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Makiyuq Isabelamanta
Jaqay Sapilica juch’iy llaqtapiqa uj suwa warmi tiyakurqa, chay suwa juchanpitaq layqasqa manchay sunqu nanayta wañupurqa. Chay warmiqa, Isabela sutikuyuq karqa, payqa juch’iymantapachañapuni makiyuq karqa nin. Ña qusachakuytawan wawasniyuq kasqanmantañapis anchatapuni suwasqa tukuy imata nin á.
Isabelaqa libitapuni suwakuq. Rodeomanpis papa cargás apakamuq karqanku feriaman; libi jakemasninkuta, caballusmanta sillasninkuta, waskasninkuta, tukuy imankuta suwarqapuq. Paykunaqa machayunkuchá caballusninkú burrusninkuta watarpaytawan plazá yayupunku; watanás apayun, frenús apayurikapun caballusmán lluch’urpaytawan. Chay animalpata tiyan sumaq chhuse nisqa karuna, sumaq k’achitu rantisqa tiyan, ashaykunastapis aparqakapuq. Mancháy phulluspi phullutawan karunayuq kanku, phullutapis apayurikapuq. Isabelaq wasinpiqa libi phullupis tawqa karqa, frenus, lí tukuy imayuq payqa; chaytataq vendemuqchá.
Manapuni manchikuqchu á, piqpatapis imantapis, suwarpamullaqpuni, ovejankutapis imatapis. Ya, ovejapis k’askayunqa venderpaqchá uchus ñak’arpaqchus. Papastapis llawq’irpamuq libi yura yurasninmanta tuta riytawankama, yuraq imilla papasta; jawaskunata pallarpaq, manapuni manchikuqchu á. Ashaymanta jinarpachinku, layqarpachinku.
Chay Asirqucha phiña karqa, kunankamapis chaypi wañullanpuni runa. Chaymanchá jap’irpachimunku ari. Kukapi qhawachirqayku.
“Uj warmi yana veronicawan qhatasqa Asirqucha kantupi rishan jamushan, makinpiqa velata ura umasniyuqta lawrarichishan”—Isabelaqa chaynín pasarqusqa, ya jap’irpachikusqataq.
“Mana saniyanqachu, sut’isitu kashan. Velajasqaña, pichunpi vela lawrarishan, lawraypis tusurishanman jinata. Asirquchaman jap’isqa, llawsaynipis pampá qhatatakunqa”
Ashaymanta “ukhuypi k’ajalla” —nispa wañupun. Punkitullapi tutay p’unchay puñuq; punkitullapi, wasi punkullapi. Umantapis q’alá q’arayukurqa.
“libi kayllapi k’aja ari, kayllapi ruphashawanña, ¡kay pichitullayyyta! ¡pichitullayyyta! ¡wayyy! -nispa ajná qhaparikuq libita. ¡Imananqa wawasnín mana yachanchu á! Mana creenchu, qusanpis ni kuka qhawachimunchu, manaña mitikunchu á, único mamanku unqusqaña kashan.
“¡Waaay atatay! ¡Ay! ¡Ay!” —ajnallapuni kaq á.
“¡Ay! ¡Ay!” —libi uyarichimuq tutapis
“¡Ayyyy!” —Qhaparikushanqa lirbita
“¡Atatay!” —Mana awantaqchu. Ya, lí manaña atishaqchu thuqaq ñaq’ayllata.
“Pulmonniychá, chirichá pasawan ari” —nispalla kaq.
Ashaymanta nin; libí wakatapis aparpamuq, turusta aparpamuq, puntamanta jap’iytawan venderpamuq. Libi suwapuni karqa, lukataq karqa suwataq karqa; chaymanta runa layqarpachin. Ashaymán chay chhika unayta, chunka wata astawanchá unqun á, libí unqun. ¡Imaynatachus awantakunpis kay qusanqa!, wawan Ambrocioqa waqaq, jina paylla wayk’ukuq, mancháy imillan wayk’uq. Yakituwan jinakuspa kaq.
“¡Yakituuuta! ¡Yakituuuta! ¡Ambrooocio!” —nispa. Jovenyasqanmanta jaywaq, yakituta, libi llakiyta kaq.
“¡Ajáh ajáh!” —kunkallan silbaq, pichullampuniá.
“Lí pichuy k’ajashan, lawrayqa tusurishan” —niq.
“¡Lí pichituyyy K’ajashan! ¡Umitayyy! Lí lawrayjina lluqsishan kaytaqa” —niq.
Libi umitantaqa k’utukús q’arayukuq, libi ajna kaq. Llakiy ñak’arirqa, libi unáy unqun, libi unayta. Ashay suwakusqanmanta ruwarpachinku, ashaywan wañupun. Yachankuchá, ajnamanta chay layqa atiyniyuq, ajinata Asirqucha jap’ikapun.
Isabela the Thief
In that small town of Sapilica there lived a thieving woman, and she died in a terrible way, bewitched, because of her sin of thieving. That woman was called Isabela, and she had been a thief ever since she was little. Even after getting married and having children, she stole all kinds of things.
Isabela always stole a lot. They used to bring loads of potatoes to the rodeo (to the fair); she would steal the hackamores, the saddles, the ropes, and everything from the horses. They (the horse-owners) got drunk and went into the square after tying up their horses and donkeys; she would make off with the ropes and the reins after taking them off the horses. There is something called “chhuse” on those animals, something beautiful that people buy, and she would make off with that too. They would saddle them with blankets, and she would make off with the blankets too. Lots of blankets and reins were heaped up in her house, she had a bit of everything; presumably she used to sell it.
She wasn’t at all afraid of anyone or anything, she would just steal all the time, even sheep and so on. When any sheep came near her she would sell it or butcher it, I guess. She would even pull up potatoes by their stalks, going there in the night, the white “imilla” potatoes; she would pick beans too, she wasn’t afraid at all. That’s why they did what they did, why they bewitched her.
The lake called Asirqucha was cursed, even now people often die there. I guess that’s where they made her soul get caught. We had it divined in the coca leaves.
“A woman shrouded with a black cloak is coming and going along the edge of Asirqucha Lake, and in her hands she’s lighting a candle, with her head down.” Isabel walked through there, and that’s how she got got.
“She won’t get better, it’s very clear. She had been set alight, and a candle is burning in her chest, as if the flames are dancing. Asirqucha got her, even her drool will be dragged over the floor.”
That’s why she died saying “it’s hot inside.” She would sleep day and night in the door, right there in the doorway, the doorway of the house. She even pulled out all the hair on her head.
“It’s so hot in here, it’s burning me inside, this chest of mine! Oh my chest! Ayyy!” she would scream. What will her children do… they don’t know. They don’t believe (in witchcraft), nor did her husband have coca leaves divined; they don’t get involved anymore, (for them) their mother is just ill.
“Ayayay! Ay! Ay!” she would moan. “Ay! Ay!” she would be heard well into the night. “Ayyyy!” she would scream loudly.
“Ay!” she couldn’t bear it. She couldn’t take it anymore, she could barely spit. “It must be my lungs, the cold must have got me,” she would say.
They say it’s because of what she did: she would take away the cows, she would take away the bulls, she would get them down from the hills and sell them. She was such a thief, she was both mad and a thief; that’s why people had her bewitched. That’s why she was ill for such a long time, it must have been more than ten years that she was ill, badly ill. How did that husband of hers bear it! Her child Ambrosio would cry, and he alone would cook, or her younger daughter would cook. She (Isabela) got wet with a little water.
“Water! Waaaater! Ambroooosio!” She would say. Ambrosio would give her water ever since he was young. She was very sad.
“Aha! Aha!” she would whisper from her throat, right from her chest. “It’s burning right in my chest, the flames are dancing” she would say. “It’s burning so bad in my chest! My head! It’s like flames coming out of here,” she would say.
She would pull out all of her hair, just like that. She suffered awfully, she was ill like that for a long time, a long, long time. They did that because of her stealing, and she died of it. The people must know, that’s how witchcraft has power, that’s how Asirqucha got her.
Translated from Quechua to English by Robby Felix Penman
