One day a chief married the daughter of another chief; he loved her very much; his wives were worried
because of his love for her. She got pregnant and gave birth
child-girl; her father loved her very much. She grew up; when she became beautiful, the wives formed a conspiracy, they said: since her father is not there, let’s go and pick some grass.72 They said to the children: you do not agree to take the child. Her mother called the girl who was staying with her. She refused to take the child. Her mother took her on her back and walked with her.
They tore up the grass and so they walked. Happened in. in one hollow between the mountains, they sat down on the ground and took a snuff of tobacco. Her mother knitted a bundle of zi grass and gave it to the child to play with. They got up and tore the grass.
So they walked. The mother forgot her child. So they walked, kicking; They tied him up, carried him on their heads and came home. They came home and called the children's nannies; they all showed up. But her nanny came without the child. “The mother asked, she said: where is my child?” - They said: you went with him. She became sad; she screamed, ran and went looking. I didn’t find her and returned.
There was a lot of noise. The wives spoke, they asked: what will happen now? We broke our father's treasure. The beloved (wife) is inconsolable.
It was reported to her father; it was said: leader, your child was lost when we were tearing the fiber. Her father was very sad.
In the morning, an old woman of a large house73 from another tribe went to draw water; she heard a child playing; she heard: ta, ta, ta. She was surprised and thought: wow! who's that there? She quietly walked over and found a child sitting and playing. She went home and left him with a pot of water, just the two of them. She called the great woman leader and said: come here. The great woman left the house. - The old woman said; come on, let's go. There's something there by the river; you'll see. The chief's wife went with her. They came. The old woman said: here is the child. “The great woman said: take her.” She said with joy. The old woman took it. They came to the river. “The great woman said: wash her.” She washed her. The great woman took her, put her on her back and went home.
She breastfed her; for she herself gave birth to a child - a boy; she raised her. The girl has grown up. They went with her boy alone. She grew up and became a big girl. They looked at her as the leader of the girls when a great celebration was celebrated. Many livestock were slaughtered. All the people were happy.
After this, the military leaders said to the boy: marry this girl. - The boy was surprised and said: wow! what is this? But this is my sister? We were nursed together by our mother? - They said: no; she was found
in the depression between the mountains. He rejected it and said: no, this is my sister. “In the morning they said again: it’s better for you to take her as your wife.” He rejected it, he was very upset.
It happened that at another time the old woman turned to the girl and said: do you know? - She said in response: what? - The old woman said: that they will marry you. - She asked, said: who? - The old woman answered: the young man is from your house. - She said: how! how so? This is my brother, isn't it? - The old woman said: no; you were found in a hollow between the mountains, suckled by a great woman. The girl screamed and became upset.
She took a water pot, went, came to the river, sat down on the ground and cried. She scooped up some water and went home. At home she sat down. Her mother gave her food; she did not want it, she rejected it. -Her mother asked, she said: what is this? - She said: nothing. My head hurts. It got dark and she went to bed.
In the morning she got up, took a water pot, and came to the river; she sat down on the ground and began to cry. When she was crying, a big frog came out and asked: “Why are you crying?” She answered: “I’m upset.” - The frog asked: what are you upset about? - She said: they say I will be taken by my brother. “The frog said: go, collect your beautiful things that you love and bring them here.”
She got up, lifted the water pot on her head, and came home; she took another pot, grabbed her things, and put them in the pot; a copper staff, a grass apron, and a belt with a braid of copper beads, and a bandage, and coppers, and his own beads. She took these things, went to the river and laid them out on the ground.
The frog asked, she said: do you want to take me to yours? - The child answered: of course. The frog grabbed the things, swallowed them, grabbed the child, swallowed him and went with her.
She walked and met a number of young men; they saw a frog. - The one in front said: look; here is a big big frog. Others said: we will kill her, throw stones at her. - The frog said:
I'm just a frog, may I not be killed.
I am bringing Dhluba to her country.
They left her. - They said: how! How does the frog talk, does he do strange things? Let's leave her. And they passed by, they moved on.
And the frog went. Again she met with a number of men. The man in front said: oh look, look at the big frog. “They said: let’s kill her.” - The frog said:
I'm just a frog, may I not be killed. I am bringing Dhluba to her country.
They passed by. The frog went.
She met boys tending cattle; they saw her, she was seen by her father's boy. — The boy said: wow! Dhlubu, daughter of the chief! come here, let's kill the big frog. Run, cut sharp sticks, and hit her with them. - The frog said:
I'm just a frog, may I not be killed. I am bringing Dhluba to her country.
He was surprised and said: oh, men, let's not kill her. She causes sadness. Step aside and let her pass. They stepped aside.
She went and met others, the girl's brother saw her; he said: O Dhlubu, daughter of the chief! here is a big big frog. Let's stone her, kill her. - The frog said:
I'm just a frog, may I not be killed. I am bringing Dhluba to her country.
He said: oh, let her through. She says terrible things.
The frog passed by and came to the house; it entered the grove at the bottom of the village and laid out the girl along with her things. She tidied her up, cleaned the girl with a donk, licked her and painted her.
And the girl went. She took her brass staff, entered the gate, she walked through the middle of the cattle pen; she walked in the middle of it; came to the loophole, came out and entered her house
mother. Her mother came, entered the hut and asked: where did you come from, girl? “She answered: I’m just wandering around.” “Her mother said: tell me.” “She said: no, I’m just wandering around.” “Her mother said: women are happy with such children.” I'm grieving; my child was lost, I left him in a hollow between the mountains: he died there. - The child answered, he said: why did you leave him? Did you do this because you didn't love him? - She said: no; I was made to forget by the chief's wives; they wouldn't let the nanny take her. - She answered, she said: well, no, there is no such woman who would forget her child. “She said: no, this happened because I myself was not used to caring for a child; for it remained with the nurse. “The girl said: Ehe, you did that because you didn’t love me.” Her mother began to stare at her; she saw: “This is my child.”
When she saw her, she rejoiced. She shouted the child's nicknames. Her mage grabbed her dress and got dressed; she took her bandage and put it on her head; she took her apron and put it on; she took her staff and went out, she jumped for joy, she shouted “halala”; she entered the cattle pen, frolicking, jumping for joy. People were surprised and asked: what’s wrong with Ntombinde today? Why is she so happy? After all, she had not rejoiced since the death of her firstborn child; but she was sad.
One woman from her side came out and said: let me go and see what’s in the house? Why do I hear a great woman call nicknames for a child who died?
And she went and entered the house and saw the girl; she came out
raised a terrible cry and gave thanks.
All the people left. They ran towards the house, overtaking each other
friend. They pushed each other at the entrance. They saw the child.
Everyone on her side was happy. - All the others were upset,
and the chief's wives on the other side said: how! what is this for?
Since we thought we had killed this child. It has risen again.
We will be ashamed for the same thing as our children. It will end
dominion of our children.
The messenger went, he went to her father, he went, he came and said: leader, a child has risen who died. - The leader said: how! are you going crazy? What kind of child is this? - The messenger said: Dhlubu. “Her father said: where did she come from?” - He said: I don’t know, leader. “Her father said: if it’s not her, I’ll kill you.” If it is she, run, make noise in all places so that they round up all the big bulls and come with them.
He went and made a noise. He said: the leader’s daughter has appeared. Hurry up with the bulls. “People asked, they said: which leader’s daughter?” “He said: Dhlubu, the chief’s daughter, who died.
They rejoiced; they armed themselves with shields; they captured the bulls, they drove them, and gifts to please the chief's daughter; for she rose from death; they found it when they no longer sensed it. They came, they slaughtered many bulls along the way, so that the old men and women and the sick, who did not have the strength to get to the house where the leader’s daughter was, would eat.
Her father appeared and said: Come out, my child, so that I can look. She didn't answer. He slaughtered twenty bulls. She appeared at the entrance and stood up. He killed his third ten. She left. “Her father said: go, enter the cattle pen, we will dance for you with great joy, for I thought you were dead, but you are here.” She stood. Again he killed his fourth decade. And she went, she entered the cattle pen.
They danced a lot for her. But the other side of the village was not happy, it did not dance with the children and wives of this side. They finished dancing.
The father went with her to the house, he sat down with her and said: let a young fat bull be taken, slaughtered and prepared for the child, so that we can eat joyfully; for she was dead, she rose from death.
And all the people rejoiced. The child returned to her position, her dominance. Her father ruled strongly, he returned to the usual, he lived in his village, for he wanted to stay there for a long time, for he remembered his child.
Her mother and the children from her home are happy together
Her father asked her, he said: how did you come here? “The child said: the frog brought me.” — Her father asked: where is she? - The child answered: she is there in the grove. “Her father said: let the bulls be captured; let them dance for her, let her rise and come to the house. And people went, they danced for her.
People came home with her. They brought the frog into the house, gave it meat and it ate it. - The leader asked, he said: what do you want, how would I thank you? “She said: I want a lot of black hornless bulls.” He took a multitude of cattle and people and said: Go, go with her. And they went, they came to her country.
The frog built a large village and became a great leader. All the time they slaughtered cattle for meat; and people came asking for meat. - When asking, they said: who is your leader who built this village? - They answered: Selesele. “They asked: where did she get such a large village?” They answered: she got it, because she brought it with the daughter of our leader; the leader gave her cattle and people. “In response they asked: are you Selesele’s people?” - They answered: of course. Don't speak ill of her; we will kill you, for she is a great leader.
Selesele hosted many people. They abandoned their leaders because they saw plenty of food at Selesele. And Selesele ruled, she was the leader.
Nkosi-Yaasenhla recognized him and said: Nkosi-Yaasenhla has a beautiful girl, her name is Dhlubu. “He said to his people: go and look at her, what kind of girl she is.” “And they went, they came to Nkosi-Yaasenzansi, and said: chief, we have been sent by Nkosi-Yaasenzansi to choose a beautiful girl from among your children.”
And the leader called the children, they came, they appeared. Finally, the people of Nkosi-Yaasenhla saw the only girl among all who surpassed the others in beauty. For they remembered that if the leader sent people to go choose
a beautiful girl, then they need to look well; for these people were the eyes of the leader, he believed them; they did this so as not to be scolded by him when they came home. If they saw that she was bad, a girl not fit to be chosen for the chief, they grumbled, saying, why are you disgracing the chief by choosing a bad thing for him? The glory of these people was ending; Their good position was also taken away from them, because they were not trustworthy. “And so they chose Dhluba for her beauty, saying: she alone is fit to be a great woman chief before all these.”
And so those left behind were ashamed, and their mothers were ashamed, and their brothers were ashamed. There was joy in Dhlubu's house. Joy began with Dhlubu, who was seen among many girls and in front of everyone, they said: this is truly a beauty! - Her mother said in her heart: I gave birth to him beautifully, my child! And her children were exalted, although their mother had long been exalted by the leader, being loved. And so discontent grew against the house of Dhlubu; it did not stop, for the leader of the other tribe continued to love Dhluba and her mother was again very loved by Dhlubu's father. The other wives of the chief were greatly ashamed by the beauty of Dhlubu, who was loved by the chief of another tribe above all their children. So they were ashamed.
And the messengers looked and chose Dhluba. They went to tell the leader. “They came home and said: Chief, we saw a beautiful girl, her name is Dhlubu.” - The leader said: ehe, for good. We need to go, go there and take a thousand cattle. And off they went.
Said Nkosi-Yasenzansi, sitting in the shade in the middle of the cattle pen with his people, he asked: what is that there? There is great dust that connects with the sky. They were scared. “He said to his soldiers: get ready, because we don’t know what it’s coming.” After this, the cattle appeared, they walked with the chief and his people. They went to meet them.
The leader of the other tribe said: I am Nkosi-Yasenhla, I have come to Dhlub. They went with him, they went home. They are
walked, they asked for Dhluba. Her father rejoiced when he heard this.
Bulls were slaughtered by him. They spoke to her father. - Nkosi-Yaasenzhla said: I came to you Nkosi-Yaasenzansi, I want to take your daughter; if you agree, it will be good. I came with a thousand cattle. “Her father agreed and said: it will be good.”
He gathered all the girls and boys, junior and senior boys with hoops; he selected people to work for Dhluba. He took her copper jewelry for the wedding and beads, and five hundred bulls, he ordered: well go with her. Here is the military leader to officiate her wedding.
They went with him and came home. When they appeared, there was a great noise, people appeared from all sides, they said: the great woman Nkosi-Yasenhla has appeared. They were happy.
We went to bed. In the morning, when the sun came out and it became warm, girls came out with boys and boys with hoops, they went into the thicket, they sat there. When the time came to dance, they danced; they took the girl from the grove; she went home, went dancing.
They danced and finished. She took the coppers, placed them in front of his father, greeted him and said: Chief, protect me, for now I am in your hand, protect me.
The entire wedding party sat down on the ground. They danced for them. They finished dancing. In the morning, the girl slaughtered a dozen bulls: they ate, they rejoiced.
The commander said: leader, we want to go, go home, because the work is finished.
The leader selected five hundred bulls and said: these are her mother. They went home.
The girls stayed. Her father told them not to go home, to stay with her, to work for her; and many people, men and women, who built her village, remained there.
The leader ordered: now cut for the settlement of the great woman, where she can live with her people.
And the village was built, it was finished. The leader came there; A lot of cattle were slaughtered for the warriors to eat and finish the great woman’s village. And the leader went, he went to live there, in a new village. He chose Dhluba.
Dhlubu's father's men came home and said: Chief, we have worked well, a lot. And here are the bulls for mother Dhlubu, given to her by her son. He ordered us to greet her father and her mother for him.
And they lived wonderfully together.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru