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.
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…”
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.
