The audio for this story is currently not available.
Ni umwana muto w’umukobwa waboneye kure ishusho itazwi.
It was a little girl who first saw the mysterious shape in the distance.
Ilikuwa ni msichana mdogo aliyekuwa wa kwanza kuona umbo la ajabu kwa mbali.
Uko ishusho yagendaga yegera, yabonye ko yari umugore utwite ukuriwe.
As the shape moved closer, she saw that it was a heavily pregnant woman.
Kadiri umbo lilipokaribia, aliona kwamba lilikuwa ni mwanamke mwenye ujauzito mkubwa.
Umunyamasoni ariko utinyutse, umukobwa yagiye hafi y’umugore. “Tugomba kumugubimisha natwe,” abantu bumukobwa myto baravuga. “Turamugubisha amahoro we n’umwana we.”
Shy but brave, the little girl moved nearer to the woman.
“We must keep her with us,” the little girl’s people decided. “We’ll keep her and her child safe.”
Kwa upole na ujasiri, msichana alimsogelea mwanamke yule. “Lazima tumhifadhi,” watu wa msichana yule walisema. “Tutawaweka yeye na mtoto wake salama.”
But when they saw the baby, everyone jumped back in shock.
“A donkey?!”
Lakini walipomwona mtoto, wote waliruka kwa mshtuko. “Punda?!”
Buri umwe yatangiye kuvuga. “Twavuze ko turibugumishe umubyeyi n’umwana amahoro, kandi ni ibyo turi bukore,” bamwe baravuze. “Ariko bazatuzanira imigisha mibi!” abandi baravuga.
Everyone began to argue.
“We said we would keep mother and child safe, and that’s what we’ll do,” said some.
“But they will bring us bad luck!” said others.
Wakaanza kubishana. “Tulisema tutawaweka mama na mtoto salama, na hivyo ndivyo tutakavyofanya,” baadhi wakasema. “Lakini watatuletea mkosi!” wengine wakadai.
And so the woman found herself alone again.
She wondered what to do with this awkward child.
She wondered what to do with herself.
Kwa hiyo mwanamke yule alijikuta yuko peke yake kwa mara nyingine tena. Akajiuliza atafanya nini na mtoto huyo wa ajabu. Akajiuliza atafanya nini na yeye mwenyewe.
Ariko nyuma yaje kwemera ko ari uwe name akaba ari nyina we.
But finally she had to accept that he was her child and she was his mother.
Lakini hatimaye alikubali kwamba huyo ni mwanaye na yeye ni mama yake.
Ubu, imo umwana aba yaragumye uko yari, uruti ruto, buri kimwe gishobora kuba gitandukanye. Ariko umwana w’indogobe yarakuze arakura kugeza atagikwirwa mu umugongo wa nyina. Kandi numb yagerageza gute, ntiyashoboraga kwitwara nk’ikiremwa muntu. Nyina we yabaga akenshi ananiwe anahangayitse. Rimwe na rimwe yamukoreshaga imirimo igenewe inyamaswa.
Now, if the child had stayed that same, small size, everything might have been different. But the donkey child grew and grew until he could no longer fit on his mother’s back.
And no matter how hard he tried, he could not behave like a human being. His mother was often tired and frustrated. Sometimes she made him do work meant for animals.
Endapo mtoto huyo angebaki kuwa vilevile, na umbo dogo, labda kila kitu kingekuwa tofauti. Lakini mtoto Punda aliendelea kukua na kukua mpaka hakuweza kutoshea tena mgongoni mwa mama yake. Pamoja na kujaribu kwa bidii, hakuweza kuwa na tabia za kibinadamu. Mara nyingi mama yake alichoka na kuvunjika moyo. Wakati mwingine alimlazimisha kufanya kazi walizostahili wanyama.
Impagarara n’uburakare bwakuriye mu indogobe. Ntiyashoboraga gukora bimwe na bimwe. Nyiyashoboraga kuba iki cyangwa kiriya. Yararagaye, umunsi umwe, yakubise nyina hasi.
Confusion and anger built up inside Donkey. He couldn’t do this and he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t be like this and he couldn’t be like that.
He became so angry that, one day, he kicked his mother to the ground.
Kuchanganyikiwa na hasira vilianza kujengeka ndani mwa Punda. Alishindwa kufanya hivi wala vile. Alishindwa kuwa hivi wala vile. Alipatwa na hasira sana kiasi kwamba, siku moja, alimpiga teke mama yake mpaka akaanguka chini.
By the time he stopped running, it was night, and Donkey was lost.
“Hee haw?” he whispered to the darkness.
“Hee Haw?” it echoed back. He was alone.
Curling himself into a tight ball, he fell into a deep and troubled sleep.
Wakati aliposimama, ilikuwa ni usiku, na alikuwa amepotea. “Hii hoo?” alinong’ona gizani. “Hii hoo?” giza likatoa mwangwi. Alikuwa mwenyewe. Alijikunyata katika umbo dogo, akalala fofofo usingizi wa mang’amung’amu.
Indogobe yarabyutse isanga umugabo itazi ayihagaze hejuru ayireba. Yarebye mu amaso ye itandira kunva amashashari y’amizero.
Donkey woke up to find a strange old man staring down at him. He looked into the old man’s eyes and started to feel a twinkle of hope.
Punda aliamka na kumkuta mzee mmoja wa ajabu akimtazama. Akamwangalia mzee yule machoni na akaanza kuhisi ishara ya matumaini.
Donkey went to stay with the old man, who taught him many different ways to survive.
Donkey listened and learned, and so did the old man. They helped each other, and they laughed together.
Punda alienda kuishi na mzee yule, na mzee alimfundisha mbinu nyingi za kuishi. Punda alisikiliza na kujifunza, na mzee vivyo hivyo pia. Walisaidiana na kucheka pamoja.
Igitondo kimwe, wamugabo ukuze yabajije Indogobe kumwikorera ku agasongero ku umusozi.
One morning, the old man asked Donkey to carry him to the top of a mountain.
Asubuhi moja, mzee alimwomba Punda ambebe hadi kwenye kilele cha mlima.
Donkey found his mother, alone and mourning her lost child. They stared at each other for a long time.
And then hugged each other very hard.
Punda alimkuta mama yake akiwa peke yake huku akimwomboleza mwanaye aliyepotea. Wakaangaliana kwa muda mrefu. Na kisha wakakumbatiana kwa hisia.
Umwana w’indogobe na nyina we barakuranye hamwe bana bono uburyo bwo kubana uruhande k’urundi. Buhoro, iruhande rwabo, indi miryango yatangiye kuhatura.
The donkey child and his mother have grown together and found many ways of living side by side.
Slowly, all around them, other families have started to settle.
Mtoto Punda na mama yake wamekuwa kitu kimoja na kuishi kwa ushirikiano. Taratibu, familia nyingine zimeanza kuhamia na kuishi miongoni mwao.
Lindiwe Matshikiza
Meghan Judge
Patrick Munyurangabo
Kinyarwanda
Level 3
The audio for this story is currently not available.
