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27th translation contest: "Stories about nature" » English to Swahili » Entry by Candy KM


Source text in English

Translation by Candy KM (#32623)

We live in one of the tiny apartments in a multi-storeyed building complex that provides shelter to a number of middle-class families. But, the members of the family Felis Domestica who have taken a fancy to our complex might very well outnumber the members of Homo Sapiens. Because these quadrupeds with retractable claws, who can boast of their country cousins- Lions, Tigers, Lynxes, and Ocelots fear no one in our vicinity. The increasing feline population possessing nine lives up their claws bothers everyone but provides comic relief to many.

These cats in our avenue have their own strict demarcations about territory. The ground floor, first and second-floor mousers keep to their floors except for hungry forays into the kitchens across the lines of control. The terrace is exclusively reserved for the young ones and occasionally used by the aristocrats from the erstwhile Siam for body lickings and sunbaths. Some of the tomcats find cozy corners for a purring sleep in places where there isn’t room to swing a cat in, such as the watchman’s cabin, where they might have found the poor fellow catnapping. God has gifted these cats with two voice boxes one for purring and another for meowing and a few of the feline sopranos in our locality keep all the residents awake with their nocturnal orchestras on special occasions.

Some of the residents who wish to be clean as a cat in pattens get irritated when these grey cats mess up their things. The hawks among the residents strongly feel that these cats should be driven out with a cat o’nine tails. But the doves are undecided waiting to see which way the cat jumps. Well, we don’t know who will be called to bell the cat!
Tunaishi katika moja ya vyumba vidogo kwenye jengo lenye ghorofa nyingi ambalo hutoa makazi kwa familia kadhaa za kiwango cha kati. Lakini, wanachama wa familia Felis Domestica ambao wamechukua dhana kwenye jumba letu wanaweza kuzidi sana washiriki wa Homo Sapiens. Kwa sababu hawa wanne walio na makucha yanayoweza kurudishwa, ni nani anayeweza kujivunia binamu wa nchi yao - Simba, Chui, Lynxes, na Ocelots hawaogopi mtu yeyote katika maeneo yetu. Idadi ya paka wanaoongezeka walio na maisha tisa juu ya kucha zao husumbua kila mtu lakini hutoa misaada ya vichekesho kwa wengi.

Paka hawa katika barabara yetu wana mipaka yao mikali kuhusu eneo. Paka wa ghorofa ya chini, ya kwanza na ya pili hubaki kwenye sakafu zao isipokuwa pahali pa mashambuliza ya njaa kwenye jikoni katika mistari ya udhibiti. Mtaro huo umetengwa kwa ajili ya vijana na mara kwa mara hutumiwa na watawala kutoka zamani Siam kwa kulamba miili na kuoga jua. Baadhi ya nyanya hupata kona nzuri ya kulala pahali ambapo hapana nafasi ya kuingiza paka mwengine, kama kibanda cha mlinzi, ambapo wangeweza kupata paka mwenzao akilala. Mungu amewapa paka hawa vipawa vya masanduku mawili ya sauti ya kusafisha na nyingine kwa ajili ya kung'oa na 'sopranos' chache za paka katika eneo letu huwaweka wakaazi wote macho na kwaya zao za usiku wakati wa hafla maalum.

Baadhi ya wakaazi ambao wanataka kuwa safi kama paka katika mifumo hukasirika wakati paka hawa wa kijivu wanaharibu vitu vyao. Mwewe kati ya wakaazi wanahisi sana kwamba paka hawa wanapaswa kufukuzwa nje kutumia mjeledi. Lakini njiwa hawajaamua kusubiri kuona ni wapi paka anaruka. Kweli, hatujui ni nani ataitwa kupiga paka kengele.


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