Table of Contents
Three from Quechua
Overview
This entry contains three poems originally written in Quechua. The poems were later translated into Spanish by Peruvian poet Raquel Jodorowsky and then into English by Edward Kissam. These poems have been translated twice, once from Quechua to Spanish and then from Spanish to English. The pdf of the poems in English as published by Alcheringa can be found through the link. Below are the three poems in Spanish. Two of the poems included below were taken from Spanish translations by Sebastián Salazar Bondy in Poesia Quechua and can be found here and here, respectively. (The original publication appears to be from the Mexican literary journal, El Corno Emplumado, issue 27, where no author credit is given. This can be found here.)
Commentary
Context
These poems are folkloric Quechua poetry. Quecha poetry was and continues to be intimate and sentimental. Amongst the Quechua, poets and singers were almost always youth and young adults.
Criticism of the Translation
Criticisms of the authenticity of the translations can be found here. In a review of the first issue of Alcheringa, Daniel J. Crowley explains the complexity of the translation task at hand perfectly: “No greater problem exists for the unfortunate folklorist than how to convey the unique combination of form, beauty, and meaning expressed in verbal art in one language to the speakers of another.” However, Alcheringa has taken to task the job of bringing tribal poetry to English readers. While some of the entries are direct translations, others include notes and commentaries on areas such as translation and performance. At times these oral poems are written using formatting techniques in an attempt to visually depict components such as rhythm and tone. Undertaking such a task does create some difficulties. In Crowley's view, it is quite difficult to complete an exceptional translation that is true to its original meaning without a full understanding of the poem through dialogue with the original poet. Another issue that Crowley raises is the lack of context and function of these compiled poems. He concludes that the result seems to be enjoyable, aesthetic poems, but ones that may not shed light on the more obscure experiences and preferences of the isolated cultures they represent.
Content
The three poems in both English and Spanish. (No Spanish version was provided in original publication).
"Despedida"
(A Spanish translation by Sebastián Salazar Bondy can be found here)
Hoy es el día de mi partida.
Hoy no me iré, me iré mañana.
Me veréis salir tocando una flauta de
[hueso de mosca,
llevando por bandera una tela de araña;
será mi tambor un huevo de hormiga,
y mi montera, ¡mi montera será un nido
[de picaflor!
"Yo Crío Una Mosca"
(A Spanish translation by Sebastián Salazar Bondy found can be found here)
Yo crío una mosca de alas de oro, yo crío una mosca de ojos encendidos
Trae la muerte en sus ojos de fuego, trae la muerte en sus cabellos de oro, en sus alas hermosas.
En una botella verde yo la crío; nadie sabe si bebe, nadie sabe si come.
Vaga en las noches como una estrella, hiere mortalmente con su resplandor rojo, con sus ojos de fuego.
En sus ojos de fuego lleva el amor, fulgura en la noche su sangre, el amor que trae en el corazón.
Nocturno insecto, mosca portadora de la muerte, en una botella verde yo la crío, amándola tanto.
Pero, ¡eso sí! ¡Eso sí! Nadie sabe si le doy de beber, si le doy de comer.
"Que Dolor Soñará"
Spanish translation of this poem on page 81
Su cabellera es su almohada,
sobre su cabellera está durmiendo la niña.
Llora sangre,
no es lágrima su llorar,
llora sangre.
¡Qué soñará la niña
qué dolor soñará!
¡Ay, quien le hirió,
quien le hirió así el corazón!
Sílbale, sílbale, sílbale,
lorito.
Qué despierte
¡qué despierte ya!
sílbale, sílbale,
lorito
Bibliography:
Curl, John. “Ancient American POETS.” Bilingual Review / La Revista Bilingüe, vol. 26, no. 2/3, 2001, pp. iii-163. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25745755. Accessed 4 June 2021.
“Latin America Poetry, Film, and Theater.” Films On Demand, Films Media Group, 1972, fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=103093&xtid=128252. Accessed 5 June 2021.
Deitz, Paula. Poets Translate Poets : A Hudson Review Anthology. Vol. First edition, Syracuse University Press, 2013. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com.proxy-iup.klnpa.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=714489&site=ehost-live.
Crowley, Daniel J. “: Alcheringa: Ethnopoetics . Jerome Rothenberg, Dennis Tedlock.” American Anthropologist, vol. 74, no. 6, 1972, pp. 1463–1464., doi:10.1525/aa.1972.74.6.02a00750.
Bondy Sebastián Salazar. Poesía Quechua. Editorial Arca, 1978, archive.org, archive.org/details/poesiaquechua0000unse/mode/2up.
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— Laura Lopez 2021/06/23 02:59
