The Spirits of Water Carry Me Off

by Elicura Chihuailaf (Mapuche, Chile)
translated by Camila Yver

I am old, and from a blooming tree
I look at the horizon
How many winds did I walk?
I do not know
From the other side of the sea
the setting sun
has already sent out its messengers
and I am departing to meet
my ancestors
Blue is the place where we go
The spirits of water carry me off
step by step
Wenulewfv / the River of the Sky
is barely one small circle
in the universe

In this Dream I shall stay:
Stroke, oarsmen! In Silence
I move away
in the invisible song of life.