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A Piece of Myself

A piece of myself
was missing, the
yellowed page had an
ancient
lacuna,
hidden but
also
known.
You, Yakov,
helped me
to find it.

Donald Jacobson Traxler
Oct. 6 2018

My Earliest Ancestors

My earliest ancestors were
short,
dark,
and naked.
After a hundred thousand years,
I am
tall,
light,
and still naked
when I can be.
At heart,
I am a dweller
among the trees.

Donald Jacobson Traxler
Oct. 6 2018

Countries of Passage

My ancestors started out
in Africa--
yours did, too.
Egypt,
the Fertile Crescent,
and on to Europe,
wave after wave,
for thousands of years,
The Ukraine,
Russia,
Finland,
Sweden,
Germany,
England,
Scotland,
Ireland,
North and South America.
These, who went west,
met at last
those who had gone east.
The meeting
wasn't pretty.
Sometimes we forget
that we are only
passing through.

Donald Jacobson Traxler
Oct. 6 2018

unelanvhi uwetsi / ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ ᎤᏪᏥ

The Cherokee translation of Amazing Grace is much more than a hymn. It was sung on the Trail of Tears, and has been sung countless times since then, to the point where it has become a sort of Cherokee national anthem. Here it is, in Cherokee:


unelanvhi uwetsi
igaguyvheyi
hnaquotsosv wiyulose
igaguyvhonv.

aseno yiunetseyi
iyuno dulenv
talinedv tselutseli
udvne yunetsv


ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ ᎤᏪᏥ
ᎢᎦᎫᏴᎮᏱ
ᎿᏉᏦᏒ ᏫᏳᎶᏎ
ᎢᎦᎫᏴᎰᏅ.

ᎠᏎᏃ ᏱᎤᏁᏤᏱ
ᎢᏳᏃ ᏚᎴᏅ
ᏔᎵᏁᏛ ᏤᎷᏤᎵ
ᎤᏛᏁ ᏳᏁᏨ


I'm thinking of translating it into Udugi. This will be a challenge because, first of all, the meaning is different in Cherokee. For example, the first line does not mean "amazing grace," it means "child of the Lord, or God's child." Secondly, the Udugi version has to be just as singable as the Cherokee. Wish me luck!

Here is a link to the song, with lyrics, good pronunciation, and some English:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAb4bhnQ6aI

Here is a more beautiful and fuller version, sung by Walela (Rita Coolidge and her family):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_-GBZ4UZk8

Enjoy!

unelanvhi dikanogidv 121:1-2 / ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ ᏗᎧᏃᎩᏛ 121:1-2 / Psalm 121:1-2

aya asaladodose aqua agadolidine
gadusidi didla, hatlv nidvlenvda
aqua alisdelvdo nvlase.
aqua alisdelvdo nvlase
unelanvhi nidvlenvda,
na gotlvdise galvladi-tsosvne
ale elohine.

ᎠᏯ ᎠᏌᎳᏙᏙᏎ ᎠᏆ ᎠᎦᏙᎵᏗᏁ
ᎦᏚᏏᏗ ᏗᏜ, ᎭᏢ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ
ᎠᏆ ᎠᎵᏍᏕᎸᏙ ᏅᎳᏎ.
ᎠᏆ ᎠᎵᏍᏕᎸᏙ ᏅᎳᏎ
ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ,
Ꮎ ᎪᏢᏗᏎ ᎦᎸᎳᏗ-ᏦᏒᏁ
ᎠᎴ ᎡᎶᎯᏁ.


Here is the Cherokee, for comparison:

gadusi widigagani nahna
tsvdidalehvsga aqualinigo-hisdisgi
unelanvhi agisdelisgi nasgi
uwesvnvhi galvladi
ale elohi.

ᎦᏚᏏ ᏫᏗᎦᎦᏂ ᎾᎿ
ᏨᏗᏓᎴᎲᏍᎦ ᎠᏆᎵᏂᎪ-ᎯᏍᏗᏍᎩ
ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ ᎠᎩᏍᏕᎵᏍᎩ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎤᏪᏒᏅᎯ ᎦᎸᎳᏗ
ᎠᎴ ᎡᎶᎯ.


And the English:

I will lift up my eyes
to the hills, from where
my help comes.
My help comes
from the Lord,
who made heaven
and earth.

ᎠᏓᏙᎵᎩᏔ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏂᎯ, ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ

ᎠᏓᏙᎵᎩᏔ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏂᎯ, ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ,
ᎤᎬᏫᏳᎯ ᎡᏆ-ᎡᎶᎯ ᎥᎿᎢ,
ᎧᎪᎢ ᎠᏓᏁᏤᏗᏎ ᎢᏧᎳᎠᏴ
ᎠᏥᏍᎸᏍᎩ ᎤᎧᎾᏫᏗᏁ
ᎦᎵᏉᎩᏁ ᎢᎦ ᎥᎿᎢ.