Ode to: The Ice Maiden of Ampatos Summit [now in: English and Spanish]
Dedícate to Antonio Castillo. L. Of. Los Andes Universitario
Ode to:
The Ice MaidenOf Ampato's Summit
English Version
Part OneThe Climb
In the spring of my life, in my village
By the Andes, I awoke one morning
To find I was chosen for a journey
How shall I say: to the summit of Ampato!
Ampato, our sacred mountain
I climbed with our holy priests.
I found myself twenty-thousand feet high;
I would be the sacrificial offering
Ordained so, by our celestial chief priest.
Once on top, death could scarcely be
Any bitter than its wild arduous winds;
And the icy cold Andean ceremony?.
And there I sat, within the clouds, and rested
With figurines of silver and gold,
And beautiful textiles adorning me
All dressed, in fine indulgent funerary,
I was to be, the Inca Ice Maiden
Now ready for death and burial.
'I hoped the gods of Ampato,' so I prayed
'Are pleased today'; for my body,
Will be frozen soon, anyway.
Yet, I'm so very cold, and my hands clutch,
To my dress-tightly, against my side;
I cannot see anything vividly.
Thus, the holy moment has come for me
I died with every hope that was.
(Five-hundred years ago!...)
Part TwoBeyond Death
I felt my soul, my spirit, fall, falling
In this thick discolored air,
After a very, very long silence;
No woman, though woman I once was,
Once was, and now my blood lumped
Lumped and frozen like ice knobs.
The soul maker, from whom gave me
My first breath at birth?
He is coming now, He's nearby
As I reply, He sees my soul cry-
My tears, frozen tears?melt
I will be, resurrected (He tells me)
He rules the earth, its mountains
All its waters and skies,
His holy Inca city, must be nearby?
'Lead me,' I sigh, a lowly sigh-
'Lead me to this Holy Inca City,
And leave my cold ill body behind.'
And He smiles, as he leads me
Leads me with untouchable hands,
Leads me to the Holy City!...#748 7/4/05
∆
In Spanish/Español
Translated by Nancy PeñalozaEdited by Rosa Peñaloza
La Doncella de HieloDe la Cumbre de Ampato
Versión en español
Primera parte
La Subida
En la primavera de mi vida, en mi puebloPor los Andes, desperté una mañanaPara encontrar que fui escogida para un viaje.
Como voy a decir: ¡A la cumbre de Ampato!Ampato, nuestra montaña sagradaSubí con nuestros santos sacerdotes.
Me encontré a 20,000 pies de altura;Yo sería el sacrificio ofrecidoOrdenado así, por nuestro celestial sacerdote principal
Una vez en la cima, la muerte apenas podría serNada más amarga, que sus arduos vientos salvajes;Y la ceremonia andina fría helada-.
Y allí me senté, entre las nubes, y descansé
Con las estatuillas de plata y oro,
Y el textil hermoso adornándome
Toda vestida, en el fino funerario indulgente, Yo debía ser, la Doncella Inca de Hielo
Ahora lista para la muerte y el entierro.
"Esperé que los dioses de Ampato", por eso recé"Estén contentos hoy día"; por que mi cuerpo,Será congelado pronto, de todos modos.
Todavía, tengo tanto frío, y mis manos enganchadas,A mi vestido- fuertemente, contra mi costado;No puedo ver nada vívidamente.
Así, el momento sagrado ha venido para míMuero con cada esperanza que hubo.(¡Quinientos años atrás!....)
Segunda Parte
Más Allá de la Muerte
Sentí mi alma, mi espíritu, caer, cayendoEn este aire espeso decolorado,Después de un, muy largo silencio
Ninguna mujer, aunque mujer fui una vezUna vez fui, y ahora mi sangre amontonadaAmontonada y congelada como copos de hielo.
El Hacedor del alma, por quien mi primer alientoMe fue dado al nacer....El está viniendo ahora, El está muy cerca.
Como respondo, El ve mi alma llorar-Mis lágrimas, lágrimas heladas...derretirseYo seré, resucitada (me dice El)
El gobierna la tierra, sus montañasTodas sus aguas y cielos, Sus ciudades Incas santas deben esta cerca?
"Guíame" yo suspiro, un suspiro humilde"Guíame a esta ciudad santa Inca,Y deja mi helado cuerpo enfermo atrás".
Y El sonríe, mientras me guía¡Guiándome con sus intocables manos,Guiándome a la ciudad santa! .....
#748 4 de Julio del 2005
Dennis Siluk Poet, see his new book "Spell of the Andes," at http://www.amazon.com
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