Donald Traxler's Poetry

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

aya tla uhase / ᎠᏯ Ꮭ ᎤᎭᏎ

aya tla uhase tsalagi dudovne. ugodidi soi yvwi na uhase ugodesdi tsalagi gigane sinv aya uhase, tla uhase tsalagi dudovne nasquv. saquu adanvtedi gesvase igvnisisgi ani-tsalagi tla anagisdi utsatina, aseno tsalagi gawonihisgi usganolahigesdi anagisdi utsatina. nvgisgohi tsudetiyvda iyu-tsigesv gawonihisgi uhise talisgo-sudali agayvlidi gawonisgidine. nasgi uhase noquu talidu agayvlidi gawonisgidine. hilayvi tla gesvase tsalagi gawonihisgi, tla gesvose tsalagi dudovdi. aseno iyuno ani-tsalagi uhase udugi gawonihisgi, nasgidv uhose udugine.

iyuno aya uyanvdv aquvsane "siquoya uwetsi", tla gesvase dudov, gesvase uwasa adanvtedi na aya uhase aquvsa-aniyelvsgv. utloyi gesvase udohiyu iyuno aya uyanvdv aquvsane "nvda tiyohali". tla gesvase dudov; gesvase adanvtedi na aya uhase aquvsa-aniyelvsgv. aya ulvquodase ganagvi uyelvha agalisgv hawina, tiyohali ginitloyi. tiyohali gesvase nasquv aqua ulanigvgv ganatlai ale kanohedise ayv ulisgedv iyusdidine. nasgi-igvnisisgi aya uyanvdv aquvsane "nvda tiyohali".

ᎠᏯ Ꮭ ᎤᎭᏎ ᏣᎳᎩ ᏚᏙᎥᏁ. ᎤᎪᏗᏗ ᏐᎢ ᏴᏫ Ꮎ ᎤᎭᏎ ᎤᎪᏕᏍᏗ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎩᎦᏁ ᏏᏅ ᎠᏯ ᎤᎭᏎ, Ꮭ ᎤᎭᏎ ᏣᎳᎩ ᏚᏙᎥᏁ ᎾᏍᏋ. ᏌᏊ ᎠᏓᏅᏖᏗ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎢᎬᏂᏏᏍᎩ ᎠᏂ-ᏣᎳᎩ Ꮭ ᎠᎾᎩᏍᏗ ᎤᏣᏘᎾ, ᎠᏎᏃ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᎩ ᎤᏍᎦᏃᎳᎯᎨᏍᏗ ᎠᎾᎩᏍᏗ ᎤᏣᏘᎾ. ᏅᎩᏍᎪᎯ ᏧᏕᏘᏴᏓ ᎢᏳ-ᏥᎨᏒ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᎩ ᎤᎯᏎ ᏔᎵᏍᎪ-ᏑᏓᎵ ᎠᎦᏴᎵᏗ ᎦᏬᏂᏍᎩᏗᏁ. ᎾᏍᎩ ᎤᎭᏎ ᏃᏊ ᏔᎵᏚ ᎠᎦᏴᎵᏗ ᎦᏬᏂᏍᎩᏗᏁ. ᎯᎳᏴᎢ Ꮭ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᎩ, Ꮭ ᎨᏒᎣᏎ ᏣᎳᎩ ᏚᏙᎥᏗ. ᎠᏎᏃ ᎢᏳᏃ ᎠᏂ-ᏣᎳᎩ ᎤᎭᏎ ᎤᏚᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᎩ, ᎾᏍᎩᏛ ᎤᎰᏎ ᎤᏚᎩᏁ.

ᎢᏳᏃ ᎠᏯ ᎤᏯᏅᏛ ᎠᏋᏌᏁ "ᏏᏉᏯ ᎤᏪᏥ", Ꮭ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏚᏙᎥ, ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᏩᏌ ᎠᏓᏅᏖᏗ Ꮎ ᎠᏯ ᎤᎭᏎ ᎠᏋᏌ-ᎠᏂᏰᎸᏍᎬ. ᎤᏠᏱ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᏙᎯᏳ ᎢᏳᏃ ᎠᏯ ᎤᏯᏅᏛ ᎠᏋᏌᏁ "ᏅᏓ ᏘᏲᎭᎵ". Ꮭ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏚᏙᎥ; ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎠᏓᏅᏖᏗ Ꮎ ᎠᏯ ᎤᎭᏎ ᎠᏋᏌ-ᎠᏂᏰᎸᏍᎬ. ᎠᏯ ᎤᎸᏉᏓᏎ ᎦᎾᎬᎢ ᎤᏰᎸᎭ ᎠᎦᎵᏍᎬ ᎭᏫᎾ, ᏘᏲᎭᎵ ᎩᏂᏠᏱ. ᏘᏲᎭᎵ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎾᏍᏋ ᎠᏆ ᎤᎳᏂᎬᎬ ᎦᎾᏝᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎧᏃᎮᏗᏎ ᎠᏴ ᎤᎵᏍᎨᏛ ᎢᏳᏍᏗᏗᏁ. ᎾᏍᎩ-ᎢᎬᏂᏏᏍᎩ ᎠᏯ ᎤᏯᏅᏛ ᎠᏋᏌᏁ "ᏅᏓ ᏘᏲᎭᎵ".

Monday, September 17, 2018

hilayvi aya advgi (translation)

hilayvi aya advgi tsisqua-gawonisgidine sunalei hawina, aya agatahase igohida hatidv. iyuquu-nigalisdi aya hnadvga, ale iyuquu-nigalisdi tla. aya gesvase agayvli asgaya, ale aya yeliquase hnadvga na aya aduladase.

iga nahnai aya advgase woyidine, ale aya agatahase igohida alisdayvdi.

iyuno aya gowatase ayelasdi-ugalogv dosvdalidi gotlvdise ganvhidv nvnohine, aya agatase nasgidv udugi-gvdase agasgvne, ale itsula aseuse udugi-gvdi nasgine nasquv.

ᎯᎳᏴᎢ ᎠᏯ ᎠᏛᎩ ᏥᏍᏆ-ᎦᏬᏂᏍᎩᏗᏁ ᏑᎾᎴᎢ ᎭᏫᎾ, ᎠᏯ ᎠᎦᏔᎭᏎ ᎢᎪᎯᏓ ᎭᏘᏛ. ᎢᏳᏊ-ᏂᎦᎵᏍᏗ ᎠᏯ ᎿᏛᎦ, ᎠᎴ ᎢᏳᏊ-ᏂᎦᎵᏍᏗ Ꮭ. ᎠᏯ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎠᎦᏴᎵ ᎠᏍᎦᏯ, ᎠᎴ ᎠᏯ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎿᏛᎦ Ꮎ ᎠᏯ ᎠᏚᎳᏓᏎ.

ᎢᎦ ᎾᎿᎢ ᎠᏯ ᎠᏛᎦᏎ ᏬᏱᏗᏁ, ᎠᎴ ᎠᏯ ᎠᎦᏔᎭᏎ ᎢᎪᎯᏓ ᎠᎵᏍᏓᏴᏗ.

ᎢᏳᏃ ᎠᏯ ᎪᏩᏔᏎ ᎠᏰᎳᏍᏗ-ᎤᎦᎶᎬ ᏙᏒᏓᎵᏗ ᎪᏢᏗᏎ ᎦᏅᎯᏛ ᏅᏃᎯᏁ, ᎠᏯ ᎠᎦᏔᏎ ᎾᏍᎩᏛ ᎤᏚᎩ-ᎬᏓᏎ ᎠᎦᏍᎬᏁ, ᎠᎴ ᎢᏧᎳ ᎠᏎᎤᏎ ᎤᏚᎩ-ᎬᏗ ᎾᏍᎩᏁ ᎾᏍᏋ.

When I hear parrots in the morning, I know that it is time to get up. Sometimes I do, and sometimes not. I am an old man, and I can do what I want.

At midday I hear doves, and I know that it is time for lunch.

If I see that leaf-cutter ants have made a long trail, I know they expect rain, and we should expect it, too.

hilayvi aya advgi / ᎯᎳᏴᎢ ᎠᏯ ᎠᏛᎩ

William, sitting across the corner of the table from me, poured a shot of Jameson (not the first) into my glass. "Now," he said, settling back into his chair, "I want to hear you say, 'I forgive the British.'"

William Murphy, a fine man, is the husband of my dear cousin Nano. We were sitting in their house in Midleton, East Cork. The year was 2016, and it was my first trip to Ireland.

He wanted me to say that I forgave the British for all the terrible things they had done in Ireland. I think William knew, or at least intuited, that my grandmother, who had left Ireland as a young woman and lost three brothers to tuberculosis because of the harsh conditions imposed by the British, had been fierce and implacable on the subject, and had instilled those feelings into me when I was a boy.

I knew where William was coming from. We don'r want any more troubles like that. We want to get on with life, and put all that behind us.

But my grandmother had taught me too well. I was carrying wounds, the wounds of all Ireland, from before I was born. Those wounds had not healed, did not know how to heal. I guess William was trying to help me to heal them, as they had all had to try to do.

Every emotion went through me. I wanted to satisfy William by saying the words, but those words would not come out, any more than they would have come out from my grandmother. Finally, after a bit more Jameson, I said,"I don't forgive the British of my grandmother's day for the terrible things that they did, but I forgive the British of today, who have done nothing."

This apparently satisfied William, and he let me off the hook. His daughter asked me if I would ever consider visiting Northern Ireland. She said she had done so, and it was very strange to see the red postboxes and all that. I thought about her question, and then I told her no, I would not go there. But I knew that if I had been raised in Ireland, I would have gone there as a young man, and probably would not have come back alive.

Sunday, September 16, 2018

itsula nvlise ulinawi amayeli (translation)

itsula nvlise ulinawi amayeli didla
ulasitsaneta elohi nidvlenvda.
agvyi, itsula alenidohise inv
uyvtlv hawina,
ani-senika navnige.
oniyagesdodi, tiyohali tsilv,
itsula ayasdise nvdane.

ᎢᏧᎳ ᏅᎵᏎ ᎤᎵᎾᏫ ᎠᎹᏰᎵ ᏗᏜ
ᎤᎳᏏᏣᏁᏔ ᎡᎶᎯ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ.
ᎠᎬᏱ, ᎢᏧᎳ ᎠᎴᏂᏙᎯᏎ ᎢᏅ
ᎤᏴᏢ ᎭᏫᎾ,
ᎠᏂ-ᏎᏂᎧ ᎾᎥᏂᎨ.
ᎣᏂᏯᎨᏍᏙᏗ, ᏘᏲᎭᎵ ᏥᎸ,
ᎢᏧᎳ ᎠᏯᏍᏗᏎ ᏅᏓᏁ.

We came to Turtle Island
from the Darkening Land.
First we lived far in the north,
near the Seneca.
Later, like Lizard,
we sought the sun.

itsula nvlise ulinawi amayeli / ᎢᏧᎳ ᏅᎵᏎ ᎤᎵᎾᏫ ᎠᎹᏰᎵ

The Bench

Sitting on that bench,
I felt at home,
at peace.
I felt the presence
of my grandmother,
my great-aunt,
and my "other"
family.
I'm not rich enough
to live there,
but neither was
my grandmother,
whose foot left the ground
in Guileen,
and never returned.
She would
understand.