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Digaagad iyo Galayr Hen and Eagle

Written by Ann Nduku

Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager

Translated by Anwar Mohamed Dirie

Read by Ibrahim Ahmed

Language Somali

Level Level 3

Narrate full story

Reading speed

Autoplay story


Mar waayihi hore kamid ah, Digaagad iyo Galayr ayaa saaxiibbo ahaa. Waxa ay nabad oo la noolaayeen shimbiraha kale oo dhan. Midkoodna ma duuli karin.

Once upon a time, Hen and Eagle were friends. They lived in peace with all the other birds. None of them could fly.


Hal maalin, ayaa waxaa dhulka ka jirtay abaar. Galayrkii waxa ay u socotay meel aad u fog si ay cunto u hesho. Waa ay soo noqotay iyada oo aad u daallan. “Waa in ay jirtaa si sahlan oo loo safro!” Ayay tidhi Galayrkii.

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.


Habeen ay si fiican u seexatay ka dib, Digaagaddii ayaa caqli fiican heshay. Waxa ay bilowday uruurinta baalasha ka daatay shimbiraha saaxiibbadeed ah oo dhan. “Aynu ku tolno dusha baalasha kuwa naga,” ayay tidhi. “Malaha taas baa sahli in la safro.”

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.”


Galayrkii ayaa ahayd mida keliya tuulada ee heysata irbad, marka iyada ayaa markii koowaad baalashii isku toshay. Waxa ay sameysatay laba joog baalal ah oo aad u qurxoon kor ayeyna u duushay digaaggada korkeeda. Digaagaddii waxa ay soo amaahatay irbaddii laakiin dhakhso ba wey ku daashay tolliinkii. Waxa ay irbaddii uga tagtay armaajada korkeeda waxa ayna u kacday jikada si ay cunto ugu diyaariso ilmaheeda.

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.


Laakiin shimbirihii kale ayaa arkeen Galayrkii oo duulaysa. Waxa ay ka codsadeen Digaagaddii in ay amaahiso irbadda si ay iyaguna baalal u sameystaan. Markiiba waxa la arkay shimbiro duulayo meel kasta samada.

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.


Markii uu shimbirkii ugu dambeeyey soo celiyay irbadda amaahda aheyd, Digaagaddu ma joogin halkaa. Marka ilmaheedii ayaa irbaddii qaatay oo bilaabay waxayna billaabeen in ay ku ciyaaraan. Markii ay ku daaleen ciyaartii, irbaddii waxa ay uga tageen carrada dhexdeeda.

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.


Mar dambe gallapkii, ayey galarykii soo noqotay. Waxa ay weydiisay irbadii si ay u hagaajiso baalal kasoo dabcay intey safarka ku jirtay. Digaagaddii waxa ay ka eegtay armaajadii. Waxa ay ka eegtay jikadii. Waxa ay ka eegtay daaradda. Laakiin irbaddii meelna lagama helin.

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.


“Bal hal maalin isii,” ayey Digaagaddii afadii ka bariday. “Dabadeed waa aad giigsan doontaa baalashaada oo duuli doontaa mar kale si aad cunto u soo hesho.” “Maalin keliya uun baad haysataa,” ayey tidhi Galayrkii. “Haddii aad irbadda heli weydo, waa in aad magdhaw ii siisaa carruurtaada midkood.”

“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.”


Markii ay Dafadii timid maalinkii dambe, waxa uu arkay Digaagaddii oo carrada faageysa, laakiin aan irbaddii hayn. Sidaa darteed galayrkii si degdeg ah ayay hoos ugu soo duushay oo daftay mid ka mid ah carruurtii. Waa uu la duulay. Abid markaa ka dib, mar walba u galayrka soo muuqato, waxa ay aragtaa Digaagadda oo carrada faagaysa oo irbaddii ka raadinaysa.

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.


Marka uu hooska baalasha galayrka dhulka ka soo muuqdo, Digaagaddu waxa ay u digtaa boojaalaheeda. “Ka tagga dhulkan banaan ee qalallan.” Iyaguna waxa ay ugu jawaabaan: “Doqommo ma nihin. Waan carari doonnaa.”

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.”


Written by: Ann Nduku
Illustrated by: Wiehan de Jager
Translated by: Anwar Mohamed Dirie
Read by: Ibrahim Ahmed
Language: Somali
Level: Level 3
Source: Hen and Eagle from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License.
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