Kambaya

Padangokhala

(Once upon a time)

Tili tonse

Panali amai ena (There was a certain woman)

Nde amayiwo anali ndi mwana  (So this woman had a child)

Tili tonse

Nde amayi aja anamwalira. (Then the woman died)

Tili tonse.

Koma anali okwatiwa. (Now this woman had been married)

Tili tonse.

Nde abambo aja anasala ndi mwana. (So the husband stayed with the child)

Tili tonse.

Nde anakwatira mkazi wina. (Then he married another woman).

Tili tonse.

Nde basi mwana uja amaleledwa ndi mayi ena aja. (So the child was raised by the other woman).

Tili tonse.

Nde amayi aja anali ankhanza. (This second woman was cruel).

Tili tonse.

Nde amamuzunza mwana uja.(and she was cruel to the child).

Tili tonse.

Ndiye tsiku lina, chifukwa chonyatsidwa naye ―amammana zakudya― (Now one day, because she hated the child―by the way, she used to refuse to give him food―)

Ndiye tsiku lina anaganiza zomupha mwana uja

(So one day she decided to kill the child)

Tili tonse.

Nde atamupha anakumba dzenje

(So after killing him she dug a hole)

Tili tonse

Nkumukwirira ku mpanda kwao kapena pafupi ndi nyumba yawo

(And buried him close to their home)

Tili tonse

Nde basi, bambo ake atabwera, kufunsa, ‘Inu, iwe-’ (Mwana wina amene amayi atsopanowo anabereka ndi abambo aja amatchedwa Kambaya.)

(So, when the child’s father came home , he asked―now the husband also had a son with the second wife, and the son was called Kambaya).

Tili tonse.

Ndiye amati iwe Kambaya, mkulu wako ali kuti ? (So he asked, “Kambaya, where is your brother”)?

Tili tonse.

Basi Kambaya akuti sindinamuone. (And Kambaya said, “I haven’t seen him.”)

Tili tonse.

Ndiye bambo kufunsa amayi, ‘Mwana ali kuti ?’ (So the man asked his wife, “Where is the boy?)

Ali, ‘Sindinamuone’. (She said, ‘I haven’t seen him.”)

Tili tonse.

Ndiye nthawi ina atakhala, abambo aja atabwela, anangomva kuimba. (So after some time, when the man came home, he heard someone singing.)

Tili tonse.

Tsopano mzimu wa mwana wakufa uja umaimba.(Now the spirit of the dead child was singing).

Nde nyimbo yake inali yotere,

Ndikamaimba inu muzinena kuti:

Kambaya kambaya ndinali mzako ndinali mzako iyayi lelele

Muziti: kambaya.

Eya.

 

Kambaya kambaya ndinali mzako ndinali mzako iyelele

Kambaya

Achita amako

Kambaya

Akumba malindi

Kambaya

Afuna kundipha kambaya

Ndikhale mbeu, ndukhale mbeu mbeu anena ine,

Kambaya.

Ndikhale mbeu, ndikhale mbeu mbeu anena ine.

Kambaya.

 

Basi abambo kukhala, ah ah, nyimbo imeneyi ikuchokera kuti ?

Akakhalakhala kumvatso nyimbo.

Kodi mumalima pakhomo pano.

Iyayi, ndimadzala mbeu.

Kudzala mbeu ?

Eee.

Chabwino. Tamvani nyimboyi ikuyimbidwayi.

 

Kambaya kambaya ndinali mzako ndinali mzako iyaya lero

Kambaya

Achita amako

Kambaya

Akumba malindi

Kambaya

Ndikhale mbeu ndikhale mbeu mbeu anena ine

Kambaya.

(Kambaya I used to be your friend,

But your mother decided to hoe a garden and to turn me into a seed)

Basi abambo aja akuti, ‘Ah ah. Mayi nenani bwino. Iwe Kambaya, nena bwino bwino zomwe zachitika.’ (So the man said to his wife, ‘Explain this. Kambaya, explain what happened).

Nde mwana uja chinayamba kumpeza chisoni, kumangolira, Kambaya uja, kulira, kulira, kulira. (So the boy started feeling sorry, and weeping. He wept and wept).

Kumufunsa bambo wake ukulira chani? (His father asked him, “Why are you crying?’)

Mwana uja mpakana anaulula koma mai ake anamuuza kuti, ‘Usaulule.’ Koma mwana uj ndi chisoni anayamba kuulula.(So the child started revealing what had happened, even though his mother had told him, ‘” Don’t reveal this.”) He revealed the secret because he felt sorry.

Ali, “Bambo, zomwe achita amayi, anakumba apa, kumupha mwana uja. Amkwirira apa. Nde pamapeto ake amati tidzale mbeu ine osadziwa kuti akufuna tidzalepo m’bale wanga. Nde m’bale awanga uja amkwirira apa.’ (He said, “Father, here is what Mother did. She killed my brother. She said we were going to plant seeds but I didn’t know she meant she was going to bury my brother.)

Basi abambo aja atakumba anampeza mwana uja.’

(So the man dug the hoe and found the child.)

Ndeno mwambi umenewu ukatanthauza kuti chani?(What do we learn from this story?)

Osamazunza ana amasiye. (Don’t ill-treat orphans).

Palibe chinsinsi. (There is no secret).

 

As recounted by Dr. Annie Chiponda