Hapo zamani za kale, watu hawakujua chochote. Hawakujua kupanda mimea, hawakujua kushona nguo, wala hawakujua kuunda zana za chuma. Nyame, mungu aliyekuwa mbinguni, ndiye aliyekuwa mwenye hekima zote za dunia. Alihifadhi hekima hiyo kwenye chungu cha udongo.
Long long ago people didn’t
know anything. They didn’t
know how to plant crops, or
how to weave cloth, or how to
make iron tools.
The god Nyame up in the sky
had all the wisdom of the world.
He kept it safe in a clay pot.
Mu nshita yakale saana, abantu tabaishibe nangu cimo. Tabaishibe ifyakubyala ifilimwa nangu ukupikula, nangu ukupanga ifibombelo fya fyela. Leesa Nyame uwali mu muulu umutali ewakwete amaano yonse mu caalo. Aayasungile mu nongo.
Siku moja, Nyame aliamua kumpa Anansi chungu hicho cha hekima. Kila Anansi alipotazama ndani ya chungu cha udongo, alijifunza jambo jipya. Alifurahi sana!
One day, Nyame decided that
he would give the pot of
wisdom to Anansi.
Every time Anansi looked in the
clay pot, he learned something
new. It was so exciting!
Ubushiku bumo, Nyame apeele Anansi inongo ya maano. Lyonse ilyo Anansi aalelolesha mu nongo, alesambililamo icintu cimo icipya. Caliweme nganshi.
Anansi mlafi alinong’ona moyoni, “Nitakificha chungu hiki juu ya mti mrefu ili nikifaidi mwenyewe.” Akasokota uzi mrefu na kuuzungusha kwenye chungu. Kisha, akajifunga tumboni. Akaanza kupanda kwenye mti. Lakini ilikuwa vigumu kupanda kwenye mti huku chungu kikimgonga magotini kila mara.
Greedy Anansi thought, “I’ll
keep the pot safe at the top of a
tall tree. Then I can have it all
to myself!”
He spun a long thread, wound it
round the clay pot, and tied it to
his stomach.
He began to climb the tree. But
it was hard climbing the tree
with the pot bumping him in the
knees all the time.
Anansi mu kuitemwa, aatontonkenye ati, “Ndesungila inongo pa muulu wa muti uutali pakuti tailubile. Lyena ninshi ikabafye yandi neeka!” Apikula intambo iitali, aipomba ku nongo no kuikaka pa mala. Atampa no kuniina ku cimuti. Nomba cali icayafya ukuniina icimuti ne nongo pantu yalemupunka mu makufi cila nshita.
Wakati huo wote, mwanawe alikuwa amesimama chini ya ule mti akimtazama baba yake. Akamwambia, “Baba, si ingekuwa rahisi kupanda endapo ungekifungia chungu mgongoni?” Basi Anansi akajaribu kukifungia chungu kilichojaa hekima mgongoni mwake, na kweli ikawa rahisi zaidi.
All the time Anansi’s young son
had been standing at the
bottom of the tree watching. He
said, “Wouldn’t it be easier to
climb if you tied the pot to your
back instead?”
Anansi tried tying the clay pot
full of wisdom to his back, and it
really was a lot easier.
Inshita yonse ii, umulumendo umwana uwakwa Anansi aiminiine mwisamba lya muti aletamba. Epakusosa ati, “Bushe teeti cangukeko nga mwakakiliile inongo panuma?” Efyo Anansi aeseshe ukukaka inongo ya maano panuma, awe no kwanguka cayanguka.
Punde tu alipofika juu ya mti, aliwaza, “Natakiwa kuwa ndiye mwenye hekima zote, lakini hapa mwanangu ndiye mwenye akili kuliko mimi.” Anansi alikasirishwa sana kiasi kwamba alikitupa kile chungu chini ya mti.
In no time he reached the top of
the tree.
But then he stopped and
thought, “I’m supposed to be
the one with all the wisdom,
and here my son was cleverer
than me!”
Anansi was so angry about this
that he threw the clay pot down
out of the tree.
Ukwabula ukupoosa ne nshita afika na pamuulu wa muti. Nomba atala iiminina no kutontonkaya ati, “Nine mfwile ukukwata amaano yonse, nomba apa umwana wandi akwatapo amaano ukuncila!” Anansi afulwa icibi. Apoosa ne nongo panshi ya cimuti.
Chungu kilivunjika vipandevipande pale chini. Hekima zikawa za bure kwa mtu yeyote kujichukulia. Na hivyo ndivyo watu walivyojifunza kulima, kushona nguo, kuunda zana za chuma, na mambo yote mengine ambayo watu wanajua kuyafanya.
It smashed into pieces on the
ground. The wisdom was free
for everyone to share.
And that is how people learned
to farm, to weave cloth, to
make iron tools, and all the
other things that people know
how to do.
Iŋongo yapona panshi yatobaika. Amaano nomba yabafye ya muntu onse. Ukufuma apo, efyo abantu baishibe ukulima, ukupikula no kufula ifishimbi na fimbipo ifyo abantu baishiba ukucita pali leelo.
