The Birch Forests

On the second morning, the train was already 400 kilometres east of Moscow.

Asubuhi ya pili, treni ilikuwa tayari kilomita 400 mashariki mwa Moscow.

Polly woke on the small table. The light was soft and grey. Galina, the older woman, was drinking tea from a glass with a metal holder.

Polly aliamka juu ya meza ndogo. Mwanga ulikuwa laini na wa kijivu. Galina, mwanamke mzee, alikuwa anakunywa chai kutoka kwenye glasi yenye kishikio cha chuma.

"Birches," she said.

"Mibiru," alisema.

Outside, white trees were rushing past at sixty kilometres per hour. They went on and on. They filled the whole landscape.

Nje, miti myeupe ilikuwa inapita kwa kasi ya kilomita sitini kwa saa. Iliendelea na kuendelea. Ilijaza mandhari yote.

This is the Russian birch belt. White birch grows in many cold places where other trees cannot.

Hii ni ukanda wa mibiru wa Urusi. Mibiru myeupe inamea katika maeneo mengi baridi ambapo miti mingine haiwezi.

The young man, Pavel, looked up. "You are the parrot," he said. He went back to his laptop.

Kijana, Pavel, alitazama juu. "Wewe ni kasuku," alisema. Alirudi kwenye kompyuta yake mpakato.

Galina poured tea for Polly. It was amber. A slice of lemon floated on top. The samovar had been hot for twelve hours.

Galina alimiminia Polly chai. Ilikuwa ya rangi ya kaharabu. Kipande cha limau kilielea juu. Samovari ilikuwa moto kwa saa kumi na mbili.

Polly drank a sip. It was hot and sweet.

Polly alikunywa funda. Ilikuwa moto na tamu.

"The longest part of this trip is the trees," Galina said. "You sit in a train for six days and look at trees. There is no end to them."

"Sehemu ndefu zaidi ya safari hii ni miti," Galina alisema. "Unakaa kwenye treni kwa siku sita na kutazama miti. Hakuna mwisho wao."

Forty percent of Russia is forest. Russia has twenty percent of all the trees in the world.

Asilimia arobaini ya Urusi ni msitu. Urusi ina asilimia ishirini ya miti yote duniani.

Polly drank again. Pavel typed. Galina read her book. Outside, the birches kept passing.

Polly alikunywa tena. Pavel aliandika. Galina alisoma kitabu chake. Nje, mibiru iliendelea kupita.