Mawanga a Nkhanga (The Guinea Fowl’s spots)

Panangokhala…. (Once upon a time)

Tili tonse

Panali atsikana ena ake. (There lived some girls)

Tili tonse.

Nde anapita kukatola nkhuni. (So they decided to go and pick firewood)

Tili tonse

Ali kotola nkhuni kuja. (As they picked the firewood)

Tili tonse

Anapeza nkhanga (they found some guinea fowl)

Ndiye nkhanga zija zimaoneka zokongola. (Now the guinea fowl looked beautiful)

Tili tonse

Ndiye iwo aja ananena kuti…(So the girls said…)

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Ifenso tikufuna tikhale ndi mawanga okongola ngati anuwa (We also want to have beautiful spots like yours)

Tili tonse

Ndiye nkhanga zinawauza kuti oh chabwino, muzitilondola (so the guinea fowl said, alright, just follow us)

Tili tonse

Kuti tikakuonetseni kumene ifeyo timatenga mawanga okongolawa.(We’ll show you where we get these beautiful spots)

Ndiye atsikana aja chifukwa choti amafuna awoneke okongola anayamba kumazilondola nkhanga zija. (So since the girls wanted to look beautiful, they started to follow the guinea fowl)

Tili tonse.

Ndiye nkhanga zija zinauluka kukafika pena pake (So the guinea fowl flew up to a certain point)

Atsikana aja kuthamanga, kuzithamangira (and the girls ran, running after the guinea fowl)

Nkhanga zija kuyambanso kuuluka kukafika pena pake atsikana aja chimodzimodzinso kuthamanga (And the guinea fowl started running up to a certain point)

Tili tonse

Ndiye kenaka atsikana aja anayamba kumayimba nyimbo (Then the girls started singing)

Ndiye ndikamanena kuti (So when I say)

Nganga licheche nganga licheche (Beautiful guinea fowl beautiful guinea fowl)

Muzinena kuti aye ngingwacheka (You should say we shall not cut you)

Eti? (okay?)

Ine ndikati eh(when I say eh

Kwadyokopa (I am afraid of you)

Eh

kwamama wawo (of your mother)

Eh ku Masenjele chekeliche (chekeliche: sound of the birds’wings flying)

Apikene ?  (Do you understand?)

Eeeh. (Yes).

Eya. Tsopano ndikuyamba eti ? Eya. (Okay. I’m about to start).

Nde atsikana aja anaganiza kuti mwina  nkhangazi tiziziimbira nyimbo kuti zisamathamange kwambiri.(So the girls decided that maybe they should sing to the guinea fowl to stop them from going so fast).

Nde anayamba (so they started)

Nganga licheke nganga licheke

Aye ngingwacheka

Nganga licheche nganga licheche

Aye ngingwacheka

Eh ngwadyokopa

Eh amama wao eh

Kumasenjele chekeliche

 

Nde basino. Zikatelo ndekuti nkhanga zija zikhala ngati zayima pang’ono ndekuti atsikana aja athamanga kuzipeza. Akafika basi, nkhanga zija kuulukanso. Iwo aja kuyambanso kuyimba nyimbo.(so… whenever they sang, the guinea fowl would stop for a bit and the girls would run and find them. Then the guinea fowl would fly off again. And the girls would start singing again).

Nganga licheke nganga licheke

Aye ngingachekwa

Nganga licheche nganga licheche

Aye ngingachekwa

Eh kwadyokopa

Eh kamama wawo

Eh ku Masenjele chekeliche

Ku Masenjele chekeliche

 

Ndiye kuti mmene muja nkhanga zija zikungopita ndiye atsikana aja amangozitsata, kumangozitsata. Ndeno kenako anazindikira kuti, sanathe kuipezanso njira yakwao anasowa.(And the guinea fowl continued flying, and the girls kept following them, they kept following them. And then suddenly the girls realised that they could not find their way home, they were lost).

Oooh.

Nde makolo awo anayamba kusaka kusaka mthengo monse. Kusaka kusaka. Patadutsa nthawi yaitali anakaapeza, koma anali okuti kumene nkhanga zija zimaulukila kunali kumabango, anali atachekekachekeka, kukungola kumene amakufuna kuja sanakupeze.

(So their parents started looking for them in the entire forest. They searched and searched for them. After a long period of time, they found the girls, but the guinea fowl had flown to places where there were lots of reeds, and the girls had been cut and bruised by the reeds, and they did not find the beauty they had been looking for).

Nde nthano iyi ikuthandauza kuti, muzikwanitsidwa ndi maonekedwe anu.

(So the moral of the story is, be satisfied with your looks).

As narrated by Mrs Mary Wasiri