry that horrible man.
Trevor, I want to marry you even if
you are poor. I am ready to suffer. I
love you.”
“Fhedzi mukololo a thi na ndaka i linganaho u ni mala. Ndi mutukana wa tshisiwana.” Trevor u ralo a lila. Apenyo a tshi fhindula ari, “Ndi a zwi ḓivha, fhedzi ndi inwi fhedzi ane a nga mmala.” A elekanya tshifhinga nyana a ri, “Kha ri ye kha Kategga munna wa tshikwekwethe uri a ri welise ri wele seli na lula lwa mulambo. Nga heyo ndila hu ḓo vha u ponyoka nahone khotsi anga vha si ri wane.”
“Kodwa manje nkosazana, mina anginalutho, ukukhokhela ilobolo lakho. Wazi kahle, ngimpofu,” kuzikhalela uThando. UNaledi wamphendula wathi, “Ngiyakwazi loko, kodwa nguwe kuphela engingakugana.” Wake wathula isikhashana, wabe esethi, “Nginecebo, masigijimele ku Kwanda, indoda le yesikebhe asiweze sibalekele ngale komfula. Ngaleyo ndlela singeqa, ubaba angasitholi.”
“But princess, I have nothing to pay
as your bride price, you know I’m a
poor boy.” cried Trevor.
Apenyo replied, “I know, but it’s
only you I can get married to.”
She thought for a while and said,
“Let’s go to Kategga the boat man
to sail us to the other side of the
river. That way we can escape and
my father will never find us.”
Ngeno murahu pfamoni zwa wanala uri mukololo Apenyo o ngalangala ha laedzwa vhashumeli uri vha mu londe hoṱhe afho muvhunduni. Vhalindi vha thovhele na muthu muṅwe na muṅwe vha ya vha ṱoḓa fhedzi mukololo Apenyo a si wanale. Vha vhuisa muvhigo kha thovhele wa uri mukololo Apenyo ha ngo wanala. “Iyani ni ṱoḓe na ḓakani.” Thovhele Kayanja a ṋea ndaela. O vha o dinalea vhukuma.
Back at the palace, king Kayanja
had discovered Princess Apenyo’s
disappearance and ordered his
subjects to search for her
everywhere in the village.
The king’s guards, soldiers, and
everyone else searched, but they
couldn’t find Princess Apenyo.
They went back to the King and told
him Apenyo was nowhere to be
seen. “Then go to the bush and
search,” King Kayanja ordered. He
was very annoyed.
Zwenezwi mukololo Apenyo na Trevor vha tshi tou swika khunzikhunzini dza mulambo ha vhonala makole matswu a tshi kuvhangana. Ha pfala mvula ya madumbu i tshi khou ḓa.
As Princess Apenyo and Trevor
hurried to the riverbank, dark
clouds began gathering in the sky. A
heavy storm was coming.
Kategga mune wa ngalavha o vha a tshi khou tshi vhofha musi avha vhavhili vha tshi bvelela. Trevor a humbela Kategga uri a vha wedze seli nga ngalavha. Kategga ha ngo ṱanganedza khumbelo, o ṱalutshedza uri hu khou ḓa mvula na maḓumbu nahone i ḓo vha khombo nga maanda.
Kategga the boatman was mooring
his boat when the young couple
approached him. Trevor asked
Kategga to row them across the
river.
Kategga refused to accept,
explaining that a heavy storm was
fast approaching, and it would be
too dangerous.
Trevor a kombetshedza a ṱalutshedza Kategga uri ndi ngani vha tshi tea u wela. A dzhenisa tshanḓa tshikwamani a bvisa mbadelo ya khumba a fha Kategga. Musi Kategga o pfa mafhungo avho na u vhona gwangwa ḽa khumba ḽo nakaho a vha pfela vhuṱungu. A tenda u vha wedza naho mutsho wo vhifha nga u tou ralo.
Trevor insisted and explained to
Kategga why they must cross. He
then put his hand deep in his
pocket and took out a cowrie shell
to give to Kategga.
When Kategga heard their story and
saw the beautiful shell, he felt sorry
for them. He agreed to row them
across the river in spite of the
weather.
Kategga a kokodzela ngalavha maḓini. A vha vhudza uri vha ṋamele. A dzhia thanda dza u talisa ngalavha a thoma u tala. Thovhele Kayanja na khosi Aluda vha tshi swika khunzikhunzini vha vhona vhathu vhararu vhe kha ngalavha vha mbo ḓi zwi humbula uri vhafunani vhatuku vho shavha.
Kategga pulled the boat near the
bank and told them to get in. He
then picked his oars and began
rowing.
When king Kayanja and chief
Aludah reached the bank, they saw
the three people in the boat. They
realised that the young lovers had
escaped.
Mvula ya maḓumbu ya thoma u na ya kanganyisa ngalavha lwe Kategga a balelwa mu tshi langa. Thovhele Kayanja a vhidzelela Apenyo uri a vhuye o mu hangwela ha nga vha iti tshithu ene na Trevor. Fhedzi vho vha vho no lenga. Ngalavha ya tekulwa vhala vhathu vhararu vha poselwa maḓini o halifhaho vhoṱhe vha nupela. U bva lenelo ḓuvha kha muvhuso wa Thovhele kayanja vhathu vho mbo ḓi tendelwa u mala ane vha funa, o pfuma kana e tshisiwana.
Heavy winds rocked the boat and
Kategga could no longer control it.
King Kayanja shouted: “Apenyo,
please come back! I have forgiven
you and will never punish you or
Trevor.”
But it was too late. The boat tipped
over and the three people were
thrown into the wild water. They all
drowned.
After that day, everyone in king
Kayanja’s kingdom could marry
anyone they wanted, rich or poor.
