Bolom Chon ta vinajel
Bolom Chon ta banomil
Yajvalel ta vinajel
Yajvalel ta banomil
Kox kox avakan, Bolom Chon
Natik avakan, Bolom Chon
Tinitin avisim, Bolom Chon
Natik avisim, Bolom Chon
Likan, tot
Likan, me’
Va’alan, tot,
Va’alan, me’
Totzan, tot
Totzan, me’
Jk’upintik ta banomil
Jk’upintik ta vinajel
Translator’s Glossary
|
WORD
|
DEFINITION
|
POSSIBLE SYNONYMS
|
|---|---|---|
| avakan (n.) | an animal’s foot that has claws and pads | paw, foot |
| avisim (n.) | hair growing on a man’s chin and lower cheeks | beard |
| banomil (n.) | third planet from the sun; where we live | earth, world, planet earth |
| bolom (n.) | a large, heavily built cat with a yellowish-brown coat and black spots, found mainly in the dense forests of Central and South America | jaguar—symbol of Mayan supernatural power since earliest times |
| chon (v.) | Two meanings for this word: 1. moves rhythmically to music 2. idealized long, limbless reptile with no eyelids, jaws capable of considerable extension | 1. dances, frolics, prances 2. mythical snake, serpent |
| jk’upintik (v.) | enjoy tender affection for something | we like it here, we enjoy it here, we fancy it here |
| kox kox (adj.) | the state of having damaged living tissue caused by a cut, blow, or other impact | wounded, injured |
| likan (v.) | rise to one’s feet | rise, get up, find your feet, stand |
| me’ (n.) | a woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has given birth | mother, mama, matriarch |
| natik (adj.) | measuring a great distance from end to end | long, lengthy, extensive, endless |
| ta (prep.) | physically in contact with and supported by a surface | on, resting on, resting atop, in |
| tinitin (adj.) | covered with hair | hairy, shaggy, bushy, furry |
| tot (n.) | a male animal in relation to its offspring | father, papa |
| totzan (v.) | move upward | climb up |
| va’alan (v.) | move from a lower position to a higher one; come or go up | rise up, arise, soar, loom |
| vinajel (n.) | the region of the atmosphere and outer space seen from the earth | sky, heavens |
| yajvalel (n.) | a defender, protector, or keeper | guardian, sentinel, keeper |
Artistic Elements
I. About Couplet(s)
• A pair of successive rhyming lines, usually of the same length. A couplet is “closed” when the
lines form a bounded grammatical unit like a sentence. For an example see Dorothy Parker’s
“interview”
The ladies men admire, I’ve heard,
Would shudder at a wicked word.
Their candle gives a single light;
They’d rather stay at home at night.
They do not keep awake till three,
Nor read erotic poetry.
They never sanction the impure,
Nor recognize an overture.
They shrink from powders and from paints…
So far, I’ve had no complaints.
• The “heroic couplet” is written in iambic pentameter and features prominently in the work of 17th
and 18th century didactic and satirical poets such as Alexander Pope
Bio
This is an ancient song written down by two Tzotzil women, Rominka Vet and Maruch Mendes Peres Maria Tzu. Tzotzil is a Mayan language spoken by the indigenous people in the Mexican state of Chiapas. There are about 300,000 Tzotzil speakers and most of them are bilingual, with Spanish as their second language. Animals are important in Tzotzil culture. Some animals are believed to be gods or human souls.
BOLOM CHON—PRONUNCIATION HINTS:
Vowels are pronounced the same as in Spanish.
j: Guttural throat sound like the German ch.
x: Sounds like sh in ship or mush.
ch: Sounds like ch in church.
’: This is a glottal stop like the pause in uh-oh.