Ito si Khalai. Pitong taong gulang siya. Sa Lubukusu, “mabuti” ang kahulugan ng pangalan niya.
This is Khalai. She is seven years old. Her name means ‘the good one’ in her language, Lubukusu.
Voici Khalai. Elle a sept ans. Son nom signifie « celle qui est bonne » dans sa langue, le lubukusu.
Kinakausap ni Khalai ang puno ng dalandan, “Dalandan, pasuyo naman, sana magkaroon ka ng marami at malalaking prutas.”
Khalai wakes up and talks to the orange tree. “Please orange tree, grow big and give us lots of ripe oranges.”
Khalai se réveille et parle à l’oranger. « S’il-te-plait oranger, grandis et donne-nous beaucoup d’oranges mûres. »
Naglalakad si Khalai papunta sa iskul. Nadadaanan niya ang damo, “Sana naman damo, lalo pang tumingkad ang berdeng kulay mo at ‘wag na ‘wag kang matutuyo.”
Khalai walks to school. On the way she talks to the grass. “Please grass, grow greener and don’t dry up.”
Khalai marche à l’école. En chemin, elle parle à l’herbe. « S’il-te-plait herbe, deviens plus verte et ne sèche pas. »
Napapansin din ni Khalai ang mga ligaw na bulaklak, “Tuloy niyo lang ang pamulaklak, para meron akong pampaganda ng buhok.”
Khalai passes wild flowers. “Please flowers, keep blooming so I can put you in my hair.”
Khalai passe vers des fleurs sauvages. « S’il-vous-plait fleurs, continuez à fleurir pour que je puisse vous porter dans mes cheveux. »
Kinakausap din ni Khalai ang puno sa gitna ng iskul, “Plis naman, malaking puno, palaguin mo pa mga sanga para sa lilim mo kami ay makapagbasa.”
At school, Khalai talks to the tree in the middle of the compound. “Please tree, put out big branches so we can read under your shade.”
À l’école, Khalai parle à l’arbre au centre du camp. « S’il-te-plait arbre, fais pousser de grandes branches pour que nous puissions lire sous ton ombre. »
May nasasabi rin si Khalai sa mga halamang-bakod, “Magpakatibay kayo, pigilin ninyong makapasok ang masasamang tao.”
Khalai talks to the hedge around her school. “Please grow strong and stop bad people from coming in.”
Khalai parle à la haie qui entoure son école. « S’il-te-plait, deviens robuste et empêche les personnes méchantes d’entrer. »
Pagkauwi, pinupuntahan agad ni Khalai ang dalandan, “Hinog na ba mga bunga?”
When Khalai returns home from school, she visits the orange tree. “Are your oranges ripe yet?” asks Khalai.
Quand Khalai retourne chez elle de l’école, elle visite l’oranger. « Est-ce que tes oranges sont mûres ? » demande Khalai.
“Hay naku, hilaw pa rin pala. Bukas uli ha, dalandan. Pagbibigyan kita at baka meron ng hinog, kahit isa!”
“The oranges are still green,” sighs Khalai. “I will see you tomorrow orange tree,” says Khalai. “Perhaps then you will have a ripe orange for me!”
« Les oranges sont encore vertes, » soupire Khalai. « Je te verrai demain oranger, » dit Khalai. « Peut-être que demain tu auras une orange mûre pour moi ! »
