Olivia Reginaldo
Ñawinchay, mayqin simipi: 
Runasimi 
castellano
Olivia Reginaldo was born in Huancavelica, Perú. She has a degree in Literature from Lima’s San Marcos National University (Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos) and works on various projects related to the dissemination of the Quechua language, including as editor and contributing writer for the Atuqpa Chupan Quechua-language cultural and literary magazine. Reginaldo has worked as a translator and as a language and literature instructor (Quechua, Spanish, English, French) at Antonio Ruíz de Montoya University (Universidad Antonio Ruíz de Montoya) and at other educational centers in Perú. She has published both her poetry and academic articles in various literary journals and is currently completing postgraduate studies in “Plurilingualism and interculturality” at the University of Strasbourg, France.
Author's books
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
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…”
Puriq
Chayna purisqaypim
saykusqa…
Qunqaymanta
sapallay kasqayta unanchakuykuni.
Llaqtaymanta sapay
aylluymanta sapay
mama simiymanta sapallay.
“Pachaqa awqamanmi tikrakunman
sichus llapa ima riqsisqanchik
chinkaptin” ukuypaq nini.
Hinaptin huk llampu sunqu
quñi pukruchuta qawaykachiwan…
Chaypis ñakayniyta samaykachiyman.
Qichqa-Precipice
but I stumbled and fell.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the Aleph.
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.
