Apa va dogorokere ozina vaSimbegwire, age kwa guvire unene. Oguhwe vaSimbegwire ngava rugana moomu va vhulira mokupakera mbili munwawo gomukadona. Mokaruwogona tava ya kara simpe noruhafo, pwa hana ozina vaSimbegwire. Nkenye ngurangura ngava hingire tava uyunga yokuhamena ezuva olyo. Nkenye ngurova ngava tereke murarero kumwe. Konyima zokumana kukuhwa yiyaha, oguhwe ngava mu vatere kurugana yiruganenambo yendi.
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.
Ezuva limwe, oguhwe vaSimbegwire kwa hulilire kuwiza kembo kapisi moomu ava wiza nkenye siruwo noruveze. “Kupi ono kara munwange?” Yimo va mu zigidire. Simbegwire ta dukire koguhwe. Ta sikama ndjikiti mokuvamona awo vana kwata ewoko lyomukadi. “Nina hara ni ku likide muharwa gwange, munwange. Ogu yige Anita,” kwa tumbwire edina lyendi nehafo.
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.
“Moroka Simbegwire, oguho kwa tantera nge yoyinzi yokuhamena koge,” yimo ga uyungire Anita. Nye kapi ga menya-menyene ndi a kwate ewoko lyomukadona. Oguhwe vaSimbegwire kwa hefe unene. Awo kwa uuyungire kuhamena omu nava paruka kumwe moutatu wawo. “Munwange, nina huguvara asi no tambura Anita a kare onyoko,” yimo ga uyungire.
“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.
Eparu lyaSimbegwire kwa litjindjire. Kapi hena nga gwana siruwo sokuhingira kumwe noguhwe ngura-ngura. Anita nga mu pe yirugana yoyinzi yemembo yiyo ngayi mu rorora a dire kuvhura kurugana yirugana yendi yosure ngurova. Apa nga mana kulya murarero nga vyukilire pombete a ka rare. Mbili zendi nga zi gwana konguho zomaruvara gomutaro ezi va mu sigira onakufa ozina. Oguhwe vaSimbegwire kapi va dimbwilire asi munwawo kapi ga kere noruhafo.
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.
Konyima zomakwedi gongandi, oguhwe vaSimbegwire tava va tantere asi kapi nava kara po pembo pokaruwo kokasupi. “Ame tani pwaga noyirugana yange,” yimo va uyungire. “Nye nina yi diva asi nomu lipakera mbili nyamweni.” Sipara saSimbegwire kwa guvire, nye oguhwe kapi va yi dimbwilire. Anita kapi ga uyungire yuma. Nagesi kapi ga kere noruhafo.
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.
Yininke tayi zi nye kokudona kombinga zaSimbawire. Nsene kapi ana mana yirugana yendi ndi a sivane, Anita ta mu toona. Nsene pokulya murarero, mukadi nga li nondya dononzi, ta sigire Simbegwire nondya dononsesu tupu. Nkenye masiku Simbegwire nga lili dogoro ta rara, nokulidingira nguwo ezi va mu sigira onakufa ozina.
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.
Ngurangura zimwe, Simbegwire kwa hulililire kupinduka. “Ove mukadona goudwa!” yimo ga harukire Anita. Ta mu koko po pombete. Nguwo tazi lihaka membwara, tazi tauka pavali,
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.
Simbegwire kwa keregenyene unene. Yipo ga dukire a tunde po pembo. Ta gusa nye yizupangwidi yonguho ozo za taukire pavali va mu sigira onakufa ozina, nokurongera nondya dimwe, makura ta tundu po pembo. Age kwa kweme nzira ezi va gendere oguhwe.
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.
Pongurova, ta rondo kositji sosire sa kara pepi nomusare, makura ta wapaike mbete zendi monomutayi. Apa ana kurara, ta dimbi, “Nane, nane, nane, mwa siga nge. Mwa siga nge kapi hena mwa ka tengura. Otate kapi vana hara nge hena. Nane, siruwo musinke ngomu tengura? Mwa siga nge.”
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.”
Ngurangura zokukwama ko, Simbegwire ta dimbi simpe rusumo rooro. Apa va wizire vakadi kediva va ya kuhwe yikoverero yawo momusare, tava zuvhu rusumo rweguwo runa kutundilira kositji sosire. Awo kwa gazarere asi nampo mpepo zina kupepura mahako, makura tava twikire noyirugana yawo. Nye mukadi gumwe yipo ga purakenene nawa rusumo oro.
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.
Ogu mukadi ta tara keguru lyositji. Apa ga mwene mukadonagona noyizupangwidi yendi yonguwo, ta lili, “Simbegwire, munwa mumbyange gomugara!” Vakadi wokuhupa ko tava hageke kukuhwa va vatere Simbegwire kuhumburuka ko kositji. Mumbya goguhwe gomukadi makura ta mu lidingire a mu hengagwide.
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.
Simbegwire ta mu gusa nye mumbya goguhwe gomukadi a mu tware kembo lyendi. Age kwa genyekerere Simbegwire nondya nokumutura pombete nonguho zendi. Masiku ogo, Simbegwire kwa lilire komeho a rare. Nye kapisi mahodi geguwo, nye mokugwana emanguruko. Morwa ga divire asi ozinagona tava mu pakere mbili.
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.
Apa va ka tengwire oguhwe kembo, tava ya gwana monzugo zendi mwato yuma. “Yisinke yina horoka, Anita?” kwa pulire nomutjima gomudigu. Mukadi ta fwaturura asi Simbegwire kwa duka mo membo. “Ame kwa here asi a fumadeke nge” yimo ga uyungire. “Nye nampo na kere nonompangera doukenya.” Oguhwe vaSimbegwire tava tundu membo nokuvyukilira va ze kediva. Tava ka twikira va ze komukunda oku ga kara mukurwendi gomukadi noku ka pura nsene asi va mona ko Simbengwire.
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.
Simbegwire kwa danaukire noyipwa yendi apa ga mwene oguhwe koure. Age kwa kere nowoma asi nampo oguhwe kuvhura va handuke, makura ta dukire monzugo a ka vande. Nye oguhwe tava zi kwendi makura tava uyunga asi, “Simbegwire, ono ya gwana onyokogona wovawa. Ava va ku hara noku kuzuvha. Ame kuna kulizuvha mfumwa ntani na ku hara.” Yipo va lizuvhasanene asi Simbegwire ta kara namumbya goguhwe gomukadi kukwama omu ana hara mwene.
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.
Oguhwe ngava ya mu tarere po nkenye ezuva. Ezuva limwe va wizire naAnita. Ta kwata ewoko lyaSimbegwire. “Mbili mukadonagona, ame kwa kere mepuko,” ta tameke kulira. “Kuvhura o pulisire nge ni hetekere ko hena?” Simbegwire ta tara oguhwe ntani nosipara sawo sosinka. Makura age ta heda komeho nakauke nokulidingira Anita.
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.
Sivike sokukwama ko, Anita ta zigida Simbegwire, kumwe noyipwa yendi ntani namukurwa goguhwe gomukadi, va wize va ya lye kumwe kembo lyoguhwe. Yikulya yoyiwa! Anita kwa terekere nondya nadinye edi ga hara Simbegwire, nkenye gumwe kwalire dogoro ana kuta. Ano vanona kwa danaukire siruwo oso vakurona awo kuna kuzogera. Simbegwire kwa hefe ntani kwa lizuvhire upenda. Age ta tokora, asi ntaantani, ntaantani a tengure kembo a ya tunge noguhwe nozina wositumbwena.
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.
