Mu bumvu ne muku bula moyo, mwanyike wamucheche wamukazhi wafwenyenye kwipi nauno inetu. “Tusakumulama atweba,” baloongo ba wamukazhi bafukwile. “Tusakumulama aye mwine ne mwananji bulongo.”
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.”
Nangu umukashana aali ne nsoni alishipile no kupalama mupepi na namaayo. “Tufwile twamusunga uyu namaayo,” efyalandile abantu. “Tulemusunga bwino no mwana wakwe.”
Pano byo ba mwene mwaana, boonse batumbukile ne kubwela munyuma naku kumya. “Mbongolo!”
But when they saw the baby, everyone jumped back in shock.
“A donkey?!”
Nomba ilyo baamwene umwana, bonse batolokela kunuma mu kusunguka. “Punda?”
Bonse batekele kwipachika. “Twakwamba amba tusa kumula inanji ne mwaana bulongo, byobyo tusa kuuba byonkabyo,” umo wa ambile. “pano basa kwituletela mashamo!” bakwaabo nabo ba ambile.
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.
Kabiji ne byonka byo, uno inetu witaine buunke jikwaabo. Walangulukile byo afwainwa kuuba ne uno mwaana wapusanako. kabiji walangulukile byo akonsheshe kwiuba aye mwiine.
And so the woman found herself alone again.
She wondered what to do with this awkward child.
She wondered what to do with herself.
Efyo nomba namaayo aisangile eka na kabili. Taishibe ifyakucita no mwana wa musango uyu. Taishibe ifyakucita umwine.
Kyapeleleko, waswiletu amba uno ke mwananji kabiji ye inanji.
But finally she had to accept that he was her child and she was his mother.
Panuma aasuminafye ukuti umwana aali mwana wakwe elyo nao ali ni nyina.
Nanchi inge uno mwaana waikele kipimo kimo, inge biintu bya puseneko. pano uno mboongolo wamwaana wakomenengatu poso kabule ne kufika munyuma ya bainanji. Nangwa eseke byepi, kechi wakonsheshe kwikala nobe muuntu. Bainanji javula bakokele neku bwezhewa panyuma mu mupashi. Jimo jimo bamupanga miingilo ya kwingila banyama.
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.
Nomba nga cakuti umwana taaleekula, alifye umunono, fyonse nga fyalifye bwino. Lelo uyu punda alikulile saana icakuti aleka ukukumana mu numa yaba nyina. Elyo nangu eshe shani, ificitwa fyakwe tafyali fya buntu. Inshita yonse banyina baleebafye ne cifukushi kabili abanaka. Limo-limo baaleemupeela incito sha nama.
Kuvulangana ne bukaji byakomenenga mukachi kauno mboongolo. Kechi wakonsheshe kuuba kikye nangwa kyokya ne. Kechi waji kikye nangwa kyokya ne. Juuba jimo wazhingijile biingi kabiji wa panchile kibaaka bainaji bapona ne paanshi.
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.
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.
Ilyo Punda alekele ukubutuka, ninshi nakufiita, taishiibe uko aali. “Hee haw?” efyo aitootoosha mumfifi. “Hee Haw?” aumfwa iciunda. Ali eka. Aipeta, apona na mutulo utwinetwine utwamalangulushi.
Mboongolo wabukile ne kutana mwaana mulume mukote ubeena kumutala. Watajile mu meeso auno mukote ne kwikala na luketekelo.
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.
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 aile mu kwikala na shikulu-bantu, uwamufundile inshila sha kwikalilamo ishingi. Punda aaleumfwa no kusambilila, shikulu-bantu nao wine aaleesambilila. Baleyafwana no kusekela pamo.
Juuba jimo lukelo, uno mukote wamulume wabujile mboongolo kumusendako ne kumu twala peulu ya mutumba.
One morning, the old man asked Donkey to carry him to the top of a mountain.
Ubushiku bumo, shikulu-bantu aipwishe punda ukumusenda pa muulu wa lupili.
Mboongolo mwaana ne inanji bakomena pamo ne kutana mashinda akwikelamo. Pachepache boonse beba zhokoloka ne bisemi bikwabo bya tatula kwikiswisha.
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.
