Guidúbilu' runebia'ya', I Know Your Body

Guidúbilu' runebia'ya',

Guidúbilu' runebia'ya',
guidúbinaca peou'.
Pa ñácalu' ti guidxi
ratiicasi ninabadiidxa' cabe náa
naa nulué' pa neza riaana ní.
Riuuládxepea' guidúbilu',
riuuladxe' guuya' guiní'lu', guxídxilu',
guzeque yannilu'. Dxiña yaga guiropa' dani
zuguaa ndí' xtilu', ra guyaa' dxiqué
rigucaa' ruaa bidó'. Ñacaladxe' rua'
ñuá' ne niree ndaani' guixhidó' xtilu',
ni guya' dxiiña' guiluxe guendanabani ndaani'.
Biza'naadxi' bido' guzana lii, qui gápalu'
ra guidiiñeyulu'. Binnindxó' nga naa
ti bibane' lii, guca' lii. Yanna ma cadi naa
ridxiiche' gudxigueta lú ca nguiiu ra zedi'dilu',
ma cadi naa racalugua' cueelu' lari.
Ti bidxiña lubí nga lii, ti balaaga' guie'
ziguite yeche' lu guiigu' ti siadó'. 
 
Gabati' lii nou' qui ñunebia'ya', nou'
qui ñuuladxe'. Pa ñándasi ñácarua'
biaani' ruxheleruaa ruuya' ca nduni
yuxido' quichi' beelaxa'nalu'. Pa ñándasi
nibeza rua'
                       ndaani' guidxi sicarú
                                                        ni nácalu'.
 

I Know Your Body

I know your body,
entirely I know you.
If you were a city
I could give perfect directions
to wherever they asked me.
I like all of your body,
I like to see you talk, laugh
move your head. Your two well-rounded hills
are the honey of bees, where my lips celebrate to the gods.
I would have liked to continue storming your forest,
lodgings made deliberately for a nice death.
You were created with love,
your body is worthy of praise. What an honor to have lived,
to have been. I am no longer bothered
when men turn to look at you,
I am no longer impatient when you undress.
You are a stag in the air. A raft of flowers
that snakes across the river by morning.
 
There is no part of your body that I do not know, there is no
part that I do not like. I want to keep being
the light stunned at the look of your white
roundness of flesh. I want to keep
living
in the beautiful city
that you are.
 

First published in Hayden’s Ferry Review

Original Poem by

Victor Terán

Translated by

Shook with Shook Language

Zapotec

Country

Mexico