Full Text: Iqhugwane Ehlathini
One story, four ways to read it
Every story comes in its original version plus several simplified reading levels, so it grows with your child.
The original text is the full story with rich vocabulary and descriptive language, ideal for reading aloud together and for kids who are ready for longer sentences.
The simplified levels retell the same story in shorter, simpler sentences matched to your child's stage. Ages 2-6 uses a few short sentences per scene, perfect for first time readers. Ages 4-8 adds simple dialogue and everyday vocabulary for kids beginning to follow along. Ages 6-10 keeps the language accessible while bringing back more of the story's detail, a natural bridge to the original.
Start at the level where your child is comfortable, and move up when they're ready. Hearing the same story told in richer language each time is one of the best ways to build vocabulary in any language.
Original Text: Iqhugwane Ehlathini
Umgawuli wemithi wayehlala nomkakhe namadodakazi akhe amathathu eqhugwaneni elincane eduzane nehlathi.
Ngolunye usuku ekuseni, ngenkathi elungiselela ukuya emsebenzini, wathi,
«Nkosikazi, ngeke ngibe sekhaya emini futhi umsebenzi unzima. Ngithumelele isidlo sami ngendodakazi yethu endala. Ukuze ngikhombise indlela, ngizothatha ukolweni ogcwele iphakethe ngiwufafaze endleleni yami.»
Wahamba-ke nembazo yakhe ehlombe.
Ngaphambi nje kwemini, indodakazi yakhe yaya ehlathini. Yayiphethe ujeke wesobho nesinkwa esizoba wukudla kwayise. Yabheka ukolweni kodwa kwaba nhlanga zimuka nomoya, ngoba ondlunkulu nemikholwane base becoshe lonke uhlamvu.
Yahamba laze lashona ilanga nehlathi laba makhaza. Izihlahla zashwasha nezikhova zakhala, nentombazane yaqala ukwesaba. Ngaleso sikhathi, yabona ukukhanya kude kucwayiza phakathi kwamagatsha.
"Kumele ukuthi kukhona umuntu ohlala lapho," icabanga. "Nakanjani bazonginika indawo yokulala namuhla ebusuku." Yahamba ibheke ekukhanyeni yase ifika endlini encane ekujuleni kwehlathi.
Yangqongqoza emnyango, kwase kuzwakala izwi elihoshozayo lithi,
"Ngena.
Wangena ngaphakathi wafica ikhehla lihlezi eduze kwetafula. Intshebe yalo emhlophe yayicishe ithinte phansi. Endlini, kwakunezilwane ezintathu, isikhukhukazi, iqhude, nenkomazi enamabala.
«Ngilahlekile ehlathini,» kwasho intombazane ekhehleni. «Ngingachitha ubusuku lapha?»
Esikhundleni sokuyiphendula, laphendukela ezilwaneni, lathi,
«Zinkukhu ezinhle nenkomazi enamabala,
Niphendula nithini manje?
Koko! Koko! Koko!» kusho isikhukhukazi.
«Kikiliki!» kusho iqhude.
«Moo! Moo! Moo!» kusho inkomo.
Lokho kwakusho ukuthi angase ahlale.
Ngakho-ke ikhehla lathi, «Uzothola konke ngobuningi lapha. Hamba uye ekhishini upheke isidlo sakusihlwa.
Intombazane yaphekela yona nekhehla isidlo sakusihlwa, kodwa ayizange icabange ngezilwane. Lapho isidle konke ebekufuna, yathi, «Ngikhathele kakhulu. Ngizolala kuphi?»
Izilwane zaphendula ngokucula,
«Ucabange ngawe wedwa,
Manje kulobu busuku phumula njengoba kufanele.
Intombazane yayozela kakhulu kangangokuthi yayingakuzwa kahle ababekusho. «Hamba phezulu,» kusho ikhehla. «Uzothola amakamelo amabili, elinye nelinye linombhede. Yenza yomibili imibhede ngaphambi kokuba ulale.»
Intombazane yaya phezulu yazenzela umbhede ekamelweni elikhudlwana. Khona-ke, yazilahla embhedeni yalala yathi zwi. Ngemuva kwesikhashana, ikhehla leza phezulu. Lithe uma lithola umbhede walo ungenziwanga nentombazane ilele, lanikina ikhanda. Khona-ke, lavula isicabha esiphansi layeka umbhede wayo wehlele egumbini elingaphansi.
Kusihlwa kakhulu, umgawuli wemithi wabuyela ekhaya. Wathethisa umkakhe ngokumshiya usuku lonke engenakudla.
«Akulona iphutha lami,» kusho yena. «Ngithumele indodakazi yethu nesidlo sakho. Kumele ukuba ilahlekelwe yindlela. Izobuya kusasa, nakanjani.
Ekuseni kakhulu ngakusasa, umgawuli wemithi kwakumele aye emsebenzini wakhe.
»Thuma indodakazi yethu yesibili nesidlo sami namuhla," kusho yena. "Ngizophatha izinhlamvu zikaphizi ezigcwele iphakethe. Zinkulu kunezinhlamvu zikakolweni. Izozibona futhi ngeke ilahlekelwe yindlela.
Kodwa emini, wonke amaphizi ayesephelile. Izinyoni zasehlathini zaziwacophile. Kwakungasasele ngisho nelilodwa ukukhombisa indlela.
Intombazane yahla yenyuka ehlathini usuku lonke. Ekugcineni, yafika endlwaneni yekhehla, yabe isinikwa ukudla nendawo yokuphephela. Nayo yehluleka ukupha izilwane ukudla noma ukundlala umbhede wekhehla. Ngenkathi ilele, ikhehla lavula umnyango. Yawa phansi egumbini elingaphansi, njengoba kwenze udadewabo.
Ngosuku lwesithathu ekuseni, umgawuli wezihlahla watshela umkakhe ukuba athumele uthunjana wabo nokudla kwakhe kwasemini. «Uhlala eziphatha kahle futhi eqaphela,» esho. «Uzohlala endleleni futhi angalahleki, njengoba kwenza odadewabo.»
«Cha,» kusho unina, «angifisi ukuba uthunjana wethu ahambe. Kuthiwani uma naye elahleka?»
«Ungesabi,» kusho uyise, «uqaphile futhi uhlakaniphile, kanti uzoyithola indlela. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ngizogcwalisa amaphakethe ami ngobhontshisi. Ngizowuhlakaza endleleni.»
Kodwa lapho indodakazi yakhe iya ehlathini, kwakungekho bhontshisi owawubonakala. Amajuba ayesewudle wonke, ngakho yayingazi ukuthi iyiphi indlela okufanele ihambe ngayo. Yacabanga ngokudabuka ukuthi uyise ulambe kangakanani nokuthi unina uzodabuka kangakanani ngayo.
Kwathi sekumnyama, naye wabona ukukhanya, wase eza endlini esehlathini. Wangena phakathi wacela indawo yokuphephela njengoba kwenze odadewabo. Kwathi uma evunyelwa, waphulula inkomo kanye nezimpaphe zesikhukhukazi neqhude.
Ikhehla lamtshela ukuba apheke isidlo sakusihlwa, wenza njalo ngokushesha. Wase ethi, «Ngingaba nokuningi kanti izilwane ezinhle zidinga ukudla?»
Ngakho wanika izinkukhu ukudla kanye nesishuqulu sotshani obumnandi enkomweni. «Yidlani, zilwane ezithandekayo,» esho. «Mhlawumbe nomile nani. Ngizonilethela amanzi ahlanzekile.»
Kwathi uma eseqedile lokhu, wahlala etafuleni wadla isidlo sakhe sakusihlwa.
Maduze izinkukhu zafaka amakhanda azo ngemuva kwamaphiko azo nenkomo yavala amehlo ayo. Khona-ke intombazane yabuza, «Ngeke yini siye kophumula?»
Ikhehla laphendukela ezilwaneni lathi,
«Zinkukhu ezinhle nenkomo enamabala,
Ngabe le ntombazane ingalala lapha manje?
Baphendula kanyekanye,
«Wacabanga nangokunethezeka kwethu;
Makaphumule manje njengoba kufanele.
Ngesikhathi intombazane inyukela phezulu, yandlala yomibili imibhede. Ngemuva kwalokho, yangena ekamelweni elincane, futhi, ngemuva kokuthandaza, yalala phansi yase iyazilalela.
Phakathi kwamabili yavuswa imisindo engajwayelekile. Indlu yayiklewula futhi iqhekeka. Iminyango yavuleka ngamandla. Ekugcineni, kwaba nomsindo omkhulu sengathi uphahla nezindonga sekuwele phakathi. Ngemuva kwalokho konke kwathula cwaka. Ibona ukuthi ayilimalanga nokuthi konke kuthule, yalala yathula yaphinde yalala futhi.
Ekuseni, wavuswa yilanga ebusweni bakhe. Yeka umbono owahlangabeza amehlo akhe! Wayelele ekamelweni elikhulu, elihle. Kwakunezibuko odongeni futhi nombhede wawumbozwe ngendwangu yegolide.
»Kumele ukuba ngiyaphupha," kucabanga intombi.
Kodwa ngenkathi ehlikihla amehlo akhe kwangena izinceku ezintathu zambuza ukuthi zingamenzela ini.
"Lutho," esho. "Kumele ngivuke ngipheke ukudla kwasekuseni kwekhehla, ngiphe isikhukhukazi, neqhude, kanye nenkomo ukudla. Bese kumele ngiphuthume ekhaya kumama wami.
Wagijima waya egumbini elilandelayo wathola ikhehla, elaliguqulwe laba inkosana ebukekayo.
«Yimina leliya khehla elimpunga,» esho emamatheka. «Umlingo waguqula isigodlo sami saba iqhugwane nombuso wami waba ihlathi. Wawungaphulwa kuphela ngumuntu okhombisa umusa kuzo zonke izidalwa, ezinkulu nezincane. Ngoba unenhliziyo yegolide, ngifisa ukukuvuza. Lezi zilwane ezintathu manje sezingabangane bakho abathembekile.»
Wambonga ngenhliziyo yakhe enakekelayo, wathumela izilwane ekhaya kanye naye njengabangane abathembekile, wamthembisa injabulo emndenini wakhe, ngenkathi odadewabo behlala bephephile ezingadini zehlathi, befunda ukunakekela abanye njengoba naye enzile.
