Play time: 04:40 minutes. Recorded in Shiru, Kenya, March 19, 2014.
Mukeele, Mukana Na Mwai Wa Tsing'ombe
Hellen Makungu
Ku mita vananganga Hellen Makungu na mbe na lugano. Na lugano lwange luve ndi, mukeere undi yaliho, na yali na mukana. Na nava kandi na muhinzili muyayi, yaitsa tsing'ombe na mukana oyo yali wa kutenya tsinguyi na kulela mwana. Lyali liduku lala yatula atsitsa kutenya yamanya na avugula vakana vandi vatsya kutenya. Lwa vatsya kutenya na muyayi oyo navugula tsing'ombe natsya kwaitsa. Vatenyanga na muyayi oyo yaitsa tsing'ombe. Vavukana tsinzila, mulala yatsya iyi na undi atsya iyi ni vatenya tsinguyi. Valala ni venya mulala lakini vamunyola dave. Mukana oyo yagenda na aduka havundu nanyoola ha lina liliaga, yamanya nagwaamu. Vandi vamwenya lakini vamunyola dave. Vavoha tsinguyi tsyavo vatsya engo.
Vatsya kuvola mwivuli kwenyi mukana mulala kumunyoli dave, kugotwa wa atsile, mukeele oyo nahenza namunyola dave. Vwacha mugamba kandi vakana yava vatsya kutenya muyayi oyo navoholola tsing'ombe natsya kwaitsa. Vakana yava vali vatenya na muyayi oyo yali na tsing'ombe na igiliki yali ku. Igiliki iyi yaduka ha lina lyaliho. Igiliki eyo lwa yadukaho ni yanza kwana. Ni yana mukana oyo nahulitsa, mukana oyo natanga limba:
Igiliki ikumulanga eyo, Igiliki ikumulanga eyo
Ikumulanga kuli yali yetu tserere
Vakana vatsya kutenya, inyanza yigalila tserere
Vakana vali vatenya vahula mundu yimba. Visunda kandi na igiliki eyo ni iyava ni yana. Na mukana oyo ni yimba:
Igiliki ikumulanga eyo, Igiliki ikumulanga eyo
Ikumulanga kuli yali yetu tserere
Vakana vatsya kutenya, inyanza yigalila tserere
Vakana valanga muyayi yali yaitsa vammbola mukana yimba yaha kuli yali yagota oyo. Igiliki eyo kandi ni itanga liana. Ni yana mukana oyo kandi natanga limba:
Igiliki ikumulanga eyo, Igiliki ikumulanga eyo
Ikumulanga kuli yali yetu tserere
Vakana vatsya kutenya, inyanza yigalila tserere
Vana yava vamanya ni vavoha tsinguu, muyayi oyo navoholola igiliki ni vatsya engo. Lwa vatsya engo ni vatsya ni vavola mwivuli wali wa mukana oyo, kuduki havundu, mukana atangi kwimba, na moyo yogo gufwani gwa mukana yagota wali wowo. Mukeele oyo navola ni giligali muhulile. Ni vavola kuhulile, navavola mugamba muvuke kale kutsi. Mukeele oyo yamanya nalanga vandu ni vavugula magembe, mwaitsi kandi natsya. Vagenda vaduka ha igiliki iyi yakolela. Igiliki iyi ni itanga liana, ni yanilaho mukana oyo natanga limba:
Igiliki ikumulanga eyo, Igiliki ikumulanga eyo
Ikumulanga kuli yali yetu tserere
Vakana vatsya kutenya, inyanza yigalila tserere
Mukeele oyo navola nagiligali oyo ni mwana wange. Mukana oyo natanga limba:
Igiliki ikumulanga eyo, Igiliki ikumulanga eyo
Ikumulanga kuli yali yetu tserere
Vakana vatsya kutenya, inyanza yigalila tserere
Mukeele oyo yamanya ni vavugula mijiko na magembe ni vayava, ni vaduka ku mukana oyo vavugula mukana oyo vamuhila engo vayanza ni viimba. Vadeka ni valya, lugano lwange luduka yahoo.
A woman, a girl and a cowboy
My name is Hellen Makungu and I have a story. And my story goes like this; there was a woman, who had a girl. She also had a worker who was a boy and this boy was looking after the cows while the girl was fetching firewood and taking care of the small baby. One day the girl took other girls and they went to fetch firewood. When they went to look for firewood the boy took the cows out for grazing. While they were looking for firewood, the boy was looking after the cows. They went in separate directions, as they looked for firewood. After that the girls gathered themselves together and one was nowhere to be seen. She had fallen in a pit, others were looking for her but they did not find her. They put their firewood together and went home.
They went and told her parent that they looked for her daughter but they did not find her. They did not know where she went. The woman looked for her but she did not find her. The following day the girls went to look for firewood and the boy took the cows out for grazing. The girls were looking for firewood and the boy was looking after the cow and among the cows there was a bull. The bull reached where the pit was and it started mowing. The girl inside the pit listened and started to sing:
The bull that is mowing, the bull that is mowing
It is mowing like ours
Girls went to look for firewood; the floods prevented her from moving with others
The girls were looking for firewood and they heard someone singing. They came near and the bull was digging down as it mowed. And the girl inside the pit continued singing:
The bull that is mowing, the bull that is mowing
It is mowing like ours
Girls went to look for firewood; the floods prevented her from moving with others
The girls called the boy who was looking after the cows and told him that a girl is singing from the pit and she sounds like the one who got lost. The bull began to mow, as it mow the girl began to sing again:
The bull that is mowing, the bull that is mowing
It is mowing like ours
Girls went to look for firewood; the floods prevented her from moving with others
These children put their firewood together; the boy took the bull home. When they arrived home they went and told the girl's parent, that they reached at a place and they heard a girl singing and she sounded like the one who had lost. The parent asked them if they were sure of what they were speaking. They confirmed to her that they were sure of what they were saying. She asked them to wake up early for them to go and look for her. The woman asked people to look for shovel and they went with the cowboy. They walked and arrived at the place where the bull was mowing, and the bull began to mow, it mowed and the girl began to sing:
The bull that is mowing, the bull that is mowing
It is mowing like ours
Girls went to look for firewood; the floods prevented her from moving with others
The woman said that it was true that she was her girl. The girl began to sing again:
The bull that is mowing, the bull that is mowing
It is mowing like ours
Girls went to look for firewood; the floods prevented her from moving with others
That woman and others took shovel and began to dig down the ground, they got the girl, they took her home happily as they sang. They cooked meals and ate. My story has ended there.