Download Options
Change language
isiZulu
isiXhosa
English
Afrikaans
Sepedi / Northern Sotho
Setswana / Tswana
Sesotho / Southern Sotho
Xitsonga / Tsonga
siSwati / Swazi
Tshivenda / Venda
Southern Ndebele
Back to stories list
Masiari A Mugivhela U Fhisaho
Ngomunye Umgqibelo Ntambama Kushisa
Ngenye Imva Kwemini Eshushu Yangomgqibelo
One hot Saturday afternoon
The audio for this story is currently not available.
Regular PDFs (full-page)
Bilingual PDFs
Booklet PDFs (for printing)
Ho vha hu mugivhela nga masiari a nyendavhusiku ḽi tshi khou fhisa.
Ngu Mgqibelo ntambama, ilanga lalikhipa inhlanzi emanzini.
Yayiyeyona mvakwemini eshushu kakhulu ngoMgqibelo kuDisemba.
It was a very hot Saturday afternoon in December.
“Bontle, Mpho na Lerato, bvani ni yo tamba nnḓa!” Mmawe vha tshi amba. “A thi ni ṱoḓi fhasi ha milenzhe yanga.” Ra gidimela nnḓa.
“Zanele, Nosipho no Sanele. Phumani niyodlala ngaphandle.” Kusho umama. Nangempela saphuma silandelana.
Wonke umntu wayequmbile. “Bontle noMpho noLerato phumani phandle niyokudlala!” Umama watsho kuthi. “Andinifuni endleleni yam.” Sabaleka saphuma endlwini.
“Bontle and Mpho and Lerato, go out and play!” Mme said to us. “I don’t want you under my feet.” We ran out of the house.
“Ari ye mulamboni,” hu amba Lerato. “Hu a rotholela hangei.” “Fhedzi Mmawe vho ri vhudza uri ri so ngo bambela mulamboni,” hu amba Bontle. “Ari nga bambeli,” hu fhindula Lerato. “Ri ḓo soko tamba murunzini tsini na maḓi.”
Khona manjalo kwezwakala uSanele ethi, “Masihambeni siyodlala ngasemfuleni, kupholile lapho.” “Hhayi-bo! Umama wasitshela kahle ukuthi singayi ukuyobhukuda emfuleni.” Kulanda uZanele. “Ngeke sibhukude, sizozidlalela emthunzini eduze namanzi,” kuphendula uSanele.
“Masiyeni emlanjeni,” watsho uLerato. “Kupholile phaya.” “Kodwa utata wasixelela ukuba singaqubhi emlanjeni,” watsho uBontle. “Asiz’ukuqubha,” waphendula uLerato. “Siza kudlala nje emthunzini ecaleni kwamanzi.”
“Let’s go to the river,” Lerato said. “It’s cooler there.” “But Mme told us not to swim in the river,” said Bontle. “We won’t swim,” answered Lerato. “We’ll just play in the shade next to the water.”
Fhedzi u tamba hu tshi fhisa, naho ni fhasi ha muri tsini na mulambo ni do ḓi swa. Ro thoma nga u bvula zwienda zwashu. Ra ḓi pfa ri kha ḓi swa. Ra bvula zwikipa na zwikete zwashu. Ra ḓi vha ri kha ḓi swa.
Kodwa nokudlala nako, kufakelana ukushisa noma ungahlala emthunzini eduze nomfula. Saqala ngokukhipha izicathulo kodwa ukushisa kwathi ngikhona. Sakhumula amahembe neziketi, kodwa sasisezwela ukushisa.
Kodwa ukudlala ‘ulibeke’ ngumsebenzi obilisayo, nokuba uphantsi kwemithi ecaleni komlambo. Okokuqala sakhulula izihlangu zethu. Kodwa sasiseshushu. Saza sakhulula iziketi neeblawuzi. Kodwa sasiseshushu.
But playing libeke is hot work, even when you’re under the trees next to the river. First we took off our shoes. But we were still hot. Then we took off our shirts and skirts. But we were still hot.
Ra dzhenisa fhedzi milenzhe maḓini ri rotholelwe. Ra thoma u hashana nga maḓi. Hu si kale ra vha ro no ṋukala nga maḓi.
Ngokushesha safaka izinyawo zethu emfuleni ukuze sizipholise. Sathelana ngamanzi. Kwagcina ngokuthi sibe manzi te!
Safaka iinyawo zethu emlanjeni ukuzipholisa. Saza satshizana, ngokukhawuleza saba manzi tixi ngamanzi.
We put our feet in the river to cool off. Then we splashed each other. Soon we were soaked with water.
“Hai vheiwe! Kha ri bambele,” hu amba Mpho. “Mmawe a vha nga zwi ḓivhi.” Ra bambela ra bambela ra hangwa na nga ha tshifhinga.
“Kumnandi bakithi masivele sibhukudeni. Umama ngeke azi,” kusho uNosipho. Sangena emanzini, sashaya amadamudamu sibhukuda kumnandi. Sakhohlwa.
“O-o! Yizani! Masiqubheni,” watsho uMpho. “Utata akasoze ayazi.” Saqubha, saqubha, salibala ngexesha.
“Oh come on! Let’s swim,” said Mpho. “Mme will never know.” We swam and swam and forgot about the time.
Ḓuvha ḽa thoma u sunguvhela, ha thoma u rotholela. Zwiambaro zwashu zwi ngafhi?
Lashona ilanga, saqala sagodola. “Ziphi izingubo zethu?” sibuzana sodwa. Sabheka, sabheka, do!
Ilanga laqalisa ukuya ezantsi, saziva sigodola. Zaziphi iimpahla zethu?
The sun started to go down, and the day began to cool. Where were our clothes?
Ra sedza fhasi ha miri. Ra seza maḓakani. Ra sedza hoṱhe hoṱhe.
Safuna phasi kwezihlahla. Ngubo wawula! Safuna esikhotheni, do! Sabheka yonke indawo.
Sakhangela phantsi kwemithi. Sakhangela emahlahleni. Sakhangela kwindawo yonke.
We looked under the trees. We looked on the bushes. We looked everywhere.
Ho vha huna kholomo tsini na mulambo dzi tshi ḓiphina ga hatsi han u ḓifha. Bontle a sedza nnṱha, “Sedzani iḽa kholomo! Ndi mini tshire mulomoni?” “I khou ḽa luvha litswuku,” hu huwelela Mpho. “Ndi hemmbe yanu!”
Eduze nomfula kwakunezinkomo zizidlela, ezinye zizetshisela utshani zinanela ubumnandi botshani. Kwathi lapho uZanele ebheka phezulu, “Hhabe! Yini le esemlonyeni wenkomazi?” USanele waphendula ngokunganaki, “Idla imbali ebomvu.” Ngokushesha uNosipho wamemeza, “Hehehe! Bhekisisa, akuyona imbali, ihembe lakho!”
Kwakukho iimazi zeenkomo kufutshane nomlambo, zonwabele ingca enambithekayo. UBontle wajonga phezulu, “Jonga kulaa mazi yenkomo! Yintoni esemlonyeni yayo?” “Itya intyantyambo ebomvu,” wakhwaza uMpho.
There were some cows near the river, enjoying the sweet grass. Bontle looked up, “Look at that cow! What’s in her mouth?” “She’s eating a red flower,” said Lerato. “It’s not a red flower,” shouted Mpho. “It’s your shirt!”
Ra lavhelesa iṅwe kholomo ye ya vha i khou la tshithu tshidala. “Ndi tshikete tshanga!” hu pfala Bontle.
Thushu! Nansi enye inkomo, nayo yayihlafuna okuluhlazana okwesibhakabhaka. “Isiketi sami!” kumemeza uZanele.
“Yiblawuzi yakho!” Saza sajonga kwenye imazi yenkomo. Ihlafuna into eblowu. “Sisiketi sam!” watsho uBontle.
We looked at another cow who was chewing something blue. “That’s my skirt!” shouted Bontle.
Ra ya hayani nga dziphenti, ri tshi tetemela. Ho vha husina zwine ra nga ita, “Ndi kholomo,” ri tshi lila. “Kholomo dzo ri ḽela zwiambaro.”
Sizokwenzenjani? Kwakumele siphindele ekhaya. Sahamba ngezimpahla zangaphansi, siqhaqhazela sibheke ekhaya. Sasingasagodoliswa umoya opholile, kodwa sasiqhaqhazeliswa isenzo sezinkomo. Sahamba sikhala, “Izingubo zethu zidliwe izinkomo!”
Saya ekhaya ngeepenti zethu, siqhaqhazela. Kodwa ingasukuba kwakupholile. “Yayiziimazi zenkomo,” Sakhala. “Iimazi zenkomo zitye impahla zethu.”
We went home in our panties, shivering. But not only because it was cool. “It was the cows,” we cried. “The cows ate our clothes.”
Fhedzi Mmawe vho ri kholwa? Hu si kale zwidzulo zwashu zwa dudela. Hu si nga ḓuvha.
Ucabanga ukuthi umama wakholwa yindaba esasixoxa ngezinyembezi? LUTHO! Ngokushesha, izinqe zethu zase zifudunyezwe induku.
Kodwa umama ngaba wasikholelwa? Ngokukhawuleza imizimba yethu yaba shushu kakhulu. Kwaye obo bushushu babungaveli elangeni.
But did Mme believe us? Soon our bottoms were very warm. And it wasn’t from the sun.
Written by: Nombulelo ThabaneIllustrated by: Wiehan de JagerTranslated by: Ramikosi Gudani
