🔊 They do not know what they are looking for. Then they rush about, and get excited, and turn round and round ..."

"Hawahajui wanachotafuta. Kisha wanakimbilia kote, na kufurahi, na kuzunguka na kuzunguka ..."

"Haifai taabu ..."

🔊 The wells of the Sahara are mere holes dug in the sand. This one was like a well in a village. But there was no village here, and I thought I must be dreaming.

Vishima vya Sahara ni shimo tu zilizochimbwa kwenye mchanga. Hili lilikuwa kama kisima katika kijiji. Lakini hapakuwa na kijiji hapa, na nilidhani lazima nimeota ndoto.

🔊

mere /mɪr/

adj. Ya kiwango kidogo, ya hali ya chini, au isiyo na thamani kubwa.

🔊 "The pulley, the bucket, the rope ..."

"Puli, ndoo, kamba ..."

🔊 The pulley moaned, like an old weathervane which the wind has long since forgotten.

Puli iliomboleza, kama dira ya kale ambayo upepo umesahau muda mrefu.

🔊

moaned /moʊnd/

v. Kutoa sauti ya maumivu, huzuni, au kupendeza kwa upole (kwa mtindo wa bandia).

🔊

weathervane /ˈweðərveɪn/

n. Kifaa kinachopindika juu ya paa cha jengo kuonyesha mwelekeo wa upepo.

🔊 "Let me," I said. "It is too heavy for you."

"Niruhusu," nilisema. "Ni mzito sana kwako."

🔊 I was happy, tired as I was, over my achievement. The song of the pulley was still in my ears, and I could see the sunlight shimmer in the still trembling water.

Nilifurahi, ingawa nilichoka, kwa mafanikio yangu. Wimbo wa puli bado ulikuwa masikioni mwangu, na niliweza kuona mwangaza wa jua ukimetameta kwenye maji yaliyotetemeka.

🔊

shimmer /ˈʃɪmər/

v. Kumetameta au kuangaza kwa mwanga dhaifu usio thabiti, kama kutokana na joto au uso wa maji.

🔊

trembling /ˈtremblɪŋ/

adj. Inayotikisika, inayetetemeka, kutokana na woga, baridi, n.k.

🔊 "I am thirsty for this water ..." And I understood what he had been looking for.

"Nina kiu ya maji haya ..." Na nilielewa alichokuwa akitafuta.

🔊 As some special festival treat. This water was indeed a different thing from ordinary nourishment. Its sweetness was born of the walk under the stars, the song of the pulley, the effort of my arms. It was good for the heart, like a present. When I was a little boy, the lights of the Christmas tree, the music of the midnight mass, the tenderness of smiling faces, used to make up, so, the radiance of the gifts I received.

Kama zawadi maalum ya sherehe. Maji haya hakika yalikuwa kitu tofauti na chakula cha kawaida. Utamu wake ulizaliwa kutokana na matembezi chini ya nyota, wimbo wa puli, juhudi za mikono yangu. Yalikuwa mazuri kwa moyo, kama zawadi. Nilipokuwa mtoto mdogo, taa za mti wa Krismasi, muziki wa misa ya usiku wa manane, upole wa nyuso zenye tabasamu, zilikuwa zikifanya, hivyo, mwangaza wa zawadi nilizopokea.

🔊

nourishment /ˈnɜːrɪʃmənt/

n. Chakula, au vitu vinavyohitajika kwa ukuaji, afya na maendeleo; lishe.

🔊

radiance /ˈreɪdiəns/

n. Mwanga mkali na mzuri unaotoka kwa kitu; fahari au furaha inayoonekana wazi kwenye uso.

🔊

mass /mæs/

n. Ibada kuu ya Kanisa Katoliki; misa.

🔊 "The men where you live," said the little prince, "raise five thousand roses in the same garden—and they do not find in it what they are looking for."

"Wanaume walio mahali unaokaa," alisema mfalme mdogo, "hukuza waridi elfu tano katika bustani moja—na hawaoni ndani yake wanachotafuta."

🔊 "They do not find it," I replied.

"Hawachanui," niliijibu.

🔊 "And yet what they are looking for could be found in one single rose, or in a little water."

"Na bado wanachotafuta kinaweza kupatikana katika waridi mmoja tu, au katika maji kidogo."

🔊 "But the eyes are blind. One must look with the heart ..."

"Lakini macho ni vipofu. Mtu anapaswa kutazama kwa moyo ..."

🔊 I had drunk the water. I breathed easily. At sunrise the sand is the color of honey. And that honey color was making me happy, too. What brought me, then, this sense of grief?

Nilikuwa nimekunywa maji. Niliweza kupumua kwa urahisi. Wakati wa jua kupanda, mchanga ni rangi ya asali. Na rangi hiyo ya asali ilinifurahisha, pia. Nini kilipelekea, basi, hii hisia ya huzuni?

🔊

grief /ɡriːf/

n. Huzuni kubwa sana, hasa kutokana na kifo au upotevu; maombolezo.

🔊 He sat down beside me once more. "What promise?"

Aliketi karibu nangu tena. "Ahadi gani?"

🔊 "You know—a muzzle for my sheep ... I am responsible for this flower ..."

"Unajua—kinyago kwa kondoo wangu ... Nina wajibu wa ua hili ..."

🔊

muzzle /ˈmʌzl/

n. Kifaa cha ngozi au plastiki kinachowekwa kinywani mwa mnyama ili kisiume au kime.

🔊 He looked them over, and laughed as he said:

Aliwatazama, na akacheka aliposema:

🔊 "Your baobabs—they look a little like cabbages."

"Mibuyu yako—inaonekana kama kabichi kidogo."

🔊

baobabs /ˈbeɪoʊbæbz/

n. Aina ya mti mkubwa wenye shina nene, unaopatikana Afrika na Australia; mbuyu.

🔊 I had been so proud of my baobabs!

Nilikuwa nimefurahishwa sana na mibuyu yangu!

🔊 "Your fox—his ears look a little like horns; and they are too long."

"mbweha wako—masikio yake yanaonekana kama pembe kidogo; na ni mrefu sana."

🔊

horns /hɔːrnz/

n. Vipapasio ngumu vinavyotoka kwenye kichwa cha wanyama kama ng'ombe na twiga; pembe.

🔊 And he laughed again.

Na akacheka tena.

🔊 "Anything except boa constrictors from the outside and boa constrictors from the inside."

"Chochote isipokuwa nyoka mkubwa kutoka nje na nyoka mkubwa kutoka ndani."

🔊

boa constrictors /ˈbəʊə kənˈstrɪktəz/

n. nyoka mkubwa wasio na sumu kutoka Amerika wanaowinda kwa kusonga na kukandamiza wanyama

🔊 "Oh, that will be all right," he said, "children understand."

"Oh, hiyo itakuwa sawa," alisema, "watoto wanaelewa."

🔊 My heart was torn. "You have plans that I do not know about," I said. But he did not answer.

Moyo wangu ulikata. "Una mipango ambayo sijui," nilisema. Lakini hakujibu.

🔊

torn /tɔːn/

adj. kuchanganyikiwa, kuwa na hisia kali za kupingana au kusumbuliwa na maamuzi

🔊

plans /plænz/

n. mpango, mipango; muundo au wazo lililokusudiwa kufikiwa katika siku zijazo

🔊 "Anniversary." Then, after a silence, he went on: "I came down very near here." And he flushed.

"Sikukuu." Kisha, baada ya ukimya, aliendelea: "Nilishuka karibu na hapa." Na alipiga shungi.

🔊

Anniversary /ˌænɪˈvɜːsəri/

n. siku ya ukumbusho wa tukio maalumu lililotokea mwaka mmoja au zaidi uliopita

🔊

silence /ˈsaɪləns/

n. ukimya, hali ya kutokuwa na sauti yoyote au mazungumzo

🔊

flushed /flʌʃt/

adj. kuwa na nyekundu kwenye uso, kawaida kwa sababu ya aibu, msisimko, au joto

🔊 And once again, without understanding why, I had a queer sense of sorrow.

Na tena, bila kuelewa kwa nini, nilikuwa na hisia ya kushangaza ya huzuni.

🔊

queer /kwɪə(r)/

adj. isiyo ya kawaida, ya ajabu, isiyoeleweka kirahisi

🔊

sorrow /ˈsɒrəʊ/

n. huzuni kubwa, maumivu ya ndani yatokanayo na hasara, msiba, au majuto

🔊 "A week ago—you were strolling along like that, all alone, a thousand miles from any inhabited region?"

"Wiki moja iliyopita—ulikuwa unatembea kama hivyo, peke yako, maili elfu kutoka eneo lolote lililokaliwa?"

🔊

strolling /ˈstrəʊlɪŋ/

v. kutembea kwa uhuru, polepole na kwa starehe, bila kufikia mahali fulani kwa haraka

🔊

inhabited /ɪnˈhæbɪtɪd/

adj. (-enye) watu au wanyama wanaoishi au kukaa mahali fulani

🔊

region /ˈriːdʒən/

n. eneo, sehemu kubwa ya nchi au dunia yenye sifa fulani za pamoja

🔊 And I added, with some hesitancy:

Na nikaongeza, kwa wasiwasi fulani:

🔊

hesitancy /ˈhezɪtənsi/

n. hali ya kuwa na shaka au kuwa wasiwasi, usahau, kutokuwa na uhakika wa kufanya jambo

🔊 "Perhaps it was because of the anniversary?"

"Labda ilikuwa kwa sababu ya sikukuu?"

🔊 "When one flushes does that not mean 'Yes'?"

"Wakati mtu anapiga shungi, hiyo haimaanishi 'Ndiyo'?"

🔊 "For you here. Come back tomorrow evening ..."

"Kwa wewe hapa. Rudi kesho jioni ..."

🔊 But I was not reassured. I remembered the fox. One runs the risk of weeping a little, if one lets himself be tamed ...

Lakini sikuwa na uhakika. Nilikumbuka mbweha. Mtu anakuwa hatarini ya kulia kidogo, ikiwa anajikubali kutawaliwa ...

🔊

reassured /ˌriːəˈʃʊəd/

adj. kuhisi amani tena, kutohofika tena baada ya kuhakikishiwa au kutulizwa

🔊

weeping /ˈwiːpɪŋ/

v. kulia, kutokwa machozi kwa nguvu, hasa kwa sababu ya huzuni au maumivu

🔊

tamed /teɪmd/

adj. (-liyotumiwa) mnyama aliyezoezwa kuwa mwepesi na binadamu, asiyeogopa wala kuwa mwovu

Chapter XXV (Sura Ishirini na Tano)