Bélgica Dagua, "Valued like an acacia flower."

From interviews with Tod D. Swanson

Description

Not available

English Translation

I traveled with my brother from Canelos until we reached Andoas. When we arrived, my mom’s cousin was already waiting for us. She knew we were coming. We arrived without imagining that she was already waiting for us. Since she already knew my brother, she recognized him right away. “Ah, then she must be your sister.” Yes, she said to him: “Come here,” so they could talk about where you come from, where you’re from, and what your name is. When she asked me, I answered: “I am a single woman and I live alone; my husband left me.” “Ah, ah,” she said. “Come, I want to dedicate a song to you.” “All right,” I replied. I stood by her side, and she hugged me while she sang me a song: “Where do you come from? Are you no longer a girl? Now we are standing here, the two of us the same. Now you have come to me. You have come from a great river, and now you stand by my side. You left this beautiful woman alone, and you left… you left. I no longer think of you. You say she is a woman who is worth nothing. You have been a beautiful woman, like a ‘waranga’ flower. You must not touch her or harm her; just like the flowers that get wet every year, I can touch you. If you were not a valuable woman, you wouldn’t have made it all the way here. You have arrived in my town, and now we stand together, equal, in this river called Gallo. You have come all the way here, and we stand here, together, like the rain that falls from the mountains. We are here, protecting ourselves from this heavy rain.” “That’s how she used to sing. ‘You are a precious flower; you abandoned the waranga flower, and you are hard to find. You are like a waranga flower, woman,’ she said as she sang.” “And you, are you like the rain? —she said to you.” “No, she said that when you arrive, it rains a lot, and that makes her happy. ‘I am a woman who knows how to live in a great river,’ she said as she sang.” “Like the rain?” “Ah, ah… when it rains hard and one gets wet, it feels cold. That’s how the cold feels when someone leaves you. Thinking about all that, she sang to me.”

Kichwa Translation

Canelos manda ñuka turiwan paktarani Andoaspi. Chaybi ñuka mamawa payba prima ñaña, chi, pay ña yachasha chapaushka ñukanchita. Ñukanchi kungaymana yachaska manda kungaylla paktaranchi. Ñuka turita ña pay riksij ashkara. Chasna asha riksij asha payga nira, "Ah kay chashka kamba pani," nisha. Enda nijpi, "Shamuy kayma!" Kwintachingaj kayara. Maymandata shamunguichi, imashinalla anguichi. Chi ñukata tapujpi ñuka nirani, "Sapalla mani. Kari ichushka mani," nirani. "Ah ah," nira. "Shamuy ñuka kanda kayma cantanata munani," nira. Shina nijpi, "Ari," nirani. Chi laruyasha sharijpi pay ña kasna kipirisha ñukata cantawara. Kanga may manda ashka shamungui, manachu ya kana raygu wawachu. Kuna pariju shayasha, shayaungui, kunangaya, kunangaya kaybichu paktamushkangui. Kambas ñuka laruibi anzhu yakumanda chagra sikiyga, shayaungui ñuka rayaybigaya. Sumak warmitachu kangayari, kasna sakishachu, ichushachu ya rinura, rinura, rinaura. Ñukaga mana kanda iyarilla, mana valik warmitachu shinachu ya rikuni nisha ninichu. Kanga sumak warmi mashkanguiyari, waranga sisamanda warmitagaya. Mana yanga takanallacha yariya, wata, wata tukushkaybimi kandagata takanata ushani. Mana valik warmi ashagayari, mama llakta mangui machara yari. Kayga ñuka llaktami kunangaya, kunangaya gallo yakuybimiya pariullami shayanchi kunangayari. Kanga paktamushkanguilla yarilla, tamia ansa ukurata rikushachu kunaungaulla shayauni. Tamia mana kaylla urmamujpi shi, yayautalla churashami shayauni. Chasna pay cantara Vallik sisa, waranga sisa kwinta ajta sakishka, kanda mana yanga, yangaybi tupaybaj changui. kanga waranga sisa shina rikurij kan warmi nisha pay cantawara ñukata Y kan tamia kwinta Mana pay, pay kasna tamia ashka shamushkaybi shina, kan shamujpi ñuka kushiyani nira. Anzhu yakui shayaj warmi mani ñuka nisha pay cantagara. Tamia kwinta? Ah, ah, tamia ashka shamushkata ukuchijpi sintirina an, chasna kwinta pay chirijlla sintirishka kwinta, chasna. Pay chita iyarisha ñukata cantawara.

Spanish Translation

Viajé con mi hermano desde Canelos hasta llegar a Andoas. Cuando llegamos, la prima hermana de mi mamá ya nos estaba esperando; ella sabía que íbamos a llegar. Nosotros llegamos sin imaginar que ella ya nos estaba esperando. Como ella ya conocía a mi hermano, lo reconoció enseguida. “Ah, entonces ella debe ser tu hermana”, dijo. Sí, le dijo: “Ven acá”, para que nos pregunten de dónde venimos, de dónde somos y cómo te llamas. Cuando me preguntó, respondí: —Soy una mujer soltera y vivo sola; mi esposo me dejó. —“Ah, ah”, dijo. —“Ven, quiero dedicarte una canción.” —De acuerdo, le respondí. Me puse a su lado, y ella me abrazó mientras me cantaba una canción: —“¿De dónde vienes?” —“¿Ya no eres niña?” —“Ahora estamos paradas aquí, las dos iguales. Ahora has llegado donde mí. Tú has venido desde un río grande y ahora estás parada a mi lado. Has dejado sola a esta linda mujer, y te has ido… te has ido. Yo ya no pienso en ti. Tú dices que ella es una mujer que no vale.” —“Tú has sido una mujer hermosa, como una flor de waranga. No hay que tocarla ni hacerle daño; igual que las flores que se humedecen cada año, puedo toparte a ti. Si no fueras una mujer valiosa, no habrías llegado hasta aquí.” —“Has llegado a mi pueblo, y ahora estamos juntas, iguales, en este río que llaman Gallo. Has llegado hasta acá, y estamos aquí de pie, juntas, como la lluvia que baja de las montañas. Estamos aquí, protegiéndonos de esta lluvia tan fuerte.” —“Así era como ella cantaba.” “Eres una flor valiosa; abandonaste a la flor de waranga, y tú eres difícil de encontrar. ‘Eres como una flor de waranga, mujer’, decía ella mientras cantaba.” “¿Y tú, eres como la lluvia? —te dijo.” “No, decía que cuando tú llegas llueve mucho, y eso le alegra.” “‘Soy una mujer que sabe vivir en un gran río’, decía ella mientras cantaba.” —¿Cómo la lluvia? “Ah, ah… cuando llueve fuerte y uno se moja, se siente frío. Así se siente el frío cuando alguien te deja. Pensando en todo eso, ella me cantaba.”

Analysis

Not available