Back to stories list

驢仔 Donkey Child

Written by Lindiwe Matshikiza

Illustrated by Meghan Judge

Translated by dohliam

Read by Zoe Lam

Language Cantonese

Level Level 3

Narrate full story

Reading speed

Autoplay story


有個女仔最先發現遠處有個好奇怪嘅影喺度。

It was a little girl who first saw the mysterious shape in the distance.


嗰個影越嚟越近,佢終於睇清楚咗嘞,係一個就快要生仔嘅女人。

As the shape moved closer, she saw that it was a heavily pregnant woman.


個女仔有啲怕醜,但佢都係好勇敢噉樣走上前。同女仔隨行嘅人就話:「我哋一定要同佢一齊,一定要保護佢同埋佢個仔。」

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.”


個仔好快就要出世㗎嘞。「大力啲吖!」「快啲攞條毛氈嚟!」「水!」「再大力啲!」

The child was soon on its way. “Push!” “Bring blankets!” “Water!” “Puuuuussssshhh!!!”


當佢哋見到個仔嘅時候,所有人都嚇咗一跳,「一隻驢仔?」

But when they saw the baby, everyone jumped back in shock. “A donkey?!”


大家七嘴八舌噉嘈起上嚟。佢哋就話:「我哋講過要保護呢個媽咪同細蚊仔嘅,講得出就要做得到。」但係仲有啲人就話:「但係佢哋會佗衰我哋㗎。」

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.


個女人發現自己又係孤零零一個人嘞。佢唔知道點湊個咁怪嘅仔,亦都唔知道自己應該點算。

And so the woman found herself alone again. She wondered what to do with this awkward child. She wondered what to do with herself.


最屘,佢決定接受呢個仔,做佢嘅媽咪。

But finally she had to accept that he was her child and she was his mother.


如果個仔一直都係咁細,唔會長大嘅話,所有嘢都會易話為啲。但係隻驢仔越長越大,再唔能夠俾媽咪孭住喺背脊上面。無論佢幾努力,始終模仿唔到人類嘅行為。佢媽咪經常會覺得又癐又𤷪。有時,佢仲會叫佢做埋啲動物先至會做嘅粗重嘢。

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.


驢仔覺得好迷茫,又好勞氣。成日呢樣又唔得,嗰樣又唔得。有一日,佢大發雷霆,一腳就踢佢媽咪落地下。

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.


驢仔覺得好羞家,唯有離家出走,走得越遠越好。

Donkey was filled with shame. He started to run away as far and fast as he could.


當佢停低落嚟嘅時候呢,天都已經黑晒,驢仔蕩失路嘞。佢喺暗黑中「哼哼」聲叫住,暗黑中傳返嚟回聲,「哼哼」。佢孤零零一支公,卷成咗一團,心中充滿煩惱,就淰淰噉瞓著咗。

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.


驢仔醒返嚟就發現有個老人耷低頭望住佢。佢睇住老人對眼,感覺到一絲希望。

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.


驢仔同老人一齊住,老人教識咗佢好多生存嘅本領。驢仔認真聽住老人,學得好快。老人亦都學到咗好多嘢。佢哋互相幫助,遇到開心嘅事就一齊哈哈大笑。

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.


一日朝頭早,老人叫驢仔帶佢去山頂上面。

One morning, the old man asked Donkey to carry him to the top of a mountain.


佢哋登上山頂,環繞喺雲霧中,瞓著咗。驢仔發夢見到佢媽咪病咗,正喺度叫佢,然之後佢就醒咗……

High up amongst the clouds they fell asleep. Donkey dreamed that his mother was sick and calling to him. And when he woke up…


……雲霧消失咗,佢嘅朋友—嗰個老人—亦都消失咗。

… the clouds had disappeared along with his friend, the old man.


驢仔終於知道佢要點做嘞。

Donkey finally knew what to do.


驢仔搵到佢嘅媽咪,佢孤零零一個人,正喺度為佢走失嘅仔仔而傷心。佢哋凝望住對方好耐,然之後緊緊噉擁抱。

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.


驢仔同媽咪一齊住,慢慢長大,仲學識咗點樣共同生活。慢慢,其他家庭亦都搬咗嚟佢哋左近,住咗落嚟。

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.


Written by: Lindiwe Matshikiza
Illustrated by: Meghan Judge
Translated by: dohliam
Read by: Zoe Lam
Language: Cantonese
Level: Level 3
Source: Donkey Child from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Options
Back to stories list Download PDF