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27th translation contest: "Stories about nature" » English to Swahili » Entry by Leahbell Walusuna


Source text in English

Translation by Leahbell Walusuna (#33253)

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, wanakaya wa familia ya ‘Felis Domestica’ ambao wamelipenda jumba letu wanaweza hata kuwa wengi kuliko wanakaya wa binadamu. Kwa kuwa wanyama hawa wa miguu minne, wenye kucha zinazoweza kurudishwa ndani, wanaoweza kujivunia majogoo wao wa shamba- Simba, Chui wenye milia, Linksi, na Paka mwitu hawamwogopi mtu yeyote aliye karibu yetu. Idadi ya wanyama wa kike inayoongezeka iliyo na uwezo wa kustahimili hali ngumu bila kupata madhara humsumbua kila mtu lakini huwachekesha wengi.

Paka hawa walio katika mtaa wetu wanayo mipaka yao mikali kuhusu eneo. Paka wa ghorofa ya chini, ghorofa ya kwanza na ya pili hubaki kwenye ghorofa zao isipokuwa wale walio na njaa vanaovamia meko wasiweze kudhibitiwa. Mahali palipoinuka penye nyumba pametengwa kwa ajili paka wadogo na mara kwa mara hutumiwa na tabaka la makabaila tangu zama za Siam kwa ajili kuramba miili na kuota jua. Baadhi ya paka dume hutafuta pembe zenye kupendeza kwa ajili ya kulala usingizi wa kukoroma katika nafasi ndogo sana, kama vile kibanda cha mlinzi wa usiku, ambapo waliweza kumpata maskini huyo akiwa amelala usingizi wa kuiba. Mungu amewapa paka hawa kipaji cha sanduku mbili za sauti, moja kwa ajili ya kukoroma na nyingine kwa ajili ya kulia nyau na baadhi ya paka wenye kutoa sauti ndogo ya kike katika eneo letu huwakosesha usingizi wakaazi wote kwa sauti zao za usiku zilizoambatana wakati wa hafla maalum.

Baadhi ya wakaazi wanaotaka kuwa safi kama paka katika mtalawanda hukasirika paka hawa wa rangi ya kijivu wanapoharibu vitu vyao. Mwewe kati ya wakaazi huhisi sana kwamba paka hawa wanapaswa kufukuzwa kwa mjeledi. Lakini njiwa huwa hawajaamua, wakisubiri kuona ni wapi paka huyo anaruka. Kweli, hatujui ni nani atakayeitwa kutenda jambo hilo la hatari!


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