One day, there was famine in
the land. Eagle had to walk very
far to find food. She came back
very tired.
“There must be an easier way
to travel!” said Eagle.
Kuna siku njaa ilitokea. Ikamlazimu Tai kutembea umbali mrefu kutafuta chakula. Alirudi akiwa amechoka sana. “Lazima kuwe na njia rahisi ya kusafiri!” Tai alisema.
A’ú kà mú o’dú kó ò nyi ̀rú ‘bǒ ,
é gá tá azɨ ́ ò nyi ̀rú nɨ emú èri mà
ó mi ̀á. E’dó yɨ mà ágyíi à rɨ ́á rʉ́
ò drà ’bá ‘bo ‘dɨ ̀yi mà ‘bi ́ko o’duú.
‘’Lè à ma mà sǒ ‘bi ́ko ‘dɨ ̀yɨ à ma
dri ́ ri mà dri ̀á. ‘ Di ̀ nga à zɨ ́nɨ sɨ ̀
fèe à ma dri ́ à ci ̀ nɨ ̀ nga ecáa
è wá kó ko.’’
After a good night’s sleep, Hen
had a brilliant idea. She began
collecting the fallen feathers
from all their bird friends.
“Let’s sew them together on top
of our own feathers,” she said.
“Perhaps that will make it easier
to travel.”
Baada ya usingizi mnono wa usiku, Kuku alijiwa na wazo zuri sana. Akaanza kukusanya manyoya yaliyodondoka kutoka kwa ndege wenzao. “Tuyashonee haya manyoya juu ya manyoya yetu,” Kuku alisema. “Labda itaturahisishia kusafiri.”
Àrɨ ́á mà è sé lé á dr ́á yú kú yɨ
ndráa lʉ́ si ̀ndá ni ̀ pɨe à ngʉ̀ yɨ
vi ́lé ri ̀á nɨ ̀, e’yó nɨsɨ ̀ e’dó ‘bi ́ko sǒ
̀
ò kò . Indi
̀ki ̀ndi ̀ ayʉ́ ‘ɨ ́ mà ò pi ̀lé i ̀ri ̀
‘dɨ ̀yɨ ngazú rè, kʉ à’ú nɨ è lè
dó lé . A’ú andri ̂ à ndè ‘bi ́ko sò zà
sɨ ̀ mbè lè rʉ́. Ngá di ́ si ̀ndá nɨ ̀ ‘dà
kʉ́ ká bà di ̀ mà dri ̀á rá nga dɨ ̀ mú
nyaká a’di ́ ‘ɨ ́ mà anzɨ ń ɨ kú kù á.
Eagle was the only one in the
village with a needle, so she
started sewing first.
She made herself a pair of
beautiful wings and flew high
above Hen.
Hen borrowed the needle but
she soon got tired of sewing.
She left the needle on the
cupboard and went into the
kitchen to prepare food for her
children.
Tai pekee ndiye aliyekuwa na sindano kijijini, kwa hiyo akaanza kushona wa kwanza. Akajitengenezea mabawa mawili mazuri na akapaa juu ya kuku. Kuku aliazima sindano lakini akachoka kushona baada ya muda mfupi. Akaacha sindano kabatini na akaenda jikoni kuandaa chakula kwa ajili ya watoto wake.
Esú de à ri ́a azɨ ‘dɨyɨ ndrě yú kú
ni ngari ́a ‘dá lé . Àri ́a à zɨnɨ ‘diyɨ
ngá a’ú andri ̂ nɨ zi è yɨnɨ si ̀ndá ni ̀
fè zʉ yɨ mà ò pi ̀lé sò zʉ́ be ni ̀.
Sâ a were vú tiá , à ri ́a ká rá karaú
ri ongǎ ‘bù á.
But the other birds had seen
Eagle flying away. They asked
Hen to lend them the needle to
make wings for themselves too.
Soon there were birds flying all
over the sky.
Lakini ndege wengine walimwona Tai akipaa. Wakamwomba Kuku awaazime sindano ili nao wajishonee mabawa pia. Muda si mrefu ndege wakawa wamepaa na kuzagaa anga zima.
Àri ́a à si ̀zʉ ri ̀ ni ́ si ̀ndá ni ̀ omviri ́a,
è sú ni ́ a’ú andri ̂ ni kʉ. E’yó ‘di ̀ fè
di ́ a’ú andri ̂ vi ́lé anzi ‘dɨyɨ ‘dʉ
si ̀ndá ni ̀ ndê e’dó avi ́ à ni ́ avi ́.
Ká mu à ndě avi ́tá si ‘bǒ , kú di ́
si ̀ndá ni ̀ ci ́nyá alé a.
When the last bird returned the
borrowed needle, Hen was not
there. So her children took the
needle and started playing with
it.
When they got tired of the
game, they left the needle in
the sand.
Ndege wa mwisho aliporudisha sindano aliyoazima, Kuku hakuwepo. Kwa hiyo watoto wake wakachukua sindano na wakaanza kuichezea. Walipochoka na mchezo wao, wakaiacha sindano kwenye mchanga.
Etu ala ‘dà si ̀, yú kú nga di ́ dri ̀
atri ̌. A’ɨ ́ ‘ɨ ́ mà si ̀ndá ni ̀ ɨ ́ mà ‘bi ́ko
azɨ té alǒ pi ‘dɨ yɨ sò zʉ vi ́lé . A’ú
nga ká bà di ̀ mà dri ně . O ne
kú kù alé . Ndà à ngù à kú dri ́a
drɨa.Te esú ni ́ si ̀ndá ni ̀ kʉ .
Later that afternoon, Eagle
returned. She asked for the
needle to fix some feathers that
had loosened on her journey.
Hen looked on the cupboard.
She looked in the kitchen. She
looked in the yard. But the
needle was nowhere to be
found.
Baadaye jioni Tai akarudi. Akaomba sindano ili aweze kushona baadhi ya manyoya yaliyokuwa yameanza kulegea alipokuwa safarini. Akaangalia kwenye kabati. Akaangalia jikoni. Akaangalia uani. Ila sindano haikupatikana.
A’ú nga ‘ɨ ́ mǎ a yú kú vú ki ́ni ̀, ‘’ɨ ́
fè lʉ manɨ ́ o’dú à lʉ.’’
‘’Mi di nga mi opile su ngazu
‘dule nyaka ndazu dika.’’
Yú kú nga ‘yó , á fè lʉ mini o’dʉ́
à lʉ dika.’’ ‘ɨ ́ kà si ̀ndá ni ̀ ‘dɨ ̀
esú ku, mi nga pà ri ́nia mi ́ mà
mvá à lʉ ni fě ‘ɨ ́.
“Just give me a day,” Hen
begged Eagle. “Then you can
fix your wing and fly away to
get food again.”
“Just one more day,” said Eagle.
“If you can’t find the needle,
you’ll have to give me one of
your chicks as payment.”
“Nipatie siku moja,” Kuku alimwomba Tai. “Halafu utaweza kushona bawa lako na kuruka tena kwenda kutafuta chakula.” “Siku moja tu,” alisema Tai. “Kama hutaipata sindano, itabidi unipe kimoja cha vifaranga vyako kama malipo.”
Drù si ̀ ’di ́ni yú kú kà mu emú ‘bǒ ,
esú a’ú andri ̂ nɨ à ngù ò vi ̀ri ́a
ci ́nyá mà alé a té esú nɨ si ̀ndá ni ̀
kʉ.
E’yó ɨsi ̀ yú kú nga esi ́ mbè lè vǎ ,
‘du a’ú mà mvá à lʉ rɨ ̀ rá .
When Eagle came the next day,
she found Hen scratching in the
sand, but no needle.
So Eagle flew down very fast
and caught one of the chicks.
She carried it away.
Forever after that, whenever
Eagle appears, she finds Hen
scratching in the sand for the
needle.
Tai aliporudi siku iliyofuata, alimkuta Kuku akichakura mchangani, ila hakukuwa na sindano. Kwa hiyo Tai alishuka kwa kasi na kukwapua kifaranga kimoja. Akaondoka nacho. Tangu hapo, kila Tai anapojitokeza humkuta Kuku akichakura kwenye mchanga akitafuta sindano.
E’dó zú o’dú ‘dà sɨ, yú kú kà onga
oli ́ alé a, è ri ́ a’ú andri ̂ ni esû
ci ́nyá mà alé erê ri ́a si ̀ndá ni ̀
ndà zú .
Yú kú mà ò pi ̀lé mà é ndri ̀lé ndri ̀ kà
‘ɨ ́ ‘bǎ nyakú a, a’ú andri ̂ nɨ ‘ɨ ́ mà
anzi mà bi ́lé è ti ́ li.
‘’Mi ́ dà mi à ngù ò lè à zɨnɨ ‘wɨza
‘dɨ mà alé a, yi omvi:
‘’Àma adrini ́ á zá zà rʉ kʉ. Àma
ngǎ apâ ra.
As the shadow of Eagle’s wing
falls on the ground, Hen warns
her chicks. “Get out of the bare
and dry land.”
And they respond:
“We are not fools. We will run.”
Kila kivuli cha mabawa ya Tai kinapoonekana ardhini, Kuku huwatahadharisha vifaranga vyake. “Tokeni kwenye eneo la wazi.” Na wanajibu: “Sisi si wajinga. Tutakimbia.”
Ann Nduku
Wiehan de Jager
Alice Ojobiru
Lugbarati (official orthography)
Level 3
The audio for this story is currently not available.
