Play time: 04:00 minutes. Recorded in Shiru, Kenya, March 19, 2014.

Mukeele Yarima Ihare

Hellen Makungu

Yaliho mukeele kandi, mukeele oyo yali na vana veve, mukeele oyo yali na vana veve yamanya ni yenya muhinzili chigila yali na kana kadii. Na yenya muhinzili, na yalima ihale sana. Ku yatula na vana veve vatsya valima na alekela muhinzili oyo hango. Ammbola umanya ufuyile vana tsinguvu udeke maungu. Lwa kumanya kulole imbula ni yitsa kumanya kutse vwangu kutse kulya na gunani gwaliho gwali gwalala anziga, gwali gwamenya mu vutende. Gunani yugu gwalinda mukeele uyu natuliyo, guzi mukeele uyu yatulaho tsa na gunani yugu nu gudukaho.

Mukana uyu yava akili kudeka liungu yili, akili kusunda kumu tsinguyi mba, akili kutsya ku mukidaho mba akili kufuyila ku vana tsinguvu. Gunani yugu gutanga:

Nzagamayaga nzagamayaga

Mukana oyo atanga rimba:

Gwakange, gwakange mwana wa mama narirarira, maungu ga me gakuvakuva

Imbula yitsa vwangu, imbula yitsa vwangu

Vatsi mu mulimi vagerere x2

Gunani yugu gukola nzagamayaga nzagamayaga

Mukeere oyo yatsa anyola maungu gakuva na mukana oyo akoli ku kindu dave. Agumile muhinzili oyo amukube. Muhinzili oyo avola gunani gwaza hanu na gwalwala gumbola tsa nguage nguage. Ne gujila ni njelewa kudeka. Mukeere oyo navola nanguhenzelitse tsa nanyole. Liduku lya kavili kandi guza, lwa gwaza mukeere oyo navugula liugu navaza nataa ku mahiga. Nalekela muhinzili oyo igasi namuvola utsi mu kidaho, usinge mwana udeke liungu ili. Mukeere oyo navugula vana veve vanne vatsya mu mulimi. Mukeere oyo yakataa liungu ili kumahiga ni guza. Kandi gutanga:

Nzagamayaga nzagamayaga

Mukana oyo atanga rimba:

Gwakange, gwakange mwana wa mama narirarira, maungu ga me gakuvakuva

Imbula yitsa vwangu, imbula yitsa vwangu

Vatsi mu mulimi vagerere x2

Mukeele oyo yatsa nanyola maungu gakukuva, muhinzili oyo akoli ku kindu chosi dave. Lidiku lya kavaga mukeere oyo navola ndenya nzi na ndukaku dave. Ndivisa vutsa. Mukeere oyo nalomba liungu nalekela muhinzili tsigasi tsya amanya amulekela. Mukeere oyo nadola ligembe na vana veve vatsya mulimi. Lwa vatsya vaduka dave, vatsya vaduka ku inzila na gunani yugu, lwa gwaza nu gunyola mukanaoyo ku mahiga. Gutanga kuvola:

Nzagamayaga nzagamayaga

Mukana oyo atanga rimba:

Gwakange, gwakange mwana wa mama narirarira, maungu ga me gakuvakuva

Imbula yitsa vwangu, imbula yitsa vwangu

Vatsi mu mulimi vagerere x2

Mukeere uyu yamanya ni yatsa nanyola gunani yugu guveho, yamanya na alanga vandu na atemanya gunani yugu nu gukutsa. Lugano lwange lufwele yahoo.

The woman who was digging far

There was a woman and this woman had her children. This woman wanted a house helper because she had a small child. She was doing farming from a far place. She used to leave with her children and they go to farm and leave the small child with the house helper at home. She could instruct the house helper to clean the clothes and cook. When we see it is coming to rain we will come back to eat and there was an ogre that was sick. It was neighboring their home. This ogre could wait when the woman has left, whenever this woman left the ogre could come.

The girl had not prepared the meal, she had not even added firewood to the fire, and gone to the river to fetch water and even clean the clothes. This ogre could start:

Scratch me, scratch me

The girl could start to sing:

I scratch you, I scratch you while the mother's child cries, the food is getting burnt

Rain come fast, rain come fast

For those who went to the farm to come back x2

And the ogre says: Scratch me, scratch me

The woman could arrive and find that the food is burnt and the girl has done nothing. She could punish the worker. The girl told her that there is an ogre that normally comes around and request her to scratch it. It was the one that caused her to delay in cooking. The woman said that she will look for it and she will find it. The second day it came; the woman pilled the food and put on fire. She left work for the house helper and asked her to go to the river and fetch water, then clean the child and cook food. She took her four children and they went to the farm. When she had put the food on fire the ogre came and started:

Scratch me, scratch me

The girl could start to sing:

I scratch you, I scratch you while the mother's child cries, the food is getting burnt

Rain come fast, rain come fast

For those who went to the farm to come back x2

When the woman came back she found that the food was burnt, and the house helper had done nothing. The third day the woman promised to leave for work but she didn't arrive where she was going. She hides herself and she had assigned the house helper her normal duties. When they arrived at the road the ogre came as usual and found the girl and it started to sing:

Scratch me, scratch me

The girl could start to sing:

I scratch you, I scratch you while the mother's child cries, the food is getting burnt

Rain come fast, rain come fast

For those who went to the farm to come back x2

This woman came and found the ogre was there, she called other people and she killed this ogre. My story has ended there.