It happened a long time ago, on the vast lands of Kisama, in the domain of the great leader Kimona dia Zonga. One evening, as the elderly people were sitting under the shade of a tree that served as a refuge from the sun during the day, and at dusk - a place for friendly conversations, when the youth were having fun by the light of the fires, Mukilango attracted everyone's attention. Known for his insolence and courage, he was arguing loudly with someone. Soon a crowd gathered around him. The dancing stopped. The drums fell silent.
“Well, what do you think,” he asked those who approached, “what hurts more – a wound or grief?”
- The wound hurts more! - some shouted.
- Grief hurts more! - others shouted. Both boys and girls all began to argue:
– If you were hit with a knife, wouldn’t you cry, wouldn’t you scream?
“Only the body hurts from the wound!” And from grief - the heart! Then Mukilango, very pleased to have caused a heated argument, said decisively:
“And I tell you that grief always causes more suffering than a wound!” The pain of a wound, even a very deep one, can be endured without crying or screaming. But if grief befalls you, you won’t be able to resist - you’ll cry! And don't argue anymore, I'm right. Even if our great leader tells me that I am wrong, I will prove to him that I am telling the truth. Whoever has grief will remember me!
Some agreed silently, some argued a little more, but the drums began to thunder and the youth began to dance again.
The next day, one of the elders who overheard this argument and heard what Mukilango said told everything to Chief Kimona dia Zonga.
The leader listened to him carefully, first thought, and then burst out laughing. A wonderful thought came to his mind:
- So I’ll take it and prove to this Mukilango that wounds are much more painful than grief!
- Yes, great leader, you are right, as always! – the elder respectfully agreed. - This guy needs to be taught a lesson. He is very impudent and disobedient!
And so, in order to give the greatest solemnity to the trial of Mukilango, the great leader called two more leaders, Kikulimone and Bombe, who owned neighboring lands,
“What do you think, my mighty neighbors, am I right in wanting to teach this guy a lesson?” Is it really acceptable for some impudent fellow to think differently than I do? This freethinking will not lead to good.
And the leaders bowed their heads in agreement. Indeed, the guy behaves impudently. We need to teach him a lesson, so that he remembers it for a long time.
A messenger was sent for Mukilango.
“The great leader orders you to come to him immediately,” the leader’s messenger said menacingly, and so that the young man would not doubt that he was really sent by the leader himself, he showed a special sign on his chest, confirming the truth of his words.
At this time Mukilango was working on his piece of the field. He immediately threw the hoe aside, wiped his hands, straightened his loincloth and followed the messenger. He walked along the road and wondered why the great leader was calling him. He asked the messenger, but he knew nothing.
Under a huge tree growing in the center of the village, three chiefs - the great chief Kimona dia Zonga himself and Kikulimone and Bombe - sat on black wooden thrones. Their heads were decorated with feathers of sacred birds, their hips were covered with leopard skins. And around, holding staffs in their hands, elders and advisers sat right on the ground.
“So you’re saying that the pain from grief is stronger than from a wound?” – Kimona dia Zonga menacingly asked the frightened Mukilango.
Not knowing what to think, not understanding why he was brought to this great meeting, the young man stood silently before the leader. The people who came running to the call of the horns looked at Mukilango, at a loss. Without waiting for an answer, one of the advisers repeated the question:
- Listen, Mukilango, the great leader asks you what hurts more - a wound or grief?..
And then everything suddenly became clearer in Mukilango’s head. He remembered yesterday's argument.
- Yes, great leader! - And Mukilango bowed before the leader and timidly said: - Grief is more painful than a wound!
Then, looking triumphantly at his interlocutors, the great leader said sarcastically:
- Well then! We will have to prove to you that the wound is more painful than grief! Now you can be sure of this.
Then, frightened by the threat, Mukilango muttered uncertainly:
- Great leader, but you know, there is such a proverb: grief hurts more than a wound...
- Yes, yes, I know this proverb, but at your age you’re not supposed to know this! If now, when you are young and still don’t really know how to do anything, you, impudent one, think differently than me, you affirm what you have not experienced yourself, then how will you think later? No, you are a dangerous person! I must punish you so that others will be discouraged too. Otherwise people will stop respecting the leader. Where have you seen anyone argue with him? And today you will learn another proverb. You will learn that wounds hurt more than grief!
And the great chief ordered the guards to bind Mukilango and punish him properly with whips.
And everyone who was at this great meeting approved of the leader’s sentence, although not very sincere, but with loud shouts:
“You did the right thing, great leader!” It serves him right!
Night has fallen. And then, under a huge tree, the whips whistled. They whipped Mukilango for a long time until bloody stripes appeared on his back. The poor young man, no matter how hard he tried, could not restrain himself - he groaned.
And the great leader Kimona dia Zonga, proudly wrapped in a leopard skin, happy that he had taught the impudent guy a lesson so well, went home.
Several months have passed. And one day a rumor spread throughout the village: the leader’s beloved daughter, the beautiful Kandalo, became pregnant.
-Where did you get such a belly? How will I look people in the eyes now? – the mother reproached the girl.
But, crying bitterly, the daughter objected:
- What kind of belly? Where will he come from, because I don’t have a husband!
And the girl’s belly was really getting bigger. How could this happen? That's how they protected the girl, that's how they protected her! If the chief's daughter had not been looked after so diligently, perhaps no one would have been surprised that Kandalo found herself in such a position. But she never left the house alone! Wherever Kandalo went, either her own mother or some other trustworthy wife of the leader followed on her heels.
“But I’ve never been alone with a man, you know that well!” - Kandalo assured, sobbing.
But people continued to ask:
- Then where does the belly come from?
And so, finally daring, the eldest wife reported what had happened to the leader. The terrible news stung him to the heart. His pride was hurt. How dare his wife guard his beloved daughter so poorly?! If Kandalo was never alone, how could she get pregnant?
- Leityayki! Scoundrels! Why did they guard her poorly? What a shame! My daughter is pregnant! I'll find out who this robber is! And he will pay with his life!
He called his daughter to him, again brought her to tears with his questions, but the girl persisted, denying guilt. What does he want from her? How could she become pregnant if they were guarding her and keeping an eye on her?
Then the great chief Kimona dia Zonga called the councilors and elders. The old men listened attentively to him, consulted for a long time and finally accused... the leader himself of a serious crime. If Kandalo was never left alone, if Kandalo always slept in her parents' hut, if Kandalo insisted that she did not know any man, who could do this? Only he, the leader, her father.
And, accused of such a terrible crime, Kimona dia Zonga fell into deep melancholy. The leader suffered so much that he even became seriously ill and stopped leaving the hut.
- Damned sorcerer! - the people grumbled. “How dare he contemplate such a crime?” We don't need such a leader! Let's drive him away!
And Kimona dia Zonga was already close to death. Then Mukilango, well aware of what was happening in the chief's hut, demanded that the elders and advisers be summoned. He wanted to tell them something very important.
And on the appointed day, standing boldly before the two chiefs of the neighboring lands, before the councilors and elders, before all the people, Mukilango said in a confident and firm voice:
“Do you remember how I was punished for daring to claim that the pain from grief is stronger than from a wound?”
And the roar of voices swept over the crowd.
“Yes, we remember,” Chief Kikulimone answered for everyone. Chief Bombe also nodded affirmatively:
- Yes, we remember! What do you want to tell us? Why did we come here now?
– I wanted to prove to you that I was right. Now you can verify this. That time, the great leader Kimona dia Zonga ordered me to be punished. I was punished, but I am healthy and standing in front of you, and he is dying of grief! Isn't that right, honorable people?
And again a murmur swept through the crowd. People made noise and started talking, looking at each other in surprise.
– And now I’ll tell you the most important thing! It was I who made the leader's daughter pregnant! Yes, me! - Mukilan-go exclaimed and hit himself in the chest several times.
Horror gripped the crowd. People gasped.
- Thut, guy? How dare you? – Chief Kikuli-mone jumped up.
- Yes, yes, respectable people! I! I wanted to prove to our leader that grief is more painful than a wound!
“But if Kandalo was never left alone, how were you able to do this?” – Chief Bombe doubted.
- I did it with the help of witchcraft. Even when my father and mother were with her, I could enter the hut. As soon as I blew on the door, it immediately opened in front of me. But this little calabash with magic powder helped me do the rest. Even Kandalo herself knew nothing about this. And now I want the great leader to know about everything. As you can see, my wounds have healed... But the leader’s wound will not heal, because it is in his heart!
And the sick leader was immediately carried in his arms. Upon learning of what had happened, the leader groaned with joy, because now he was vindicated in the eyes of other leaders, elders and the entire people.
A few days later, the recovered leader again assembled a council of elders. Having seated Mukilango next to him, the chief said:
- You, boy, taught me a good lesson! Now you will marry my daughter and when I die you will become a leader. You will replace me!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru