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星卑桂亞 Simbegwire

Written by Rukia Nantale

Illustrated by Benjamin Mitchley

Translated by dohliam

Read by Zoe Lam

Language Cantonese

Level Level 5

Narrate full story

Reading speed

Autoplay story


星卑桂亞嘅媽咪過身嘅時候,佢非常之傷心。星卑桂亞嘅爹哋盡咗全力照顧佢。過咗一排之後,佢哋就慢慢開心返,習慣咗冇星卑桂亞媽咪嘅生活。每日朝早,佢哋坐埋一齊,傾吓嚟緊呢日做乜。每日夜晚黑,佢哋一齊煮飯,然之後一齊洗碗,星卑桂亞嘅爹哋仲會教佢做功課添。

When Simbegwire’s mother died, she was very sad. Simbegwire’s father did his best to take care of his daughter. Slowly, they learned to feel happy again, without Simbegwire’s mother. Every morning they sat and talked about the day ahead. Every evening they made dinner together. After they washed the dishes, Simbegwire’s father helped her with homework.


有一日,星卑桂亞嘅爹哋晏啲先返到屋企。佢一入門口就叫道:「乖囡,你喺邊度呀?」星卑桂亞走出嚟迎接爹哋。但佢突然間停低咗,因為佢見到爹哋拖緊第二個女人隻手。爹哋笑住話:「阿女呀,嚟吖,我同你介紹一個好特別嘅人,佢叫做阿妮塔。」

One day, Simbegwire’s father came home later than usual. “Where are you my child?” he called. Simbegwire ran to her father. She stopped still when she saw that he was holding a woman’s hand. “I want you to meet someone special, my child. This is Anita,” he said smiling.


阿妮塔同星卑桂亞打咗招呼話:「你好,星卑桂亞!你爹哋同我講咗好多有關你嘅嘢。」佢冇同星卑桂亞微笑,亦都冇拖佢隻手。星卑桂亞嘅爹哋好開心,佢高高興興噉樣同佢講,如果佢哋三個人住埋一齊,一定會好幸福嘅。爹哋同星卑桂亞就話:「囡囡呀,我希望你可以接受阿妮塔成為你嘅媽咪。」

“Hello Simbegwire, your father told me a lot about you,” said Anita. But she did not smile or take the girl’s hand. Simbegwire’s father was happy and excited. He talked about the three of them living together, and how good their life would be. “My child, I hope you will accept Anita as your mother,” he said.


星卑桂亞嘅生活變咗。佢每日朝早冇時間陪爹哋坐喺一齊傾偈。阿妮塔叫星卑桂亞做好多家務,星卑桂亞每日夜晚黑都癐拉拉,根本就冇時間做功課啦。佢一食完晚飯就瞓咗覺。唯一可以安慰吓佢就係媽咪留俾佢嘅彩色毛氈。星卑桂亞嘅爹哋似乎冇意識到個女一啲都唔開心。

Simbegwire’s life changed. She no longer had time to sit with her father in the mornings. Anita gave her so many household chores that she was too tired to do her school work in the evenings. She went straight to bed after dinner. Her only comfort was the colourful blanket her mother gave her. Simbegwire’s father did not seem to notice that his daughter was unhappy.


過咗幾個月,星卑桂亞嘅爹哋同佢講,佢要出埠一排。佢就話:「我要出差,我相信你哋會互相照顧對方嘅。」星卑桂亞耷低頭,但佢嘅爹哋都冇留意到。阿妮塔乜都冇講,佢都唔係幾開心。

After a few months, Simbegwire’s father told them that he would be away from home for a while. “I have to travel for my job,” he said. “But I know you will look after each other.” Simbegwire’s face fell, but her father did not notice. Anita did not say anything. She was not happy either.


星卑桂亞嘅生活變得更加慘嘞。如果星卑桂亞未做完家務,又或者佢講些少抱怨嘅說話,阿妮塔就會打佢。夜晚黑,阿妮塔多數都會食晒所有嘅餸菜,淨留低少少餸頭餸尾俾星卑桂亞食。每日夜晚黑,星卑桂亞都會喊住瞓著,佢只能緊緊抱住嗰條媽咪留低俾佢嘅毛氈。

Things got worse for Simbegwire. If she didn’t finish her chores, or she complained, Anita hit her. And at dinner, the woman ate most of the food, leaving Simbegwire with only a few scraps. Each night Simbegwire cried herself to sleep, hugging her mother’s blanket.


一日朝早,星卑桂亞晏咗起身。阿妮塔大聲鬧佢:「你個死懶鬼!」佢由床上拉咗星卑桂亞落嚟。條毛氈唔小心勾到一粒釘仔上面,搣爛咗。

One morning, Simbegwire was late getting out of bed. “You lazy girl!” Anita shouted. She pulled Simbegwire out of bed. The precious blanket caught on a nail, and tore in two.


星卑桂亞超唔開心,佢決定離家出走。佢帶住條毛氈嘅碎片,包咗少少嘢食,沿住爹哋出差嘅路線離開咗屋企。

Simbegwire was very upset. She decided to run away from home. She took the pieces of her mother’s blanket, packed some food, and left the house. She followed the road her father had taken.


天黑咁滯,星卑桂亞搵到棵生住喺小溪一邊嘅樹。佢爬咗上樹,喺樹枝上面瞓低。佢一路唱歌,一路慢慢瞓著咗:「媽咪,媽咪,媽咪,你離開咗我,離開咗我再又唔返嚟。爹哋再又唔愛我。媽咪,你幾時返嚟,你離開咗我……」

When it came to evening, she climbed a tall tree near a stream and made a bed for herself in the branches. As she went to sleep, she sang: “Maama, maama, maama, you left me. You left me and never came back. Father doesn’t love me anymore. Mother, when are you coming back? You left me.”


第二日朝早,星卑桂亞又唱咗呢首歌嚟。左近有班女人嚟到溪水邊洗衫,佢哋聽到樹上面傳嚟嘅歌聲,以為係風穿過樹葉嘅聲音啫,於是乎就冇擺喺心度,繼續洗衫。但係其中有個女人留心聽住呢首歌。

The next morning, Simbegwire sang the song again. When the women came to wash their clothes at the stream, they heard the sad song coming from the tall tree. They thought it was only the wind rustling the leaves, and carried on with their work. But one of the women listened very carefully to the song.


嗰個女人擔高個頭望住棵樹上面。當佢見到星卑桂亞同佢條彩色毛氈嘅時候,佢嚇咗一跳:「星卑桂亞,我大佬個女!」其他女人又放低咗手中嘅嘢,幫星卑桂亞由樹上面爬返落嚟。佢姑姑緊緊抱住佢,儘量安慰佢。

This woman looked up into the tree. When she saw the girl and the pieces of colourful blanket, she cried, “Simbegwire, my brother’s child!” The other women stopped washing and helped Simbegwire to climb down from the tree. Her aunt hugged the little girl and tried to comfort her.


星卑桂亞嘅姑姑帶住佢返去自己屋企。佢幫星卑桂亞煮咗好好味嘅餸菜,又幫佢鋪咗張床,等佢𢫏住媽咪條毛氈瞓覺。嗰日夜晚黑,星卑桂亞又喊住瞓著咗。不過呢次係心安嘅眼水。佢知道佢姑姑會照顧佢。

Simbegwire’s aunt took the child to her own house. She gave Simbegwire warm food, and tucked her in bed with her mother’s blanket. That night, Simbegwire cried as she went to sleep. But they were tears of relief. She knew her aunt would look after her.


星卑桂亞嘅爹哋返到屋企,就發現星卑桂亞間房度空寥寥嘅。佢心情好沉重,就問阿妮塔發生咗咩事。阿妮塔話星卑桂亞離家出走咗。佢解釋道:「我淨係想佢尊敬吓我,但係我可能嚴格咗少少。」星卑桂亞嘅爹哋走咗出門,沿住小溪水去搵星卑桂亞。最屘佢去咗妹妹條村,想問吓佢有冇見過星卑桂亞。

When Simbegwire’s father returned home, he found her room empty. “What happened, Anita?” he asked with a heavy heart. The woman explained that Simbegwire had run away. “I wanted her to respect me,” she said. “But perhaps I was too strict.” Simbegwire’s father left the house and went in the direction of the stream. He continued to his sister’s village to find out if she had seen Simbegwire.


星卑桂亞正喺度同佢表兄弟姊妹一齊玩,但佢突然間見到遠處嘅爹哋。佢好驚爹哋會嬲,於是乎就走到間屋入面匿埋。但係爹哋搵到佢,同佢講:「星卑桂亞,你自己搵到咗一個好完美嘅媽咪,佢又錫你又理解你。我為你感到驕傲,我好錫你。」佢哋商量咗之後就決定星卑桂亞可以同姑姑一齊住,想住幾耐就可以住幾耐。

Simbegwire was playing with her cousins when she saw her father from far away. She was scared he might be angry, so she ran inside the house to hide. But her father went to her and said, “Simbegwire, you have found a perfect mother for yourself. One who loves you and understands you. I am proud of you and I love you.” They agreed that Simbegwire would stay with her aunt as long as she wanted to.


星卑桂亞嘅爹哋每日都嚟探佢。有一日,佢同阿妮塔一齊嚟探佢。阿妮塔同星卑桂亞伸出咗隻手,佢喊住話:「我好對唔住你,小囡囡,我錯咗,你可唔可以再俾次機會我呀?」星卑桂亞望咗吓爹哋,見到佢憂愁嘅面色。佢向前行咗一步,抱住咗阿妮塔。

Her father visited her every day. Eventually, he came with Anita. She reached out for Simbegwire’s hand. “I’m so sorry little one, I was wrong,” she cried. “Will you let me try again?” Simbegwire looked at her father and his worried face. Then she stepped forward slowly and put her arms around Anita.


過咗幾日,阿妮塔邀請星卑桂亞,姑姑同姑姑嘅細路仔一齊嚟佢屋企食飯。呢餐真係好豐富呀!同埋嗰啲都係星卑桂亞最鍾意食嘅嘢,人人都食到津津有味添。食完飯,大人响屋企入面傾偈,班細路仔出到外面玩。星卑桂亞覺得好開心,自己變得更加勇敢嘞。佢決定冇幾耐以後就要返到屋企,同自己嘅爹哋、後母一齊住。

The next week, Anita invited Simbegwire, with her cousins and aunt, to the house for a meal. What a feast! Anita prepared all of Simbegwire’s favourite foods, and everyone ate until they were full. Then the children played while the adults talked. Simbegwire felt happy and brave. She decided that soon, very soon, she would return home to live with her father and her stepmother.


Written by: Rukia Nantale
Illustrated by: Benjamin Mitchley
Translated by: dohliam
Read by: Zoe Lam
Language: Cantonese
Level: Level 5
Source: Simbegwire from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License.
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