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35th Translation Contest: "Once Upon a Myth" » Swahili to English » Entry #39011

Source text in Swahili

Translation #39011

[…] Sifa za gwiji huyu zilijiri nyakati zile alipoiongoza jamii yake kuwapiga na kuwanyanyasa maadui wao wa muda mrefu. Kabla ya ujio wake, Sidho waliuwawa kwa wingi na kunyanganywa mali yao.Aliposhika usukani wa jeshi la ukoo wake, walivuna ushindi mnono kwenye vita vyote walivyoshiriki dhidi Jo lang’o (Kalenjin).Hata walienda nyumbani kwa maadui hao na kuwanyanganya mali yao peupe,Jambo lililowapa furaha watu wa Sidho kwani walikuwa wameteseka kwa muda mrefu.

Hata hivyo, lililowashangaza watu wake na maadui ni jinsi alivyowauwa maadui wengi kuliko yeyote yule bila kujeruhiwa.Mishale, mikuki na silaha zingine za kivita hazikumpenya kwa vyovyote bali zake ziliwaingia maadui na kuwauwa kwa wingi. Kauli hii ilifanya maadui na watu wake kumwogopa zaidi. Ukoo wa Sidho waliona jambo hilo kuwa baraka kuu na kiboko cha Nandi. […]
The fame of this hero spread during the time he led his people to defeat and subjugate their long-time enemies. Before his emergence, the Sidho had been slaughtered in great numbers and stripped of their wealth.

When he took command of his clan's army, they reaped resounding victories in every battle they fought against the Jo Lang'o (the Kalenjin). They even marched into the enemies' own homesteads and plundered their livestock in broad daylight — an act that brought immense joy to the people of Sidho, for they had suffered for a long time.

However, what astonished both his own people and his enemies was how he slew more foes than any other man without ever sustaining a wound himself. Arrows, spears and all other weapons of war simply could not pierce his skin, while his own weapons struck the enemy and killed them in droves. This very fact made both his enemies and his own people fear him even more. The Sidho clan saw this as a great blessing and as the ultimate scourge of the Nandi.