The Circle and the Morning Boat

The Ring of Brodgar sits on a narrow strip of land between two lochs. The stones stand in a circle about one hundred and four metres across. A ditch was cut around it into solid rock. It was built between four and four and a half thousand years ago. It is part of a world heritage site.

Ring of Brodgar ipo juu ya ukanda mwembamba wa ardhi kati ya maziwa mawili. Mawe yamesimama katika duara lenye upana wa mita mia moja na nne. Handaki lilichongwa kulizunguka kwenye mwamba mgumu. Lilijengwa kati ya miaka elfu nne na elfu nne na nusu iliyopita. Ni sehemu ya eneo la urithi wa dunia.

There were around sixty stones once. Thirty-six are standing now. The gaps are as much of the shape as the stones are. Polly walked around the outside of the ring, with heather to her knees and the light going flat across the water. Nothing about it was arranged for a visitor.

Zamani kulikuwa na mawe karibu sitini. Sasa yamesimama thelathini na sita. Nafasi zilizo wazi ni sehemu ya umbo kama yalivyo mawe yenyewe. Polly akazunguka nje ya duara, akiwa na heather hadi magotini na mwanga ukitanda bapa juu ya maji. Hakuna chochote kilichopangwa kwa ajili ya mgeni.

Then came the ordinary business of leaving. At the harbour office there was a shag behind a counter. "What time does the ferry leave?" Polly asked. "How much does this cost?" She looked at the printed sheet with him. "I would like to buy a ticket, please."

Kisha ikaja shughuli ya kawaida ya kuondoka. Ofisini mwa bandari kulikuwa na ndege aina ya shag nyuma ya kaunta. "Kivuko kinaondoka saa ngapi?" Polly akauliza. "Hii inagharimu kiasi gani?" Wakaiangalia karatasi iliyochapishwa pamoja. "Ningependa kununua tikiti, tafadhali."

"How long does the crossing take?" she asked last. She put the ticket away. In the morning the boat went out past the same low headland, and the islands went down behind it one by one.

"Safari ya kuvuka inachukua muda gani?" akauliza mwisho. Akaiweka tikiti mfukoni. Asubuhi meli ikatoka ikipita rasi ileile fupi, na visiwa vikazama nyuma yake kimoja baada ya kingine.