--- title: The Story of Simbukumbukwana. — Kaffir folk-lore · full text with trees description: The Story of Simbukumbukwana., «Kaffir folk-lore» by George McCall Theal: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: There was a man whose wife had no children, so that he was much dissatisfied. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg71335/8/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Kaffir folk-lore](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg71335/) / The Story of Simbukumbukwana. # The Story of Simbukumbukwana. The Story of Simbukumbukwana. of «Kaffir folk-lore» by George McCall Theal: the whole text, 68 sentences and 1028 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. There was a man whose wife had no children, so that he was much dissatisfied.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") At last he went to a wise woman (Igqirakazi) and asked her to help him in this matter.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") She said: “You must bring me a fat calf that I may get its tallow to use with my medicine” (or charms—the Kaffir word is Imifizi).[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") The man went home and selected a calf without horns or tail, which he took to the wise woman.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") She said: “Your wife will have a son who will have no arms and no legs, as this calf has no horns and no tail.”[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") She told him, further, that he was not to inform any one of this.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") The man returned to his home and told his friends what was to happen.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") Not long after this his wife bore a child, but it was a daughter and had arms and legs.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") The man would not own that child, he said it was not his.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") He beat his wife, and commanded her to take the child away and leave it to perish.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he went to the wise woman, and told her what had taken place.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") The wise woman said: “It was because you did not obey my command about keeping this matter to yourself, but your wife will yet have a son without arms and without legs.”[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") It was so.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") His wife bore another child, which was a boy without arms and without legs, therefore he was called Simbukumbukwana.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") He began to speak on the day of his birth.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") During this time the girl that was first born was growing up in the valley where her mother left her; she lived in a hole in an ant-heap, and ate honey, and “nongwes,” and gum.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") One day the mother of Simbukumbukwana went to work in her garden, and left the boy at home with the door fastened.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") While she was away the girl came; she stood at a distance and said: “Where are the people?”[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") There came a voice from inside which said: “Here am I.”[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") She said: “Who are you?”[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") The voice replied: “I am Simbukumbukwana.”[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") She said: “Open for me.”[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") He answered: “How can I open?[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") I have no legs and no arms.”[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") She said: “My mother’s Simbukumbukwana, have legs and arms” (Simbukumbukwana sikama, yiba nemilenze nemikono).[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") Then legs and arms came on the boy, and he arose and opened for his sister.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") She went in and swept the floor; then she took millet and ground it and made bread.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") She told her brother when his parents asked him who did these things to say that he did them himself, and if they should ask him to do them again to reply, “I have done it already.”[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") Then she said: “My mother’s Simbukumbukwana, sink legs and sink arms” (Simbukumbukwana sikama, tshona milenze tshona mikono).[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") Then his legs and arms shrunk up, and his sister went away.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") After a time his father and his mother came home; they went in and saw the clean floor and bread ready for eating.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") They were surprised, and said to Simbukumbukwana, “Who did this?”[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") He replied: “I did.”[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") They said: “Do so again that we may see you.”[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") He answered: “I have done it already.”[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") The next day the woman went again to work in her garden, but the man hid himself to watch what would happen.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") After a time came the sister of Simbukumbukwana and said: “Where are the people?”[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") (Exactly the same conversation as before.)[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") She went in and began to smear the floor; water was wanting, so she sent Simbukumbukwana to the river for some.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") His joy in walking was great, so that he did not stop at the river, but put the pot down there and continued to go forward.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") The girl thought he ought not to be so long absent, for the river was close by, so she went to look for him.[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") She saw him walking up a hill far away, and she called to him to return.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") He would not.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") Then she sang, Simbukumbukwana sikama, tshona milenze, tshona mikono, and immediately his legs shrank up.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") Then she was going away, but her father came out and caught her; he kissed her, and said she must remain with him.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") Her mother was coming home, when she saw something moving on the hillside.[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") She went to see what it was, and found her son.[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") She said: “How did you come here?”[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") He replied: “I came by myself.”[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") She said: “Let me see you go further.”[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") He answered: “I have done it already.”[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") Then she put him on her back and went home.[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") She found her daughter there, and her husband much pleased.[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") The girl said: Simbukumbukwana sikama, yiba nemilenze nemikono, and legs and arms came on him.[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") One day his sister and some other girls went to get red clay, and he followed them.[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") When they looked behind they saw him, and his sister got angry.[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") She said to him: “What do you want here?”[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") He replied: “I am going for red clay for my mother.”[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") His sister compelled him to sit down; but as soon as they went on, he followed; then his sister beat him, and left him in the path.[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") After that there was a heavy storm of rain, but none fell where the little boy was.[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") When the rain was over, the other girls said to the one who had beaten her brother: “Let us go and look after the little boy.”[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") They went and saw he was quite dry.[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") He called to his sister: “You have beaten me,” but she asked him to forgive her.[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he said: “I want my father’s house to be here,” and immediately it came.[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") He said: “I want the fire of my father to be here,” and there was a fire.[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") He said to them: “Now go in; although you have beaten me, there is a house and fire for you.”[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") He said afterwards: “I want the cattle of my father to be here,” and at once they were all there.[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics") That was a nice place, so they remained there ever after.[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") - ← previous: [Story of the Girl Who Disregarded the Custom of Ntonjane.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg71335/7/) - next →: [The Story of Sikulume.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg71335/9/) - ↑ back to [Kaffir folk-lore](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg71335/)