Texts

Since he was his only one, the king loved him, he really loved him.

His mother -- we mean the queen --, his mother said, "let's go take a walk there in the woods". "Let's go see if you won't cheer up a bit."

He gave her a block of wood to sit on; "sit down", he said.

Then the old man said, "your son needs something.

"My boys are going to come soon, they're going to play."

And towards the afternoon they came.

The three boys brought some little fish, and the other brought a nest of the mareño bird.

The old man told her, "look, he's happy to see the little birds".

There, over there they looked for some fish and the other one for a bird's nest.

"That's what I was missing."

"I'm going to throw my shoes away."

He threw away his golden shoes; his mother picked them up.

"We're going now", said the old man; "you go too, but don't forget, come anytime with your son; here are his friends to play with".

"That's what your son needed."

The little boy, since now he was a man, became the king, he became king.

"Now", he said, "I am the king, look".

Taja tiu tinaka de ministro. Taja seyuk ministro. Wan taja seyuk ministro.

"You will be a minister, you will be another minister, and you will be yet another minister."

Taja tiu tinaka de ministro. Taja seyuk ministro. Wan taja seyuk ministro.

"You will be a minister, you will be another minister, and you will be yet another minister."

Taja tiu tinaka de ministro. Taja seyuk ministro. Wan taja seyuk ministro.

"You will be a minister, you will be another minister, and you will be yet another minister."

The prince gave an office to the boys, since they were men now.

That's how far our story goes.

Once there was a man who got married.

In the nights he is sleeping.

He asked for advice and it was given to him, they gave him advice.

He was seeing what his wife was doing.

When he spoke to her the skull throw itself and stuck onto his neck.

Whatever the man ate she took away from him, she took it away, she took everything, whatever he wanted to eat she took away from him.

Yajki kitajtani seyuk konsejoj. Yajki ka tiupan chan ne palej, ma kimaka ne konsejoj ken kichiwaskia.

He went to ask for more advice; he went to the church, to the priest's. He should advise him how he should do it.

But finally she got down.

Kitalij ne ichaketaj ne takatzin, ne kinaktij. Yajki ka dentroj ne takatzin.

The man put his jacket down for her; there he left her; the man went inside.

Kitalij ne ichaketaj ne takatzin, ne kinaktij. Yajki ka dentroj ne takatzin.

The man put his jacket down for her; there he left her; the man went inside.

"I don't know, but they told me my wife is a witch, that I should be careful."

"Each night she goes out to walk abround, but only her head."

"Now the priest told me that if I have a farm that I should go with her that she eat the red custard apples that are ripe, and then I should hit her with the hard ones in order to kill her."

It went by right there under the zapote tree; the head threw itself.

The deer took off jumping.

Tik ne witztal yajki. Ustuwetzi. Ran! Mutamuta ne ustut.

Into the thorns it went; it fell in the ravine -- "rann" -- it threw itself into the ravine.

Tik ne witztal yajki. Ustuwetzi. Ran! Mutamuta ne ustut.

Into the thorns it went; it fell in the ravine -- "rann" -- it threw itself into the ravine.

Finally the deer dried up and she, the skull, was going to die all alone there in the canyon.

Mikik. Kan ne miktuk, waltakatki se tekumat, waltakatki se tekumat.

She died; where she had died a groud tree sprouted.

The witch (the "iron-toothed-old-woman") came. It's she who is her mother, the witch "iron-toothed-old-woman".

And then she left, she went.

The tree grew and it had a fruit, a gourd.

The iron-toothed-old-woman sensed it; she came to go see it.

Kitalij ka nepa. Pak ka tik (sic) tzinkal kitalij.

She put it over there, in the corner of the house she placed it.

Kitalij ka nepa. Pak ka tik (sic) tzinkal kitalij.

She put it over there, in the corner of the house she placed it.

Then it split open in the middle of the night, let's say at midnight; you hear it at midnight.

Pa! Tapan.

"Pa!" -- it burst open.

Yajki kita ne lamajtzin. Sel pipiltzitzin ne iishyu ne tekumat; sel pipiltzitzin.

The old woman went to see; the seeds of the gourd were just little boys, they were just little boys.

Nanita, nanita, nanita! Kilwiat inlama. Queremos hamaquita, nanita! Kilwiat tik kastiaj.

"Gramma, gramma, gramma" they said to their grandmother, "we want little hammocks, gramma", they said to her in Spanish.

Nanita, nanita, nanita! Kilwiat inlama. Queremos hamaquita, nanita! Kilwiat tik kastiaj.

"Gramma, gramma, gramma" they said to their grandmother, "we want little hammocks, gramma", they said to her in Spanish.

Yajki kalinh (m) ana ne ipilawantzitzin. Yawi kene tan ne puchut, tan ne puchut.

She went to get her little boys, then she went under the silk-cotton tree, under the silk-cotton tree.

The silk-cotton tree came donw, down came the silk-cotton tree and its brances touched the ground.

Pejki ne inlama kiwijwilanij ne ajamakitas, wan tami. Ajka puchut, ajka puchut, ajka puchut, yajki sepa ne puchut ka ajku.

Their grandmother began to hang the hammocks. Afterwards, "up silk-cotton tree, up tree up, tree"; the silk-cotton tree went back up.

Wan tami kalnutzket ne inlama. Kinekit temut, ma kaltemulti.

Later they called their grandmother; they want to get down, get them down.

Pwes yajki ne lamajtzin; kaltemultia. Tajtakamet!

Well, the old woman went. She got them down; they were already men.

Kilwiat ne inlama: Nanita, musta tiyut tiawit titapewiat. Kilwiat: Shakan, nuishwiuwan! Kilwia.

They said to their grandmother, "gramma, tomorrow we are going to go hunt", they tell her. "Go ahead, my grandchildren", she said.

When the food was ready, since they had stayed up, they slept.

Kinnutzki ne inlama. Kilwia: Shisakan! Nemia ne takwal! Shisakan, nupilawantzitzin, shisakan! Nemia ne takwal!

Their grandmother spoke to them; she said, "wake up, the food is ready, wake up my children, wake up, the food is ready!"

Kinnutzki ne inlama. Kilwia: Shisakan! Nemia ne takwal! Shisakan, nupilawantzitzin, shisakan! Nemia ne takwal!

Their grandmother spoke to them; she said, "wake up, the food is ready, wake up my children, wake up, the food is ready!"

Kikwat ne takwal. Kikwat ne takwal ka yut tapewiat.

They ate the food, they ate the food that they went to catch.

Kikwat ne takwal. Kikwat ne takwal ka yut tapewiat.

They ate the food, they ate the food that they went to catch.

She began to call her lover so they could eat together, so she could eat together with her lover.

She no longer gave the food to her grandchildren; she only ate together with her lover.

But as the Nanahuatzin was there, the youngest child, he saw what their grandmother was doing.

He told his brothers, "my grandmother is screwing you; you're not eating".

Ay nanita! Kilwiat. Nanita, tenemos hambre! Kilwiat.

"Oh gramma", they said, "gramma, we're hungry" they tell her.

Ay nanita! Kilwiat. Nanita, tenemos hambre! Kilwiat.

"Oh gramma", they said, "gramma, we're hungry" they tell her.

She lied; they had not eaten.

Kinilwia ne Nanawatzin, se chimpe: Shinechwikakan ne idamuj nulama, yaja ja kikwa ne takwal. Pwes shinechwikakan.

The Nanahuatzin, the youngest child, said to them, "take me; my grandmother's fellow, he's the one who eats the food; so take me!".

Yuwan kichiwat ne sanjo. Yuwan kitajtamejchiwat ne witzkuyul pal ne naka, ne naka yu miki.

"Go make a trench; go sharpen güiscoyols (thorny palms) so he'll stay there, stay there, he's going to die."

Nikan shikchiwakan ne sanjoj. Man shiktzujtzuntamejtikan ne witzkuyul, wan ne shiktalpachukan.

"Make the trench here, but sharpen the güiscoyols and put them in the ground."

Shikida nanita!, kilwiat. Talikat masat, wan sanka.

"Look, gramma", they said to her, "we brought a deer", and it was a lie.

Shikida nanita!, kilwiat. Talikat masat, wan sanka.

"Look, gramma", they said to her, "we brought a deer", and it was a lie.

"Well yes, yes, my children, I'm going to cook it, we're going to eat."

The food was ready.

She said to them in Spanish, "get up my grandchildren, the food is ready".

Ay nanita! Me duele la cabeza, yu estoy rendido, kilwiat tik kastiaj.

"Oh gramma, my head aches, I'm exhausted", they say in Spanish.

So, she began to eat alone.

The iron-toothed-old-woman began to eat the meat. Afterwards they said, "how did you find the meat, grandmother?".

She felt like throwing up, but she couldn't.

Bueno, esta bueno! Ma kia. Pero niu nikmiktia ne chimpitoj.

"Well, that's all right, so be it, but I'm going to kill that youngest child."

Yajki kitantia ne itan. Nepa ten kebrada kitantia ne itan pal kikwa ne piltzitzin.

She went to sharpen her teeth, there by the edge of the canyon she sharpened her teeth so she could eat the little boy.

Yajki kitantia ne itan. Nepa ten kebrada kitantia ne itan pal kikwa ne piltzitzin.

She went to sharpen her teeth, there by the edge of the canyon she sharpened her teeth so she could eat the little boy.

Kilwia ne kutalajtzin ne seyuk, tik kastiaj kilwia: Mira tenguerechol, kilwia. Anda, ve que hace mi nanita, kilwia tik kastiaj.

The other said to the lizard, "look lizard", in Spanish he said, "go see what my gramma is doing", he said in Spanish.

Kilwia ne kutalajtzin ne seyuk, tik kastiaj kilwia: Mira tenguerechol, kilwia. Anda, ve que hace mi nanita, kilwia tik kastiaj.

The other said to the lizard, "look lizard", in Spanish he said, "go see what my gramma is doing", he said in Spanish.

He went by and saw that she was sharpening her teeth, she was sharpening her teeth.

Nikan nakak ne tejitaj. Kiajsi se pedasoj tejaj. Kitzuntapan.

"The piece of tile stuck here (pointing to the back of the neck); she found a piece of tile and she busted my head."

Nikan nakak ne tejitaj. Kiajsi se pedasoj tejaj. Kitzuntapan.

"The piece of tile stuck here (pointing to the back of the neck); she found a piece of tile and she busted my head."

"OK, but my grandmother is going to see what's going to happen."

Later in the evening she was coming with her wash.

Kilwijket: Shikida lama, tiut tiyawit se apwesta. Ka panu ne iashish tzumpan kal, tesu tikmiktisnekit.

They said, "look grandmother, we're going to make a bet; whoever passes his/her piss on top of the house we don't want to kill".

Pejket kene ne tajtakamet: Chirrrr. Baj, yawi seyuk: Irrrr.

Then the men began, "chirr"; another went, "irr".

She took off running she closed herself in the house.

There the iron-toothed-old-woman met her end.

I remember what my grandmother and my grandfather told me.

When they say there is going to be a big storm, so they say, in the wind that comes by there come men and women in the wind such that they come to carry off ears of corn for them to eat. Thus the milpas were left broken, quite flattened, with many ears of corn disfigured with a look like pustules. Those were the ears of corn that the Chilteopaners took, according to my grandfather and my grandmother.

But in this case, once there was a smart man who held that what they came to do in our town was too much.

So he made a trap. In the trap he was able to catch a girl of about eighteen. But at the moment she fell to the ground, immediately the girl changed into a turkey.

Then the man who caught and grabbed the turkey took it to his house. Immediately he ordered his wife to kill the turkey so they could eat it. So his wife killed the turkey, plucked it, and made the food, and they ate it.