Sk’eoj kuxlejal
K’eojinan yaxal mut
Vayubteso jch’ulel
takijeso jya
vokolil xchi’uk chamel.
Vilan pepen
Ak’otajan ta jvayuch
jamo jtakupal
ta sts’unel lekil kuxlejal.
Sk’eoj muk’ta ja’mal
sbolomal ch’ul balumil
nojeso jvinkilel
ak’o mu xiyal ta lot.
Ta ak’ob me’il Yaxte’
jaxo ko’ontone.
Nojeso jxambal
ta spojel ik’al chopolal.
K’eojinan ants, k’eojinan vinik
ak’o nichimajuk avinkilel.
Ts’uno ta ch’ul balumil
sbek’ kolel yu’un xa k’aj
……. Jyomuk k’eojetik
Life Songs
Sing, mockingbird,
lull my soul to sleep,
soothe my wounds,
forgetfulness, and pain.
Fly, butterfly,
dance in my dreams,
sow hope
in my willing spirit.
Roaring in the jungle,
jaguar,
nurture my soul
so it does not err.
Take my heart
into your arms mother Ceiba,
guide my footsteps
as I struggle with the darkness.
Sing men and women,
let your bodies flower.
Plant the fields
with the seeds of liberty and reap
…..bouquets of song.
Flowers for the Heart
Our language speaks from the heart
we have ch’ulel and we fly in dreams.
We sing with the wind and laugh with the clouds
we plant the corn and harvest the tortillas.
When I am happy my heart blossoms
sorrow is my heart torn in pieces.
When I am sick the pain surges from my heart
when we fight we seek peace in the heart.
Tsotsil is a language that sings to speak
like the other languages, it is poetry on its own
poetry that sings to corn and to time
counts the years and weaves the memories.
Xmuk’ib ko’onton is to have hopes.
Ta jk’anot ta skotol ko’onton is to love with the heart.
Jun o’ontonal is peace in the heart and in life.
K’ux ta ko’onton is pain in my heart for injustice.
The years live and the corn becomes tortillas
stories are woven, times remembered
we remember the 43 students, from the heart.
And that the words bloom in xnichimal ko’ontontik.
Poko beetik
Ta yav yok ch’ul ik’
xanav smuk’ul yaxinal ko’on,
poko be xasnit ta xambal.
Jbeiltesvanej ch’ul vitsetik,
p’ijil antsatik xa xcha’bi,
nojemik ta kuxlejal, ch’ul jo’ jmotontik.
Poko beetik, poko vayuchiletik,
mula xchi’uk ka’, jxambil xa kajlebin.
Chamel xchi’uk chopolal la ta lekil jnaklej,
xkuxlejal ch’ul balumil xa jel ta milel bail
Ch’ich’ achik’, akrus la kuch.
Ch’ul ik’etik la vayuchin, la juch’ta ch’ul osil,
Ta xambal la meltsan be yu’un vo’onej kuxlejal.
Ants xchi’uk viniketik, jun k’eoj la yak’otajinik,
Lekilal xchi’uk sa’el kolel la snojes avo’on
Snak’obil kuxlejal, jme’tik ch’ul vits.
Ta poko ch’ul beetik beiltesunikun el…
Old Roads
My shadowy hope, you walk
in the wind’s footsteps,
going down old roads.
Full of life, the mountains are beautiful women
who guide you,
who care for you, who give you water.
You rode mules and horses
down the roads of old dreams.
You exchanged the living land for a life of defeat,
meaning death and disgrace for my loved ones,
sweating blood, you carried your cross.
You dreamed the wind, you blew forth time,
walking you created the paths of history.
Men and women formed circles,
filling their hope with miracles and struggle,
the secret of life, our mountain-mother.
Guide me down the old roads…
“Life Songs” and “Old Roads” translated by Paul M. Worley; “Flowers for the Heart” translated by Sean S. Sell
