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The death of children – Gikuyu, Kikuyu
A translation of Richard Berengarten’s poem ‘The death of children’
by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Translator's note: Gikuyu or Kikuyu, also known as Gigikuyu, is a Bantu language spoken by the Gikuyu people of Kenya. Gikuyu is mainly spoken in the areas between Nyeri, Nairobi and Nakuru. (Read more about this translation over at the Appendix)
The death of children – Gikuyu, Kikuyu
Gĩkuũ gĩa ciana
Gĩkuũ gĩa ciana nĩ kĩo kĩratuuria ngoro mũno
Mũmbĩre na Kĩhooto. Tiga gũtindĩrĩra icio.
Gũtirĩ ũũĩ Kĩhooto nĩ kĩĩ.
Nĩ iherithia rĩrĩkũ rĩngĩhonia ngoro?
Hatirĩ gĩa kwĩruta ho, gĩ gĩtũmi kana mũhera
Gĩkuũ gĩa ciana nĩ kĩo kĩratuuria ngoro mũno
Ũrĩa ũrageria ngarari
Nĩ ũrĩa ũretua kĩmenyi. O na akorwo no mũhaka
Twĩhĩte na kĩhooto, gũtirĩ mũndũ ũratua atĩa nĩ atĩa
Kana kũmenya ũrĩa gũgekĩka rũciũ. Ũrĩa wothe
Ũrageria kuogomora wogomu na itũmi ici kana ici nĩ kũhenania
Gĩkuũ gĩa ciana nĩ kĩo kĩrarakaria
Gĩkuũ gĩtiagĩrĩirwo kũgetha magetha
Me ma gĩkuũ kana kĩrĩro gĩa aciari
Gũtirĩ ũũĩ kĩhooto nĩ kĩĩ. Gũtirĩ mũndũ ũramenya nĩ atĩa.
Kĩreehei mwĩhoko na ũmĩrĩru. Wĩ mũgeni kana wĩ mũrata,
Githĩ ithuothe tũtirĩ aciari a ciana icio ciakua?
Gũtirĩ ũũĩ kĩhooto nĩ kĩĩ
Gĩkuũ gĩa ciana nĩkĩo kĩratuura ngoro mũno.
Translated by
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s translation into Gikuyu (Kikuyu) of Richard Berengarten’s ‘The death of children’ is a signal honour to this multilingual poetry project, all the more so for the fact that Professor Thiong’o has generously made his translation of this poem at the age of 87. The editors of this Poetry Archive project are immensely grateful to him for his involvement, as we are to his friend and fellow writer Jane Bosibori Obuchi for introducing the project to him.