Texts

We ask you, oh Tlaloc! when you see that Father Sun is very angry with us, to come and spray us so that he doesn’t kill us in his anger,

You, Mother Rain, do not see who is good, and who is evil; you flood all the earth so that the fields and the trees will flourish.

Padiush, Nan Tal, ka taja tikitak kwak ninesik, tikitak kwak nipejki niweya, kwak nimuchiwki takat. Mupanpa naja niwelik nikchiwa muchi tay niwelik tik ne tunal, ninemik wejwey takapiltzin, nechmunekiket pal nitekitik iwanmet. Panu sujsul tunal wan nimuchiwki chulet, kunij teya akaj nechneki kwak nikukuya, maya nuiknuwan, kenhayuk nechnekit pero ajsi keman teya akaj nechneki, nan nuiknuwan, ajsi se tunal ka naja nimiki, kunij nan nusiwaw nan nupilawan nechnekit, yawit nechmimat ken kimimat ne kupajsul tik ne kupajsultal, maya taja, Tunan Tal, ashta kwak timikit titechneki ka kunij tiktapua mumajmajkul pal titechnamiki. Yajika timetzilwitiat padiush, Tunan Tal!

Thank you, Mother Earth, because you saw when I was born, you saw when I began to grow, when I became an adult. Thanks to you I was able to do everything I did today, I had a long youth, I was needed for work. After many days I grew old, then nobody wants me when I am ill, only my brothers, they still love me but the day will come when nobody wants me, not even my brothers, the day will come when I die, then not even my wife and my children will want me, they will throw me out as they throw out rubbish, only you, Mother Earth, want us even when we die, for then you open your arms to receive us. For that I thank you, Mother Earth!

An tikitakan ne tzilintuk. Yaja panu muchi ne tunalku takwika. Yajika kwak witz ne shupan miki ipal sesek wan mayan.

Now let’s look at the cicada. It spends the whole summer singing. So when winter arrives, it dies of cold and hunger.

— No podrás ver al señor Francisco mañana por la mañana.

Sujsul nipakik kwak nikitak. Kwak ninak ka nikukuya, yaja kinekik nechwika itech se tapajtiani. Naja nimuketzki wan nechwikak, wan tiajket tikitat ne tapajtiani.

Me alegré mucho cuando lo vi. Cuando dije que estaba enfermo, él quiso llevarme para ir a un médico. Yo me levanté y me llevó, y fuimos a ver el médico.

— Te niajki nusel, yajki nuwan se nukunpa itukay Fernando. Tejemet tikwijket ne tawikani, wan tik Sentzunat tiajket tikitat se ne iechkawan itukay Luisito. Taja tikishmati?

— No fui solo, fue conmigo un amigo que se llama Fernando. Tomamos el bus y en Sonsonate fuimos a ver a uno de sus hermanos mayores llamado Luisito. ¿Lo conoces?

— Allí viene una mujer, ¿la ves?

— ¿Quieres que traduzca lo que dices al español para ver si lo entiendo bien?

Miras el cerro?

Cuántas mariposillas vió Ud. volar?

Ma' shiksuma ne kunet, ke yaja inte kimati tey kicha, nan tey ina. Shikiliti iwan tikitas ka yek.

No regañes al niño, porque él no sabe lo que hace, ni lo que dice. Enséñale y será bueno.

Miras cómo vuelan de flor en flor para libar de ellas el néctar que dentro tienen?

Tikita ini wey chalu ne nechtaukuli tunan? Tikneki se takutun?

Ves esta grande guayaba que me regaló mamá? Quieres un pedazo?

That's what my grandfather and grandmother told me, and big storms always come, but we never saw if one came to fall. So, today I am telling this to my friend so he can take this story with him as a remembrance.

Kan kilpij, kilwia: Bueno, an tiawit ka muchan. Tiawit tikitat su cierto kaj taja tiLionaj!

When he tied her, he said, "OK, now let's go to your house to see if it's true that you are Leonarda".

"OK, let's go see that I will enter my house."