"They Only Looked at Us," a Poem in Ayuujk (Mixe) by Rosario Patricio Martínez, Translated from the Spanish by Kim Jensen
They Only Looked at Us
When they looked at us with night-ridden eyes
they thought we were senseless creatures
and didn’t believe we had a soul
because our words didn’t move to the rhythm of theirs.
Looking at us through clouded eyes
they didn’t see the universe that blesses us,
nor the stars that protect us day and night,
nor could they see that the sun and moon
gathering between mountains and hillsides
gave us the color of baked clay.
We are little quails.
On the watch for danger
we turn ourselves into fallen leaves
or sometimes into rock or stone
while the universe protects us
from any pest that wants to stamp us out.
Ja’y ojts xjën’ixyë’m
Ja’y ojts xnë’ijxyë’m,
Kä’t ojts nak’ixyë’m tam jä’äyën
Kä’t ojts t’odät ku jajp n’änmëjä’n
Ja’ ku nayde’n nkakäjpxtääjkyë’m.
Ku ojts nakjën’ixyë’m,
Kä’t ojts t’ejxt ku et näxwiiny adom xpëdëjkyë’m,
Ku matsä’ xkuno’okyë’m ja xëëjny ja koots,
ni tka’ejxt ojts ku xëë ku po’o
adom xakaxë’kyë’m nääjxte’kn,
ku tun kojpk mëëd njuujky’äjtyë’m.
Muskte’nety adom,
pën jaa tee ka’oypy xnëjä’tyë’m
Ääy ujts natyapëdejkyë’m,
Junety napyëjktääjkyë’m tam tsääjë’n,
Ku Et Näxwiiny xnëkë’yëm xnëxäjyë’m
Jëts kedee tee xak’ojkë’n xaktëko’yë’n.
Sólo nos miraron
Cuando nos miraron con ojos de noche
nos creyeron seres sin sentido y
nos imaginaron ausentes de alma
porque nuestras palabras no marchan al ritmo de las suyas.
Al mirarnos con ojos turbios,
no vieron el universo que nos bendice,
ni estrellas que nos protegen día y noche,
tampoco pudieron ver que el sol y la luna
nos coloreó de barro cocido,
entre las montañas y laderas.
Somos pequeños codornices
que al acecho de algún peligro
nos convertimos en hojarasca,
en otras ocasiones en roca
mientras nos protege el universo
para evitar que algún bicho nos extermine.
Translator's Note:
Ayuujk (Mixe) poet Rosario Patricio is from a community of the original peoples of el Duraznal near Oaxaca. She writes her poems in Ayuujk, then translates them into Spanish versions. I translated them from the Spanish and had the benefit of being in conversation with her to engage more deeply in the cultural significance of various images and motifs.
Rosario Patricio Martínez is an Ayuujk ja'ay (Mixe) poet, lawyer, interpreter and cultural worker, originally from the community of El Duraznal, Ayutla, Oaxaca, Mexico. She is the current president of the Indigenous Plurality cultural association and was the coordinator and translator of the National Anthem into the Ayuujk language. A promoter and teacher of the Mixe language, Rosario has published in various print and electronic media, as well as national and international poetry anthologies.
Dr. Kim Jensen (www.kimjensen.org) is a poet, translator and educator whose books include, The Woman I Left Behind, Bread Alone, and The Only Thing that Matters. Kim’s work has been featured in many journals, newspapers, and anthologies. In 2001 she won the Raymond Carver Award for short fiction and currently teaches Creative Writing in Baltimore.
