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33rd translation contest: "Back to the playground" » English to Swahili » Entry by AGNETHA ANORD


Source text in English

Translation by AGNETHA ANORD (#38095)

[...] “I have a proposal.” It leaned forward like my friend April does when she wants to tell a secret, even though none of her secrets are any good. Or even really secrets. “If you don’t tell anyone I am here, I can fix your eyes.”
“Get out of town!”
It blinked a couple of times. “That is what I am attempting to do.”
“What I mean is you can’t do that!”
“Why not?”
“Well, no one else has been able to fix my eyes, besides with glasses.”
“I have certain abilities. You will see, provided…”
“…I don’t tell anyone about you?”
“That is the heart of it, that is the nub.”
“How do I know you won’t blind me? You could be like one of those telemarketers making promises but totally lying.”
It started waxing on, waxing off again. “I would not do such a thing to a creature who has done me no harm.”
“Meaning if I harmed you, you could make me go blind?”
“That’s on a need-to-know basis.”
“And if you fix my eyes, and I don’t tell anyone about you, you’ll leave our fields?”
“That’s the heart of it!” [...]
''Nina wazo.'' Akainama kwa mbele kama rafiki yangu April afanyavyo anapotaka kusema siri, japokuwa hakuna siri yake iliyo nzuri. Au hata kuwa siri kweli. ''Usipomwambia yeyote kuwa nipo hapa, naweza kuyatibu macho yako''.
''Ondoka mjini!''
Akapepesa mara kadhaa. ''Hicho ndicho ninachojaribu kufanya''.
''Ninachomaanisha ni kuwa huwezi kufanya hivyo!''
''Kwa nini?''
''Kiukweli hakuna mtu ambaye ameweza kuyatibu macho yangu, isipokuwa kwa miwani.''
''Nina uwezo fulani, utaona, kwa kuwa....''
''......Nisimwambie mtu kuhusu wewe?''
''Hilo ni jambo muhimu sana, ndicho kiini.''
''Nitajuaje kuwa hutonipofusha? Unaweza kuwa kama wale wauzaji wa mtandaoni wanavyotoa ahadi lakini ni waongo kabisa.''
Alianza kusafisha, na kusafishwa tena. ''Nisingeweza kufanya jambo lile kwa kiumbe ambacho hakijaniletea madhara yoyote.''
''Unamaanisha kama ningekudhuru, ungenifanya kuwa kipofu?''
''Hiyo ni kwa misingi ya kutaka kujua.''
''Na kama ukiyatibu macho yangu, na nisimwambie yeyote kuhusu wewe,
utaondoka kwenye mashamba yetu?''
''Huo ndiyo msingi wake!''


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