Ngoole said: "Cut off my ears instantly so that I will no longer listen to the boastful utterances of Moliki-liki and the lies he tells."
Maito, maito kai ! It’s time to narrate Fables of the Animal World.
Moliki-liki is a stick insect, about the size of a spider or praying mantis. It trembles continuously and clings all the time at the bottom end of trunks of big trees
Yasi nanu: Ngoole (a millipede) discovered Moliki-liki (stick insect) trembling on the trunk of a Wuuma (bombax tree). Ngoole not knowing that Moliki-liki was suffering from Parkinson's disease asked Molikiliki:
"My friend, are you sick? Can I be of assistance to you”?
Retorting Moliki-liki said:
"What reasons have you for suggesting that I am sick?
I am perfectly well. I am busy rocking this Wuuma.
I will up-root it now and fell it on the ground now.
So, please don't disturb me any more with questions.
Run away from here. Be fast.The Wuuma is already clicking.
It's about to fall down. Let it not fall on you”.
Note: Wuuma is one of the largest and tall trees in the forest
In the course of running away from the danger spot, Ngoole met Ikula Nyame and then advised Ikule not to get near to the Wuuma, since Moliki-liki was in the course of uprooting it and felling it down.
Ikula Nyame tortoise or turtle replied:
“Bun-kum ! Molikiliki is feeble. He is so weak that he cannot shake and uproot even the stem of the most fragile weed. It is impossible for him to rock and uproot a Wuum.
Don't believe what that weakling Moliki-liki says. He is boastful and tells lies. He claims to control the thundering of the sky, rainfall and occurrences of low and high tide
He suffers from Parkinson's disease and trembles as a consequence of the illness and not because he is rocking the Wuuma as he claims”.
(“osi loke veya veyamba.
ongo mwaana mwii-nge mo juume Moliki-liki ao-va.
likembe limo takise, imele si, a-ko veya, ama:
aveli a soko-mele Wuuma wosusu, si,
a wotoo-ngo o monye, awo kpwise ose !”).
Two months later, Ngoole met Moliki-liki trembling on the same spot on the trunk of the Wuuma. Moliki-liki looking angry, rebuked Ngoole:
“i-Ngoole !
Why have you come here again? You are obstinate.
If this Wuuma falls on you now, and you die, Woli-nyama will accuse me again that I have done it again. That I have offered you too to a Nyongo club!
I am about to uproot this Wuuma.
So, leave this spot immediately”.
(“i-Ngoole, o-timbi lija ene eki fe ?
Wono Wuuma wo fooma, o-wa anu,
Woli-nyama va gbwe-ya,
si, vaa-no teene i-tunda,
vama Moliki-liki, nama tongole fe !
vama namo somba wafe o-Nyongo !
(vanga kasi ! Wuuma woongo wo kaama ! waa kpwa”)
Responding Ngoole exclaimed:
“Sei", and said: “Molik-liki ! You are shameless. Is this not the Wuuma you boastfully told me two months ago, that you were uprooting instantly?
Shut up, and stop boasting and telling lies”.
Moliki-liki did not respond.
Then turning to Mwengele, Ngoole said:
“Mwengeli, I implore you. Cut off my ears instantly so that I will no longer listen to the boastful utterances of Moliki-liki and the lies he tells)."
Using his professional knife (liwendi la gbwengi) Mwengele cut off Ngoole's ears in the twinkling of an eye. From that time until now Ngoole is living without ears.
“Ngoole ama Moliki-liki ae-nga,
eno-ke maato kasi,
nanu si naso kane-ya fe lingi lae-kise leni, na
venge vee-ya vee-ni a-koo” !
Literally:
I am weary of listening to his boastful utterances and the lies he tells.
Lexicon.
Ngoole = a millipede
Moliki-liki = stick insect
Wuuma = bombax tree.
Ikula Nyame = tortoise or turtle
lisoko-mele = to shake; to rock.
lito-ngo = to up-root.
Mwengele/Mwengeli = a person who taps wine from palm trees.
liwe-ndi = a knife. liwendi la gbwengi = a very sharp knife used exclusively for cleaning the area from where wine is extracted at the top of a palm tree
likembe = trembling; Parkinson's disease.
Tunda = to run wild in the village with a cutlass in hand, and declare that a sick member of the family is a victim of witch craft, or that a home or a farm has been looted.
Nama tongo-le fe = I have done it again.
Mwii-nge = a weakling.
Oma nanu.
Imba
Mola Mbua Ndoko
P.o Box 38 Buea, South West Province
Cameroon, West/Africa.
Email:[email protected]
Website: http://www.mbuandoko.com
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