🔊 Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.

Da na shida shekaru na yi, sai na ga wani kyakkyawan hoto a cikin wani littafi mai suna Labarun Gaskiya daga Yanayi, game da dajin farko. Hoton wani maciji mai rufe baki ne yana cikin aikin haɗiye wata dabba. Ga kwafin zanen.

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magnificent /mæɡˈnɪfɪsənt/

adj. mai ban sha'awa, mai girma, mai kyau sosai

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primeval /praɪˈmiːv(ə)l/

adj. na farko, na zamanin dā

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boa constrictor /ˈbəʊə kənˌstrɪktə(r)/

n. maciji mai rufe, wani nau'in maciji mai girma da ke rufe abincinsa

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swallowing /ˈswɒləʊɪŋ/

v. haɗiye, shāya

🔊 In the book it said: "Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion."

A cikin littafin an ce: "Macizai masu rufe baki suna haɗiye ganimarsu gaba ɗaya, ba tare da tauna ba. Bayan haka ba za su iya motsawa ba, kuma suna barci tsawon watanni shida da suke bukata don narkewa."

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prey /preɪ/

n. ganima, abin da mafarauci ke farauta

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digestion /daɪˈdʒestʃən/

n. narkewa, tsarin narkar da abinci a cikin jiki

🔊 I pondered deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing. My Drawing Number One. It looked something like this:

Sai na yi zurfin tunani, a kan abubuwan kasada na daji. Kuma bayan ɗan aiki da fensir mai launi, na yi nasarar yin zanena na farko. Zane Na Daya na. Ya yi kama da wannan:

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pondered /ˈpɒndəd/

v. yi tunani mai zurfi, yi bimbini

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adventures /ədˈventʃəz/

n. kasada, abubuwan ban sha'awa da haɗari

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jungle /ˈdʒʌŋɡ(ə)l/

n. daji mai cike da bishiyoyi da ciyayi, kurmi

🔊 I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them. But they answered: "Frighten? Why should any one be frightened by a hat?"

Na nuna babban aikin na ga manya, na tambaye su ko zanen ya tsoratar da su. Amma suka amsa: "Tsoratarwa? Me ya sa wani zai tsorata da hula?"

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masterpiece /ˈmɑːstəpiːs/

n. abin alfahari, aiki ko zane mafi kyawu da wani ya yi

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frightened /ˈfraɪt(ə)nd/

v. tsoratar, firgita

🔊 My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of a boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained. My Drawing Number Two looked like this:

Zanena ba hoton hula ba ne. Hoton wani maciji mai rufe baki ne yana narkar da giwa. Amma tun da manya ba su iya fahimta ba, na sake yin wani zane: Na zana cikin wani maciji mai rufe baki, domin manya su iya ganinsa a sarari. Kullum suna bukatar a bayyana musu abubuwa. Zane Na Biyu na ya yi kama da wannan:

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digesting /daɪˈdʒestɪŋ/

v. narkar da, narkewa

🔊 The grown-ups' response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside, and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic, and grammar. That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter. I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

Amsar manya, a wannan karon, ita ce su ba ni shawara in ajiye zanena na macizai masu rufe baki, ko na ciki ko na waje, in mai da hankali a kan ilimin ƙasa, tarihi, lissafi, da nahawu. Shi ya sa, tun ina ɗan shekara shida, na daina wani babban aiki na mai zane. Rashin nasarar Zane Na Daya na da Zane Na Biyu na ya ba ni takaici. Manya ba su taɓa fahimtar kome da kansu ba, kuma yana da gajiyawa ga yara su kasance koyaushe suna bayyana musu abubuwa.

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advise /ədˈvaɪz/

v. ba da shawara, gargadi

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lay aside /leɪ əˈsaɪd/

phrasal v. a jiƙa, a ajiye a gefe

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devote /dɪˈvəʊt/

v. keɓe, sadaukar da

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arithmetic /əˈrɪθmətɪk/

n. lissafi, ƙididdiga

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disheartened /dɪsˈhɑːt(ə)nd/

adj. bakin ciki, takaici, rashin ƙarfin hali

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tiresome /ˈtaɪəs(ə)m/

adj. mai gajiyarwa, mai ɗaurewa

🔊 So then I chose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes. I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me. At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona. If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.

Don haka sai na zaɓi wani sana'a, na koyi tuki jiragen sama. Na yi ɗan tashi sama a ko'ina cikin duniya; kuma gaskiya ne ilimin ƙasa ya yi mini amfani sosai. Da kallo ɗaya zan iya bambanta Sin da Arizona. Idan mutum ya ɓace cikin dare, irin wannan ilimi yana da daraja.

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pilot /ˈpaɪlət/

v. tukin jirgi, shugaban jirgi

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distinguish /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/

v. bambanta, ware

🔊 In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence. I have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn't much improved my opinion of them.

A cikin rayuwata na yi haduwa da mutane da yawa waɗanda suka shafi al'amura masu muhimmanci. Na yi rayuwa mai yawa a tsakanin manya. Na gan su a kusa, a hankali. Kuma hakan bai inganta ra'ayina game da su ba sosai.

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encounters /ɪnˈkaʊntəz/

n. haduwa, gamuwa (tare da wani)

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consequence /ˈkɒnsɪkwəns/

n. muhimmanci, sakamako

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intimately /ˈɪntɪmətli/

adv. a hankali, a kusa sosai, cikin kusanci

🔊 Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept. I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding. But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say:

A duk lokacin da na haɗu da ɗayansu wanda ya zama kamar mai hangen nesa a gare ni, sai in gwada nuna masa Zane Na Daya na, wanda na kasance ina ajiyewa. Zan yi ƙoƙarin gano, don haka, ko wannan mutumin ne mai fahimta ta gaskiya. Amma, ko wanene, shi, ko ita, koyaushe za su ce:

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clear-sighted /ˌklɪə ˈsaɪtɪd/

adj. mai hangen nesa, mai fahimta

🔊 "That is a hat."

"Wannan hula ce."

🔊 Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars. I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.

Sai ba zan taɓa yin magana da wannan mutumin game da macizai masu rufe baki, ko dajin farko, ko taurari ba. Zan saukar da kaina zuwa matakinsa. Zan yi masa magana game da gadar, da wasan golf, da siyasa, da wuyan wuya. Kuma babban mutum zai yi farin ciki sosai da ya haɗu da irin wannan mai hankali.

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sensible /ˈsensəb(ə)l/

adj. mai hankali, mai hikima

Chapter I (Babi Na Daya)