Eli esanseko lyaNgende, mudimburuli gousi namukwawo gomakurulya gedina Gingile. Ezuva limwe apa ga zire Gingile a ka sane ta zuvhu ezigido lyaNgende. Mokana kaGingile tamu zura mazeze komagazaro gousi. Ta sikama a purakene nawa, ta tara-tara dogoro ta mono yidira komutayi keguru lyomutwe gwendi. Tjiki-tjiki-tjiki kadiragona taka dimbi ako taka tukire kositji sokukwama ko nesi sokukwama ko. Tjiki-tjiki-tjiki, ta zigida. Poyiruwo yimwe tasi hageke si divilise nsene Gingile ta kwama.
This is the story of Ngede, the Honeyguide, and a greedy young man named Gingile.
One day while Gingile was out hunting he heard the call of Ngede. Gingile’s mouth began to water at the thought of honey. He stopped and listened carefully, searching until he saw the bird in the branches above his head.
“Chitik-chitik-chitik,” the little bird rattled, as he flew to the next tree, and the next.
“Chitik, chitik, chitik,” he called, stopping from time to time to be sure that Gingile followed.
Konyima zoharufa zovili tava ya siki poukuzu wounene womowiza. Ngende ta mbatauka nepiyagano monomutayi. Makura ta ya sikama pomutayi gumwe ta pirukidisire mutwe gwendi kwaGingile ngwendi asi ta tanta asi, “Wou apa! Wiza ngesi! Yisinke ono kulirangera?” Gingile kapi ga mwene mo nonyiki monda zositji, nye ga huguvarere Ngende.
After half an hour, they reached a huge wild fig tree.
Ngede hopped about madly among the branches. He then settled on one branch and cocked his head at Gingile as if to say, “Here it is! Come now! What is taking you so long?”
Gingile couldn’t see any bees from under the tree, but he trusted Ngede.
Makura Gingile ta tura egonga lyendi lyokusanesa monda zositji, ta pongaike tutjigona tokukukuta ta hwameke kamundirogona. Makura apa gwa twerere nawa mundiro, ta tura sitji sosire sokukukuta pokatji komundiro. Sitji esi kwa si diva asi aso kututumuka musi gomunzi nsene tasi twera. Yipo ga varekere kuronda age ana si kwatesa nomazego kouhura wositji koutenda waso.
So Gingile put down his hunting spear under the tree, gathered some dry twigs and made a small fire.
When the fire was burning well, he put a long dry stick into the heart of the fire. This wood was especially known to make lots of smoke while it burned.
He began climbing, holding the cool end of the smoking stick in his teeth.
Usimbu-usimbu ta zuvhu muhagaro gononyiki omu dina kuyimbana. Da pwaga mo, da hwilira mo morupako rositji momutayi da tungira mbara dazo. Apa ga sikire Gingire pombara dazo, ta sindike mbara zononyiki nohuro zositji somusi morupako. Nonyiki tadi rupauka mo di pwage nehandu nerwameno. Tadi tuka di ze kwapeke, morwa nonyiki kapi da here musi, nye kapisi komeho zokupa Gingile matendaguro gokuzuga!
Soon he could hear the loud buzzing of the busy bees. They were coming in and out of a hollow in the tree trunk – their hive.
When Gingile reached the hive he pushed the smoking end of the stick into the hollow.
The bees came rushing out, angry and mean. They flew away because they didn’t like the smoke – but not before they had given Gingile some painful stings!
Apa da tundire po nonyiki Gingile ta sindike ewoko lyendi mosikorogo sononyiki. Ta pwagesa mo ewoko lyendi lina zura usi, lina kundoka usi wouwa una zura magadi nomaginyo gononyiki gomazera. Makura ta tura evhonkwa lyousi mokandjato aka ga likambekere pepepe lyendi, ta vareke kuhumburuka ko kositji.
When the bees were out, Gingile pushed his hands into the nest. He took out handfuls of the heavy comb, dripping with rich honey and full of fat, white grubs.
He put the comb carefully in the pouch he carried on his shoulder, and started to climb down the tree.
Ngende age kwa tarerere nayinye eyi ga rugene Gingile nomuncokoncoko. Age kwa ndindilire a mu sigire ko usi wokuneta ngompandu zendi asi mudimburuli gousi. Ngende ta pwerumuka tunda mutayi zende mutayi, kuhenya dogoro pepi nevhu. Pouhura Gingile ta ya siki pedi lyositji. Ngende ta tjokagura pemanya lya kere pepi nomumati a ndindire mfeto zendi.
Ngede eagerly watched everything that Gingile was doing. He was waiting for him to leave a fat piece of honeycomb as a thank-you offering to the Honeyguide.
Ngede flittered from branch to branch, closer and closer to the ground. Finally Gingile reached the bottom of the tree.
Ngede perched on a rock near the boy and waited for his reward.
Nye, Gingile ta dimisa mundiro, ta damuna egonga lyendi nokuvareka kugenda a ze kembo, kwato sinka sosidira. Ngende ta zigiga nehandu, “VIC-torr! VIC-torr!” Gingile ta sikama, ta tara kosidira sina, makura ta zoro unene. “Ono hara ko usi umwe, ono hara muholi? Ha! Nye nyamelike nina yi rugana, nyame dina humu nonyiki. Morwasinke nani ligawinina ou usi woutovara nove?” Makura ta ka za. Ngende kwa handukire! Ngano kapisi yimo ana kumurugana ngesi! Nye nage nga twiza nyangwe.
But, Gingile put out the fire, picked up his spear and started walking home, ignoring the bird.
Ngede called out angrily, “VIC-torr! VIC-torrr!”
Gingile stopped, stared at the little bird and laughed aloud. “You want some honey, do you, my friend? Ha! But I did all the work, and got all the stings. Why should I share any of this lovely honey with you?” Then he walked off.
Ngede was furious! This was no way to treat him! But he would get his revenge.
Ezuva limwe konyima zoyivike yongandi Gingile ta zuvhu hena ezigido lyousi waNgende. Ta diworoka usi worupekwa, makura ta kwama hena nedowo sidira. Konyima zokupitisira Gingile oku wa ka hura wiza, Ngende ta sikama monda zositji somundwire somega. ” Ahh,” Ta gazara Gingile asi.” Mbara zononyiki za kona kukara mositji esi.” Ta genderere kuhwameka kamundiro kendi nokuvareka kuronda, sitji somusi aso mokana kendi. Ngende ta hingire a tare.
One day several weeks later Gingile again heard the honey call of Ngede. He remembered the delicious honey, and eagerly followed the bird once again.
After leading Gingile along the edge of the forest, Ngede stopped to rest in a great umbrella thorn. “Ahh,” thought Gingile. “The hive must be in this tree.” He quickly made his small fire and began to climb, the smoking branch in his teeth. Ngede sat and watched.
Gingile kwa rondere, nye ta lipura mwene asi morwasinke ana kupira kuzuvha ezogerero eli a zuvhu nkenye apa. “Nampo mbara kuna kara konhi zositji unene,” yimo ga gazarere pwamwene. Ta lisindike mwene a ze keguru komutayi gumwe. Pevega lyokumona mbara zononyiki, kwa ya pahukira mosipara sangwe! Ngwe kwa handukire sili moku ya zonagwisa momudona nompofu dendi. Ta nana mo meho gendi, ta zahama a likide mamuzego gendi gomanene gokutwepa unene.
Gingile climbed, wondering why he didn’t hear the usual buzzing. “Perhaps the hive is deep in the tree,” he thought to himself. He pulled himself up another branch. But instead of the hive, he was staring into the face of a leopard!
Leopard was very angry at having her sleep so rudely interrupted. She narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth to reveal her very large and very sharp teeth.
Komeho zokuninka asi ngwendi ngano a nyangure po Gingile, age kwa genderere kutunda kositji. Mokugenderera ta sekuna mutayi, ta gu mungunda gomunene pevhu ta songonyoka moncugu zompadi. Ta hunyangere usimbu paapa ga vhulira. Erago lyendi Ngwe kwa kere asi simpe ha da mu kwatera nompofu kapi ga vhulire kumutjida. Ngende mudimburuli usi ga twizire nyangwe zendi. Ano Gingile ga lirongerere po.
Before Leopard could take a swipe at Gingile, he rushed down the tree.
In his hurry he missed a branch, and landed with a heavy thud on the ground twisting his ankle. He hobbled off as fast as he could. Luckily for him, Leopard was still too sleepy to chase him. Ngede, the Honeyguide, had his revenge.
And Gingile learned his lesson.
Ano makura, apa va ya zuvhire vanona vaGingile esanseko lyaNgende, va ya kere nefumadeko lyokadiragona. Nkenye apa ava zangura usi, va kona kusiga ko ruha rorunene rousi u kare womudimburuli gousi!
And so, when the children of Gingile hear the story of Ngede they have respect for the little bird. Whenever they harvest honey, they make sure to leave the biggest part of the comb for Honeyguide!
Zulu folktale
Wiehan de Jager
Alex Kasona
Rukwangali
Level 4
