🔊 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.

Mara moja nilipokuwa na umri wa miaka sita, niliiona picha ya kustaajabisha katika kitabu, kiitwacho Hadithi za Kweli za Asili, kuhusu msitu wa kale. Ilikuwa picha ya nyoka mkufuru wakati unammeza mnyama. Hapa kuna nakala ya mchoro huo.

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magnificent /mæɡˈnɪfɪsənt/

adj. nzuri sana, kubwa na ya kuvutia

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primeval /praɪˈmiːv(ə)l/

adj. -a kale kabisa, -a enzi za mwanzo

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boa constrictor /ˈbəʊə kənˈstrɪktə(r)/

n. nyoka mkubwa anayekamata na kumiminikiza mnyama mwenzake

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swallowing /ˈswɒləʊɪŋ/

v. kumeza kitu kikubwa

🔊 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."

Katika kitabu kulisema: "Nyoka mkufuru huwameza wanyama wao wote, bila kuwaata. Baada ya hapo hawawezi kusonga, na wanalala kwa muda wa miezi sita wanayohitaji kwa mmeng'enyo."

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prey /preɪ/

n. mnyama anayewindwa na mnyama mwingine kwa ajili ya chakula

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digestion /daɪˈdʒestʃən/

n. mchakato wa kuvunja chakula ndani ya mwili ili kutumika kama nishati

🔊 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:

Niliwaza kwa kina, basi, juu ya vituko vya msitu. Na baada ya kazi fulani kwa kalamu ya rangi, nilifanikiwa kutengeneza mchoro wangu wa kwanza. Mchoro Nambari Moja wangu. Ulionekana kama hivi:

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pondered /ˈpɒndəd/

v. kufikiria kwa kina, kuzingatia kwa makini

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adventures /ədˈventʃəz/

n. matukio ya kusisimua na hatari

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jungle /ˈdʒʌŋɡ(ə)l/

n. msitu mnene na wenye joto, hasa katika maeneo ya tropiki

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succeeded /səkˈsiːdɪd/

v. kufanikiwa kufanya kitu, kufikia lengo

🔊 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?"

Niliwaonyesha wakubwa kazi yangu bora, na kuwauliza ikiwa mchoro huo uliwatia hofu. Lakini walijibu: "Kutia hofu? Kwa nini mtu yeyote atiwe hofu na kofia?"

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masterpiece /ˈmɑːstəpiːs/

n. kazi bora kabisa iliyotengenezwa na mtu, hasa katika sanaa

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frightened /ˈfraɪt(ə)nd/

v. kutisha, kusababisha hofu

🔊 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:

Mchoro wangu haukuwa picha ya kofia. Ilikuwa picha ya nyoka mkufuru akiyeyusha ndovu. Lakini kwa kuwa wakubwa hawakuweza kuuelewa, nilifanya mchoro mwingine: Nilichora ndani ya nyoka mkufuru, ili wakubwa waweze kuuona waziwazi. Huwa wanahitaji mambo yaelezwe kila mara. Mchoro Nambari Mbili wangu ulionekana kama hivi:

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digesting /daɪˈdʒestɪŋ/

v. kuvunja chakula ndani ya mwili

🔊 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.

Majibu ya wakubwa, wakati huu, yalikuwa kunishauri niachie kando michoro yangu ya nyoka mkufuru, iwe ya ndani au nje, na nijitoe badala yake kwa jiografia, historia, hesabu, na sarufi. Ndio maana, katika umri wa miaka sita, niliacha kile kingekuwa kazi bora ya mchoraji. Nilisikitishwa na kushindwa kwa Mchoro Nambari Moja wangu na Mchoro Nambari Mbili wangu. Wakubwa hawawezi kamwe kuelewa chochote wenyewe, na ni kuchosha kwa watoto kuwaelezea mambo daima na milele.

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advise /ədˈvaɪz/

v. kushauri, kutoa ushauri

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lay aside /leɪ əˈsaɪd/

v. phrase. kuweka kando, kuacha kwa muda

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devote /dɪˈvəʊt/

v. kujitolea, kutumia muda au juhudi nyingi kwa kitu

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arithmetic /əˈrɪθmətɪk/

n. sayansi ya namba, hesabu za msingi (kujumlisha, kutoa, kuzidisha, kugawanya)

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disheartened /dɪsˈhɑːt(ə)nd/

adj. kukatishwa tamaa, kupoteza matumaini au moyo

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tiresome /ˈtaɪəs(ə)m/

adj. kuchosha, kuchokesha, kusumbua

🔊 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.

Basi, nilichagua taaluma nyingine, na nikajifunza kuendesha ndege. Nimeruka kidogo juu ya sehemu zote za ulimwengu; na ni kweli kwamba jiografia imenisaidia sana. Kwa mtazamo mmoja naweza kutofautisha China na Arizona. Ikiwa mtu atapotea usiku, ujuzi kama huo ni wa thamani.

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pilot /ˈpaɪlət/

v. kuendesha ndege, meli, n.k.

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distinguish /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/

v. kutofautisha, kutambua tofauti kati ya vitu viwili

🔊 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.

Katika safari ya maisha yangu nimekutana na watu wengi sana ambao wamekuwa na maswala muhimu. Nimeishi sana miongoni mwa wakubwa. Nimewaona kwa karibu, kwa ukaribu. Na hiyo haijaiboresha sana maoni yangu juu yao.

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encounters /ɪnˈkaʊntəz/

n. mikutano isiyo ya kawaida au ya ghafla

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consequence /ˈkɒnsɪkwəns/

n. umuhimu, thamani, au athari ya kitu

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intimately /ˈɪntɪmətli/

adv. kwa karibu sana, kwa undani

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close at hand /kləʊs ət hænd/

adv. phrase. karibu sana, katika umbali wa kufikia kwa urahisi

🔊 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:

Kila nikikutana na mmoja wao aliyenionekana kuwa na mtazamo wazi, nilijaribu majaribio ya kumwonyesha Mchoro Nambari Moja wangu, ambao nimeuhifadhi kila mara. Ningejaribu kujua, basi, ikiwa huyu alikuwa mtu mwenye uelewa wa kweli. Lakini, yeyote aliyekuwa, yeye, angekua akisema:

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clear-sighted /ˌklɪə ˈsaɪtɪd/

adj. mwenye ufahamu mzuri, mwenye kuona ukweli wazi

🔊 "That is a hat."

"Hiyo ni kofia."

🔊 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.

Basi, sikuweza kamwe kuongea na mtu huyo kuhusu nyoka mkufuru, au misitu ya kale, au nyota. Ningejishusha kwenye kiwango chake. Ningemwongelea kuhusu daraja, na gofu, na siasa, na tai. Na mkubwa angefurahi sana kukutana na mtu mwenye busara kama huyo.

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sensible /ˈsensəb(ə)l/

adj. mwenye busara, mwenye akili, mwenye kufanya maamuzi mazuri

Chapter I (Sura ya Kwanza)