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Issue 11
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Three Poems

  • by Negma Coy
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  • August, 2019

 

Palabras de amistad

Es un tremendo honor publicar estos poemas de los poetas mayas Humberto Ak’abal y Negma Coy, dos de los participantes del V Encuentro Continental Intercultural de Literaturas Amerindias (EILA) que se llevó a cabo en la Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá en abril de 2018. En ese evento no solo tuve la oportunidad de conocer a autores de todo Abya Yala, sino también el privilegio de proponer que tradujéramos parte de su obra para Latin American Literature Today . Con estos primeros poemas del K’iche’ Ak’abal y el Kaqchikel Coy, les doy una perspectiva amplia sobre la poesía en lengua maya en Guatemala.

Paul M. Worley
Traductor y curador de dossiers


Kame

Rïn in uchuq’ab’il
xk’üt chi nuwäch toq k’a in k’o wi chi rupam Qate’ Ruwach’ulew
chi ruchi’ ri nimaläj Xib’alb’ay
chuwäch ri b’eleje’ choliq’a’n
woyob ‘en wi rusik’inik ri qati’t qamama’ Kame toq nupo’ ri tukr.

Toq xoqa’ ri ramaj chuqa’ ri k’ojlem
nuch’umilal xiruya’ kan jub’a’ chik
k’a xtitz’aqät na rusetesik nuk’aslem.

K’o na jun q’ij, rat chuqa’ rïn
xtiqak’ül qi’ pa choliq’a’n
chi rupam ri Xib’alb’ay
toq xjalwachitäj yan quchuq’ab’il.

Nab’ey k’o chi yojb’e’ ok chi rupam ri nimaläj palow akuchi’ e k’o wi rije’
akuchi’ konojel yexajon,
k’a ri’ niqapo’ qi’ kaq’ïq’ 
k’a ri’ niqapo ‘qi’ müs
k’a ri’ niqapo’ qi’ jiq’onem
richin kuqub’ab’äl k’u’x.

 

Kame

soy energía
Me enseñaron que
cuando estaba en el vientre de la Madre Tierra
en el umbral del Xibalbá
ante sus 9 mesetas
esperando a keme, transformado en búho, para anunciarme.

Cuando llegué al espacio, al tiempo,
mi ch’umilal quiso abandonarme
hasta completar el ciclo de mi existencia. 

Pronto, tú y yo 
nos cruzaremos en las mesetas
del vientre de Xibalbá
y seremos una nueva energía.

Antes de eso, juntos nos adentraremos en el mar
donde todos bailan,
convirtiéndose en viento,
convirtiéndose en brisa,
convirtiéndose en suspiro
de esperanza. 

 

Peraj taq sipanik

Jun po’t man choj ta nich’on chawe’
rija’ nusik’ij jun pach’un tzij chi re awanima,
jun po’t man choj ta yatruküch
rija’ nuq’etej ak’u’x,
jun po’t man choj ta yatrupïtz’
rija’ numalalej ruwa’ ak’u’x,
jun po’t man choj ta yatrukïch
rija’ nuk’ät nub’onij ach’akul.

Jun po’t nuk’üt chawe’
ronojel ri juna’ ri ruxak’om pe ri’ rik’in ajowab’äl
richin ruk’aslemal
chuqa’ richin qak’aslemal.

Jun  po’t  nutzijoj  chawe’
achike  rub’eyal  yataläx  pe  chi  ruxe’  ri  aq’al  richin  kamïk
achike  rub’eyal  ri  jeb’ël  taq  b’onil  ri  nikiyoj  ruwäch  ri  tz’ilanem
achike  rub’eyal  nichajïx  ruch’akul  Qate’ ruwach’ulew.

Ri  po’t
re’  jun  pach’un  tzij  richin  naq’etëj  ri  xkib’än  kan  ri  ojer  qawinaq
jun  ojer  tzib’awuj  b’atz’ rub’anikil  ri  man  xetikir  ta  xkichüp  el  ruwäch  ri  emajonel
rija’   ri  nataxik  richin  qab’anob’al  richin  qati’t  qamama’
rija’  etamab’alil, rija’ na’ojinïk, rija’  jun  k’äs  cholq’ij.

toq  nitz’ïs  kichi’  jun  ka’i’  peraj
nikitz’ïs  k’aslem
nikitz’ïs  na’ojil
nikitz’ïs  uchuq’ab’il  k’aslemal  pa  setesïk,
nikipach’uj  ch’ab’äl
nikipach’uj  nima’etamab’äl
nikipach’uj  b’ix
nikipach’uj  pach’un  tzij  ri  niqab’än  jantape’,
yojkib’ochi’ij  rik’in ri  poch’on
rik’in  ri  pajon
rik’in  ri  k’ajin
rik’in  ri  kumatzin
rik’in  ri  b’aq’otin…

Toq  jun  po’t  naläx
chi  ruxe’  ruq’a’  taq  tra’s
chi  ruxe’  runaq’  ruwäch  qatata’  q’ij
nok  jun  chik  alk’wal  richin  ri  ach’alalri’ïl
ruma  ri  k’o  chi  niya’  ruq’ij  chuqa’  ajowab’äl  chi  re
achi’el  xub’ij  kan  rute’  wati’t
“Wal: Tak’awomaj  chi  re  apo’t ri  nayäk  kan  chuqa’  tak’utuj   chi  re  ri  nawokisaj  chi  katruchajij”.

 

Lienzos de herencia 

A huipil doesn’t speak to you
it recounts your soul.
a huipil doesn’t cover you
it embraces your heart,
a huipil doesn’t chafe
it caresses you chest,
a huipil doesn’t stain you
it tattooes your skin.

A huipil shows you
the years of love and strength
it took to survive
and for us to exist.

A huipil tells you
about the dead rising from the ashes
about colores shining to block out scorn and discrimination
about preserving Mother Nature’s body.

The huipil
is a huggable poem made by our ancestors
a codex of threads that the invaders could not disappear
it is our culture’s memory
it is science, it is art, it is a living calendar.

When the lienzos are joined
they embroider lives
they enbroider knowledge
they embroider geneations of spiraling energy,
they braid voices
they braid wisdom
they braid songs
they braid everyday poetry,
they make us fall in love with the poch’on
with the pajon
wit the k’ajin
with the kumatzin
wit the b’aq’otin…

From the moment a huipil is born
under the arms of the peach groves
under the winking Father Sun
it is an important part of the family
deserving love and respect
like my great-grandmother said:
“Mija: give thanks to the huipil you are taking care of, and when you put it on, ask it to care for you”

como decía mi bisabuela
“Mija: Agradecéle al güipil que guardas y pedíle al huipil que te ponés que te cueíde”.

 

Rech’eroj

Chupam  rumuxu’x  ri  kaj
ri  qati’t  ik’  nib’ixan,
chupam  rumuxu’x  ri  kaj
rija’  nikikot  toq  nib’ixan
chupam  rusib’ilem  ri  pom  akuchi’  nijub’üb’  ajowab’äl
ri  nan  nib’ixan
k’o  k’a  pa  ruq’a’  raqän  ri  nimaläj  kaj.

Toq  noqa’  ri  ramaj
ri  qati’t  nichapatäj
nichapatäj  ruma  rajowab’al  jun  nïm  k’iyruq’a’  kär
rija’, xretamaj  ruwäch  ri  nimaläj  rajowab’al.
K’a  ri’  xutz’apïj  k’a  runaq’  ruwäch
k’a  ri’  k’a  xkikot  pa  ruq’a’  chuqa’  xuna’  rujeb’el  q’etenïk,
nisiksot  ruch’akul  toq  xuna’  chi  rupas  xa  eqal  eqal  nisolotäj  el
ruq  xtzaq  qa’  pa  pop
rupo’t  xuch’anab’a’  rujiq’onem.

Pajala’  ri  ïy  mama’aj
xkitzu’  ri  nik’ulwachitäj  ke  la’  ruma  ajowab’äl,
ch’anel  k’a  nixajon  ri  nan  ik’
weqon  k’a  ruwi’  rik’in  yuchusi’j
rutz’apin  k’a  runaq’  ruwäch,
ri  ïy  mama’j
xkich’anab’a’  chuqa’  kina’ojinik.

Ri  ati’t  ik’  janila  najowan
chuqa’  ke  ri’  nuk’üt  chi  qe
chuqa’  nikikot  rik’in  rusipanïk.

Nrïl  k’a  ri’  chupam  taq  saqila’,
nipa’e  k’a  ri  ramaj  chi  la’  pa  kaj.

Nijiq’ijox  el  ri  jeb’ël  qati’t  ik’
nujäq  runaq’  ruwäch
nutotaj  rusumal  ruwi’
k’a  ri’  nusipaj  k’a  ri  saqil  richin  qab’ey
chuqa’  nusipaj  rajowab’al  chi  qe’
xe tal nib’ixan k’a
chupam  rumuxu’x  ri  nimaläj  kaj.

 

Eclipse

Grandmother Moon sings
in the sky’s belly
she sings
submerged in the sky’s belly
she sings
in the jealous, passionate clouds of incense
she sings
accompanied by the mystic cosmos.

When the time has come
our enchanted grandmother is surprised
is trapped by a giant squid’s loving madness
and she recognizes every affectionate inch.
She decides to close her eyes
she decides to enjoy every moment of the majestic act,
her aroused body feels her belt come slowly undone
her corte falls on the mat
and her huipil, naked down to her breath.

Her grandchildren discover
her affair,
their grandmother dancing naked
with carnations in her hair
with her eyes closed
her grandchildren
also unclothe their thoughts.

Grandmother Moon loves
teaches to love
and delights in her gift.

She’s covered, glimmering,
the heavens pause.

La abuela Luna suspira
abre los ojos,
sacude el cabello,
decide iluminar nuestro camino
heredamos su amor
mientras sigamos su canto
en el vientre del cielo.

Traducido por Paul M. Worley

  • Negma Coy

Negma Coy is a Maya Kaqchikel writer, painter, actress, and teacher from Guatemala. She writes in Maya Kaqchikel, Spanish, and in Maya glyphs. She has published the poetry collections: XXXK’ (2015; Chiapas, Mexico),  Soy un búho (2016), Lienzos de herencia (2017; El Salvador), A orillas del fuego (2017; Costa Rica), Tz’ula’, Guardianes de los caminos (2019; Madrid, Spain) and Kikotem – Historias, cuentos y poesía kaqchikel (2019; Guatemala). She works with cooperatives in her community: Ajtz’ib’ Escritores de Comalapa, Movimiento de artistas mayas Ruk’u’x, and Arte de Comalapa. She has participated nationally and internationally in numerous art and poetry festivals.

  • Paul M. Worley
thisoneworley

Paul M. Worley is Associate Professor of Global Literature at Western Carolina University. He is the author of Telling and Being Told: Storytelling and Cultural Control in Contemporary Yucatec Maya Literatures (2013; oral performances recorded as part of this book project are available at tsikbalichmaya.org), and with Rita M. Palacios is co-author of the forthcoming Unwriting Maya Literature: Ts’íib as Recorded Knowledge (2019). He is a Fulbright Scholar, and 2018 winner of the Sturgis Leavitt Award from the Southeastern Council on Latin American Studies. In addition to his academic work, he has translated selected works by Indigenous authors such as Hubert Malina, Adriana López, and Ruperta Bautista, serves as editor-at-large for México for the journal of world literature in English translation, Asymptote, and as poetry editor for the North Dakota Quarterly.

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