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The children’s rhyme about the coronavirus Is There Something in the Air? (Che cos’è che in aria vola?), written by Roberto Piumini, one of Italy’s most beloved children’s authors, has been translated into Tshivenda - a Bantu language and an official language of South Africa - by Mulalo Esther Takalani.
Mulalo Esther Takalani is a lexicographer at Tshivenda National Lexicography Unit; she is a translator with work experience with the South African government and several companies around the world. With a background in humanistic studies, she obtained a Masters of Arts in Language Practice with specialisation in Translation at the University of the Free State. Mulalo is a registered member of SATI and AFRILEX. As a lexicographer at Tshivenda National Lexicography Unit she has compiled several monolingual and translation dictionaries.
Hu na tshiṅwe tshithu muyani?
Vho imisa tshikolo: Vho zwi itela mini?
Ndi khomboḓe ine ra tea u i ṱhogomela?
Khonani yanga, kha ri ambenyana.
Vairasi ine ya khou ita uri vhathu vha sinyalale
ipfi Corona. A si khosi
naho dzina ḽayo ḽi tshi amba uri ‘’khare’’.
Zwo ralo ni tea u vhudzisa uri: Itshi tshithu ndi mini?
Tshitambudzi tshine ra sa kone u tshi vhona.
Ndi tshithu tshiṱukuṱuku fhulufhelo fhedzi ḽa u
tshi sumbedza nṋe na inwi
hu nga vha tshivhonatsini tshihulwane.
Tshi tou nga mulimo u papamala hoṱhehoṱhe
tsha vhanga khombo hoṱhehoṱhe,
tsho dzumbama, tshi na vhundiandia nahone tshi vhonala
nga u phaḓalala nga u ṱavhanya vhukuma afha na afho
Ndi tshiṱukuṱuku nahone tshi a leluwa
fhedzi tshi tou vha tshone khombo vhukumakuma
ngauri tshi a lwisa vhukuma
u dzhena kha nṋe na inwi.
Fhedzi ndi nndwa ine nṋe na inwi
na muṅwe na muṅwe a nga i kunda
ngauri hu na zwithu zwine ra nga zwi ita
u thivhela guru iḽo u dzhena kha riṋe.
Zwino tsha u thoma, humbulani zwauri arali na atsamula
u tshi kwama u ṱavhanya zwanḓani zwaṋu
u thivhela u phaḓalala ha vhulwadze hatsho
zwo ralo roṱhe tshi nga si ri vhaise tshoṱhe.
Arali na bvela nnḓa, musi ni tshi vhuya
vhonani uri ni gidimele na zwenezwo
u ṱamba zwanḓa zwaṋu kha u nga ṱhaselwa ngatsho,
hu si ṋamusi fhedzi, zwa ḓuvha ḽiṅwe na ḽiṅwe.
Ni shumise maḓi manzhi, tshisibe na ndondolo,
ni ṱukise ni omise hafhu zwanḓa zwaṋu zwavhuḓi.
Nga hezwo ni ḓo ita uri tshi fhele tshi
dzhene ngomu muedzini hu si kha inwi!
Musi Mme na Khotsi vha tshi dzhena nga muṋango
vhonani zwauri vha ita nga u ralo,
ni mbo tzhema ni ri ‘’Ri a fhululedza!’’, ‘‘Vho ita zwone’’, ‘‘Kha vha dovhe!’’
uri zwi takadze, unga ndi mutambo.
Ni bvise minwe yaṋu kha tshifhaṱuwo tshaṋu.
Ni songo kwama mulomo waṋu kana maṱo kana ningo,
u bvisela thungo tsumba ifhio na ifhio,
ngauri hune na kwama ndi hone hune tsha ya hone.
Musi ni tshi pfuka vhaṅwe vhathu, musi ni tshi ṱangana navho
siani tshikhala u bva he vha ima hone.
Ni nga ṅweṅwela na vha imisela tshanḓa musi ni tshi khou vha lumelisa.
A zwi tou vha zwa ndeme uri ni khaḓane.
U kuvhatedzana na u mamana? Ri songo zwi ita,
fhedzi zwi tou vha zwa zwino,
musi kuthu ukwo kuṱukuṱuku, dada livhi
ḽi tshi kha ḓi nukhedza nukhedza hoṱhehoṱhe.
Vhaṅwe vha ambara masiki musi vhe tshiṱaraṱani
fhedzi a vho ngo ambarela Mardi Gras
kana vho bvela nnḓa u wana maḽaki
kana zwibandidi zwi ṱoḓwaho nga mulayo
Masiki uyu wavhuḓi ndi wa u hoṱelela
ngauri musi vha tshi tsireledza zwifhaṱuwo zwavho
zwi thivhela u fhufha ha Corona
na u phaḓalala hayo hoṱhehoṱhe
Fhedzi musi dada iḽi ḽi tsini na u sa
tshinyadza, u vhaisa na u ya afha na fho
ni a ḓivha nzudzanyo dzanga dza u ḽi thudzela kule?
Ndi tou dzula nda tokomelwa muḓini wanga!
Ndi nzudzanyo yavhuḓisa khonani yanga
saizwi ri sa koni u ya tshikoloni
U swika vairasi hei ya khombo i tshi fhela
‘‘U dzula hayani’’! kha u tou vha mulayo washu wa ndeme.
Fhedzi muṱa na khonani, dzaṋu na dzanga?
Vhoṱhe vha hone hayani vho tsireledzea na u dzulisea,
nahone ri nga dzulela u kwamana muyani,
nga heyo nḓila vha ḓo dzula vha hone.
Arali ni tshi ṱoḓa u sumbedza uri no vha ṱuvha
hu na nḓila ine vha nga zwi ḓivha.
A zwi tei uri ni vha kuvhatedze kana u vha mama:
nga maipfi o ḓalaho ni ḓo zwi sumbedza.
Maipfi ndi mpho, maipfi ndi mbeu,
ndi mpho dzo ri ḓalelaho
nahone arali e avhuḓi ndi one ane ra a ṱoḓa,
musi ri kule na kule, u alusa lufuno lwashu.
Arali nṋe na inwi na muṅwe na muṅwe
ra tendela tsivhudzo, ndondolo na Lufuno zwa ri ṱuṱuwedza
roṱhe hu si kale ro vha ro kunda
nndwa yashu ya u lwisana na vairasi hei mmbi.
Musi ro kunda roṱhe
khaṅwe muṅwe na muṅwe u ḓo zwi vhona
uri ri nga guda u vha na shango ḽa khwiṋe
ḽo bvelelaho ḽa nṋe na inwi.
