Quechua Diaspora

Herder (Michiq)

You see nothing more than two-hundred animals,
identical.
Yet I can recognize each by her laughter.
And yes of course they laugh.
They intertwine their necks with the wind and they dance.

In the desolate, forbidding mountains
on the dark and silent paths
daily we walk together
sometimes they, sometimes I,
lead the march.

Like Bach’s sorrowful hymns
they dissipate…
Sometimes swiftly, sometimes placidly
until upon us, the night descends.

And when the appointed day arrives
to Mother Earth I shall express my gratitude
to my dear animal, my appreciation,
and I will slaughter her.
I won’t waste a single drop of her blood…

Only we know of this exhortation
Only we know who we are
and although we shall cry knowing all of this, so shall we rejoice.

In the silent, distant meadows,
I am a herder.

Mitmaqpa musquynin

Hawa runaraykum astawan kikiyki kawaq, payraykum qampas hawaruna kasqaykita rikukuykunki.
Edmond Jabès

Huk llaqtaman mitmayqa,
huk simiman hapipakuspa
yapamanta paqarispa rimay qallaykuymi.
Chaynaspapas, astawan mama simiman
astawan ayllu llaqtaman sunquchakuymi.

“Yuyayniy tuta utiruptin
qam kasqaytahina
ñuqa kasqaykitahina
rikchapakuwan.”

Hinaptin makiykiwan haywakuni.
Hinaptin makillaywan chaskikunki.
Huk llakilla, huk pinqaylla, huk runalla.
Chaypis takiyman wischukuykunchik:
“Vidallay vida
suertellay suerte…
Kristal vasuchahina
chullalla vida…
Kristal vasuchahina
chullalla suerte…”

Qichqa-Precipice

I started down in secret,
but I stumbled and fell.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the Aleph.
“The Aleph”, (Jorge Luis Borges)

There now, a terrace
And so we see life, indeed all of existence.
At these heights, our view unrivaled.
From there, all of us together,
what haven’t we realized, what haven’t we foretold
In the name of qichqa.
precipice.

There now are the wise ones,
Seekers of memories, of consciousness
suspended.
From there now, one lays hold of truth–chiqaq.

And from there, a lagoon is also, lagoon
And from there, a mountain is also, mountain
And there above all else, pacha —all of time and all of space
is pacha.

Simi

My words cannot conjure the things you do
my idle tongue
writes towards a vanishing

My words cannot enclose all that you are
a trembling of thorns
absolutes exist nowhere

My words are no match for your retreat
give voice to my affliction
say fire

Iskay Qucha

Huk wachwa urqumanta pawan
yanantin.
Sunquypiñataq, lasta.

Iskay wachwam
qucha ukunpi.
Musquyniypiñataq:
“atiparuwankum”
qillqaykunki.

Wachwakuna uñankunata
rapran ukunpi apanku,
pakaspalla.
Qillqanayawanmanñachus?

Hukmanyasqa wayrata musyaspa
yuraq-yanalla
pawaykachankunku.

Kay law qucha patanpiñataq
harawiykunallaña,
yupinkunahinas
allimanta
chin kan qa.

Chinkana

Car il faut s’amuser, continua le marquis, il n’y a que cela de réel dans la vie1
(Le rouge et le noir, Stendhal)

Chinkana machaykunaman riq.
Mana riqsisqa ñankunaman
atipakuq!
Mana qasilla kaq
kita!
Mana takyay atiq
sallqa!
Millay!

1Kusikunanchikmi, qatiykachin marqkisqa, chayllam chiqaq kay pachapiqa.
(Pukawan yana, Stendhal)

Ritamitay

    Ritamitay ritamitay
    mayu patapi wiñaq ritamitay,
    qaqa patapi t’ikaq ritamitay,
k’aspi chakicha kakuspaqa qasamanta ayqiriwaq,
t’ikachaykita pakakuwaq,
puka uyacha purikuwaq.

    Ritamitay-ritamitay,
    mayu patapi wiñaq ritamitay,
    qaqa patapi t’ikaq ritamitay,
yana ñawicha kakuspaqa,
pirlay pirlayta waqakuwaq,
«chilinnn-chilinnn» sut’uykunman,
urpi-yananchis yachaykunman,
urpi-yananchis sabiykunman,
warmiq llakikusqachanta,
warmiq waqakusqachanta.

    Ritamitay-ritamitay,
    mayu patapi t’ikaq ritamitay,
    qaqa patapi t’ikaq ritamitay,
qhantu simicha kakuspaqa,
imataraq rimakuswan,
vidachanchismanta parlakuswan,
    pillan t’ipin t’ikanchista,
    mayllan ñaqin rurunchista,
chaykunata rimakuswan,
chaykunata parlakuswan.

Kacharpariychay

Yaw yaw ritamita
waqankichus ima,
ama waqaspalla,
chhurchunayukusun,
hampinayukusun.

Yaw yaw ritamita,
ñaqinkichus ima,
ama ñaq’ispalla
suqunanaykusun,
hampinayukusun.

Yaw yaw ritamita
ñaqinkichus ima,
ama ñaq’inpalla,
t’ikariykusunchis,
sunqu nanaytaraq
q’apariykusunchis,
ratama ritamitay.