Texts

“Who is that brother who sings like that?”

Kunij walajtuya se nawataketza ipal Meshikal pal tamachtia ne Nawataketzalis, wan kenhayuk kinetuya kaj kipalewia iwan muchi ne tajtamachtiani. Né ninemik kashtuli tunal iwanmet. Né nechishmatijket ka naja niweli nitaketza Nawat, wan kwak nemik ukseseyuk senputzuat teya nechajkawket ma te niu.

Then a Nahuatl speaker from Mexico came to teach the language, and once more he wanted somebody to help him with the teachers. I was there with them for two weeks. There I was recognised for my knowledge of Nawat, and afterwards I got invited to all the meetings.

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.

Pejkia ne shupan! Pejkia wetzi ne at! Muchi ne jaral yawi mulini wan ne tal yawia shushuknajkisa. Ne takwalmet yawita kipiat itakwal, yawit mutaliat tumawak wan te yawit kiseliat mayan. Yajika ne tushupan yaja techtakwaltia muchi tay tinemit ijpak ne tal, wan kichiwa ka tuweyka mutetzilnajkisa, tumawaya wan weya. Yajika, kaj kenka Tiut? ka yaja techtuktia ne at; kituktia ne shalnaj ejekat pal tikijiukwit; ne tunal pal techtawilua ne tal kan tiktaliat tujtukshi pal weyat ne kwajkwawit pal tikutunat wan iwan yaja tiketzat ne tukal kan tinemit; nusan ne kan nemit ne tukujkunew, kan te techmaka ne tunal, kan tesu tisekmikit. Yajika kaj weliskia kichiwa tay Tiut kichiwa tuwan?

Winter has begun! The rain has begun to fall! All the fields will sprout and the land will turn green. The animals will have their food, they will grow fat and will not go hungry. Therefore our winter feeds us all who are upon the earth, and makes our body grow full, healthy and strong. Therefore, who is like unto God? for he sends us rain; he sends us air to breathe; the sun to cast light on the earth on which we tread so that the trees will grow and we can cut wood with which to build our homes where we live; where our children also live, where we shelter from the sun, where we do not feel the cold. Therefore who else could do what God does for us?

Pejkia ne shupan! Pejkia wetzi ne at! Muchi ne jaral yawi mulini wan ne tal yawia shushuknajkisa. Ne takwalmet yawita kipiat itakwal, yawit mutaliat tumawak wan te yawit kiseliat mayan. Yajika ne tushupan yaja techtakwaltia muchi tay tinemit ijpak ne tal, wan kichiwa ka tuweyka mutetzilnajkisa, tumawaya wan weya. Yajika, kaj kenka Tiut? ka yaja techtuktia ne at; kituktia ne shalnaj ejekat pal tikijiukwit; ne tunal pal techtawilua ne tal kan tiktaliat tujtukshi pal weyat ne kwajkwawit pal tikutunat wan iwan yaja tiketzat ne tukal kan tinemit; nusan ne kan nemit ne tukujkunew, kan te techmaka ne tunal, kan tesu tisekmikit. Yajika kaj weliskia kichiwa tay Tiut kichiwa tuwan?

Winter has begun! The rain has begun to fall! All the fields will sprout and the land will turn green. The animals will have their food, they will grow fat and will not go hungry. Therefore our winter feeds us all who are upon the earth, and makes our body grow full, healthy and strong. Therefore, who is like unto God? for he sends us rain; he sends us air to breathe; the sun to cast light on the earth on which we tread so that the trees will grow and we can cut wood with which to build our homes where we live; where our children also live, where we shelter from the sun, where we do not feel the cold. Therefore who else could do what God does for us?

On the third day after the storm had passed and they had eaten the turkey, there came two men and a woman to look for it. They arrived at the house of the man who had caught it because they more or less already knew who had caught it.

Yaja (ne) tay kichiwki contestar, kaj siwapil? Tesu kitztuk, lo ke si ya kiajsik en campo libre se chumpipi.

What he answered was that he had not seen a girl. What he had found on open ground was a turkey.

Nuamikuj ikustuj na nikchiwa kontar cuentos de cosas ke chiwki suceder nin tik nutechan, an nikchij kontar una cosa ke nutatanoy nechiwki kontar Ya nechilwij ka nin tik tutechan kaj de mala suerte kimutiat, kisa se animal ke yejemet kilwiat "Tzuntekumat". Yajika nutatanoy nechchiwki akonsejar kaj te ma ninejnemi tayua porke tamutiat.

My friend likes me to tell him stories about the things that have taken place in my town. Now I'm going to tell him something that my grandfather told me. He told me that in our town unfortunately one can be frightened. There's a creature they call the "skull". So, my grandfather advised me not to walk at night because they terrify you.

Nuamikuj ikustuj na nikchiwa kontar cuentos de cosas ke chiwki suceder nin tik nutechan, an nikchij kontar una cosa ke nutatanoy nechiwki kontar Ya nechilwij ka nin tik tutechan kaj de mala suerte kimutiat, kisa se animal ke yejemet kilwiat "Tzuntekumat". Yajika nutatanoy nechchiwki akonsejar kaj te ma ninejnemi tayua porke tamutiat.

My friend likes me to tell him stories about the things that have taken place in my town. Now I'm going to tell him something that my grandfather told me. He told me that in our town unfortunately one can be frightened. There's a creature they call the "skull". So, my grandfather advised me not to walk at night because they terrify you.

He saw clearly that the woman was coming but at that time he recognized her, (thinking that) he saw a woman named Leonarda.