Poetry of ELis Juliana
1998; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 21; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/cal.1998.0158
ISSN1080-6512
AutoresElis Juliana, Frank A. Williams, Aart G. Broek,
Tópico(s)Cultural and Social Studies in Latin America
ResumoPoetry by Elis Juliana Elis Juliana (bio) Bola [Crystal Ball] Den mi bola di kristal In that crystal ball of mine mi ta mira den futuro. I see the things in store for me. Den mi orea sapu ta yora The toad is singing in my ears un kantika di mizeria. a song of troubling misery. Mi ta mira mi próhimo I see my neighbor disfrasá na eskeleto in a frame disguised lorá den klechi di papel wrapped in a blanket of paper ta kana tene muraya. groping along the wall. Mi ta mira un pareha I see a pair of lovers ta gatia subi trapï Kranshi. creeping up the stairs to Town Hall. Madrina a keda ‘bou ta pela The maid-of-honor remains below kabaron di awa dushi. peeling fresh water shrimps. Mi ta mira un entiero. I see a funeral. Kuater homber ku machete Four men with choppers ta karga morto di moral bearing the corpse of morality lorá den blachi’ ramakoko. wrapped in palm fronds. Mi ta mira kakalaka sali I see the roaches emerge fo ‘i pipanan frusá di Isla. from SHELL’s rusty pipes. Un imáhen kibrá ta parti A broken image handing out komunion pa totolika. communion to patient ground doves. I den fondo leu ayá And in the distance far away lamá di dignidat a seka. the sea of dignity has run dry. Nos ta hunga ‘tapa kara’ We play together blindman’s buff hasi bergwensa ta pa Dios. and pass the shame onto the Lord. [Papiamentu] [End Page 576] Bekita dams a kanga shimis Lady Bekita lifted up her skirt pronka drenta sal’i balia And stalked into the ballroom k’un finura k’un koketa With a smile, with coquetry kada paso na su tempu With calculated steps kada zoya na midí And complete body control Békitá! Békitá! Bekita, Bekita, Békitá! Békitá! Bekita, Bekita. Hernan dí: E dams akí The gentlemen said: ai ta flor pa hasi bunita; This lady is just a pretty flower yena sala ku pèrfume filling the room with its perfume hari saka djent’i oro smiling and showing her golden teeth zoya renchi di makurá And swinging her red coral earrings Békitá! Békitá! Bekita, Bekita, Békitá! Békitá! Bekita, Bekita. Ma or’un pachi prufiá But when a gutsy old man a bai lamantá Bekita Dared to invite Bekita pa é tuma’den k’e tumba To join him in the tumba, el a keda babuká He was flabbergasted kon e mosa tantu lesma That such a delicate lady por a para serená Could sway her hips in total abandon: Békitá Békitá Bekita, Bekita, pa kén b’a mirá For whom did you take Békitá Békitá Bekita, Bekita pa kén b’a tumá Who did you think she was Békitá Békitá Bekita, Bekita Békitá Békitá Bekita, Bekita [Papiamentu] Bekita, Bekita Footnotes 1. Kolokólo di mi wea (Curaçao: Scherpenheuvel, 1977), 6. 2. Bekita is the pet name of a young Jewish woman Rebecca. Although forbidden by her own social circle, Bekita slips away to join a tumba-party, which is primarily an Afro-Antillean cultural phenomenon. This Jewish woman stupefies everyone present by dancing the tumba just like any black woman would, by which she actually becomes a symbol of “creolization.” In Papiamentu, the poem has the rhythm of a Tumba (translator’s note). Elis Juliana Elis Juliana has contributed much to the discovery and development of Papiamentu as a literary language. A prolific writer and artist, his books of poems are POI I, POI II, and POI III. He lives in Curaçao. Copyright © 1998 Charles H. Rowell
Referência(s)