The Taino myth of the cursed creator - Bill Keegan

Prevodilac: Stefan Vesić Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

Before the world of humans began,

Pre sveta ljudi,

there was the world of the gods, made of fields, plains and gardens.

postojao je svet bogova, sa poljima, ravnicama i vrtovima.

Four brothers wandered this celestial realm.

Četvorica braće lutala su ovim nebeskim carstvom.

They had no family other than each other—

Nisu imali porodicu, osim jedni druge -

they didn’t even know who their parents were.

nisu čak ni znali ko su im roditelji.

One of the brothers, Deminan, looked different from the others.

Jedan od braće, Deminan, izgledao je drugačije od ostalih.

His skin was covered in painful scabs,

Koža mu je bila puna krasti koje su mu nanosile bol

and he wondered why he alone had been marked with this affliction.

i pitao se zašto je samo on bio obeležen njima.

One day, while the supreme spirit Yaya was out in his gardens,

Jednog dana, dok je vrhovni duh Jaja bio u svojim vrtovima,

Deminan and his brothers snuck into Yaya’s house.

Deminan i njegova braća ušunjali su se u Jajinu kuću.

After feasting and exploring, they spotted a giant gourd hanging in the corner.

Nakon gozbe i istraživanja, uočili su ogromnu tikvu kako visi u ćošku.

But as they tried to look inside the gourd, they dropped it.

Međutim, kako su pokušali da vide šta se u njoj nalazi, ispustili su je.

The gourd broke apart, releasing a deluge that swept the brothers away,

Tikva se raspala, oslobodivši potop koji je odneo braću,

separating them from the celestial lands forever.

i tako ih zauvek odvojio od nebeskog carstva.

The waters from the gourd formed a new world.

Voda iz tikve stvorila je novi svet.

This realm was covered in seas, which didn’t exist in the gods’ world.

Ovaj svet bio je pokriven morima, što nije bio slučaj sa svetom bogova.

The waters were full of fish and other creatures,

Mora su bila puna riba i drugih stvorenja,

and dotted with islands and caves.

a bilo je i ostrva i pećina.

This world of seas was also cut off completely from the celestial realm,

Ovaj svet mora takođe je u potpunosti bio odvojen od nebeskog carstva

and the brothers wandered aimlessly,

i braća su besciljno lutala,

even more lost than they had been before.

još više izgubljeni nego ranije.

One day, three of the brothers stumbled upon a house.

Jednog dana, trojica braće naišla su na kuću.

In the house lived an elder named Bayamanacao, and he invited them in.

U kući je živeo starac po imenu Bajamanako koji ih je pozvao da uđu.

When Deminan caught up slightly later, he followed them into the house.

Kada je Deminan stigao malo kasnije, ušao je za njima.

Bayamanacao told the brothers he was their grandfather

Bajamanako je otkrio braći da je on njihov deda

and gave them a gift of special cassava bread.

i poklonio im je poseban hleb od tapioke.

He revealed their family lineage to them:

Otkrio im je njihovo poreklo:

their mother had been the Earth Mother Goddess Itibi Cahubaba

njihova majka bila je majka boginja Itibi Kahubaba

and had died when they were born.

i umrla je kada su se oni rodili.

The brothers were grateful for his hospitality and insight into their past.

Braća su bila zahvalna za gostoljubivost starca i uvid u njihovu prošlost.

But then Bayamanacao turned on Deminan,

Međutim, Bajamanako se onda okomio na Deminana,

blowing tobacco spittle from his nose onto Deminan’s back.

izbacivši ispljuvak duvana iz nosa na Deminanova leđa.

The spot where the spittle landed immediately began to swell and sting.

Mesto na koje je ispljuvak pao odmah je počelo da otiče i da peče.

Soon Deminan was delirious

Ubrzo, Deminan je pao u delirijum,

and his back was so swollen his brothers feared he would die.

a leđa su mu toliko otekla da su se braća uplašila da će umreti.

Not knowing what else to do, they cut open the welt.

Ne znajući šta drugo da urade, otvorili su mu ispupčenje.

A turtle emerged from the wound and swam away,

Kornjača je izašla iz rane i otplivala,

alternating easily between sea and land as she went.

lako prelazeći i more i zemlju na svom putu.

When Deminan recovered from his delirium,

Kada je Deminan izašao iz delirijuma,

he finally understood what the curse of his disease meant:

konačno je shvatio značenje kletve svoje bolesti:

he was a caracaracol, able to communicate with the gods.

on je bio karakarakol, što je značilo da može da razgovara sa bogovima.

He was the link between the celestial realm and the earthly realm.

On je bio veza između nebeskog i zemaljskog carstva.

Deminan was the first in a long lineage of caracaracols.

Deminan je bio prvi u dugoj lozi karakarakola.

The world of seas he and his brothers had created when they dropped the gourd

Svet mora koji su on i njegova braća stvorili kada su ispustili tikvu

became the world of humans,

postao je svet ljudi,

where the caracaracols who followed Deminan maintained the delicate balance

gde su karakarakoli, naslednici Deminana, održavali osetljivu ravnotežu

between people and gods.

između ljudi i bogova.

But their unique power came at a price:

Međutim, njihova jedinstvena moć imala je svoju cenu:

Deminan and all the caracaracols who followed him

Deminan, kao i svi karakarakoli posle njega,

continued to suffer from the illness that had first marked Deminan as special.

nastavili su da boluju od bolesti koja je na samom početku

Deminana obeležila kao posebnog.

Represented in Taino carvings and figurines

Predstavljen u tainškim rezbarijama i figurinama

with a swollen back and emaciated arms,

oteklih leđa i mršavih ruku,

the caracaracol is both cursed and blessed to be a conduit between worlds.

karakarakol je i proklet i blagosloven zato što predstavlja vezu između svetova.