The Messiah (in English and Spanish)

The Messiah


Advance notes: The Messiah original was published in the books, “On the Threshold of a Dream,” First Edition, 1988 (from the National Library of Poetry). The Messiah was also published in the book “Sirens” by the Dennis L. Siluk, 2004. And thus far has won two International awards (Editors’ Choice Award for 1988)) it was one of the 135-pome3s out of over 10,000 to be so honored.)) It graphic imagery must be felt, it is beyond description.

In addition to this poem being one of the author’s most favored, it has provoked the most controversy in the past. Written in November, of 1987, the controversy stared at once; some of the controversy was between Minnesota Christian Churches, but after reviewing it closer, and asking how the author got the descriptiveness within the poem, and his answer being “In a vision (1983),” the controversy stopped (right after the vision, the author had written down the panorama of the picture he kept in his mind). Thus the author simply tried—to the best ability—to describe the scene. The author also had stated at the time, “It was so bad I almost started vomiting and had to ask the Lord to stopped the scene, at which time He did.” #115 (11/1987)


(The poem: The Messiah)


Like pelts stretched from side-to side
On a wooden cross, undressed, alive—
The Messiah hung, like a wild beast:
Uncouth, uncrowned, no dignity.
De-boned—like fish—His body hung;
Lifeless, deformed: —in silent pain.
Dried blood upon His ransomed face,
Eyes decaying, hardly seen:
Pours hemorrhaging with a gloss of sweat—
Skin like mounds of inflamed tar
[like boils reflecting off dark shaded ice]
Deep distress around His soot-covered veins,
A mixture of Saliva, Dirt and shame;—
Ugly as sin, beyond recognition
[like open incisions of an autopsy].

Acquainted with grief, yes, oh Yes!
As the prophets foretold, long ago.
A new scene, we became redeemed!!



Spanish Version

(El Poema: El Mesías)



Como pieles estiradas de lado a—lado
Sobre una cruz de madera, desnudo, vivo—
El Mesías colgado, como una fiera:
Grosero, destronado, sin dignidad.
Deshuesado—como pescado—Su cuerpo colgado;
Sin vida, deforme: —en dolor silencioso.
Sangre seca sobre Su cara rescatada,
Ojos descompuestos, apenas vistos:
Vierten hemorragia con un lustre de sudor—

Piel como los montones de alquitrán inflamado
[como furúnculos relejando la sombra oscura del hielo]
Profunda angustia (dolor) alrededor de Sus venas cubiertas por hollín,
Una mezcla de Saliva, Suciedad y vergüenza; —
Feo como el pecado, más allá de reconocimiento
[como incisiones abiertas de una autopsia].


¡Enterado con pena, sí, oh Si!
Como los profetas pronosticaron, hace mucho.
¡¡Una nueva escena, nos hicimos redimidos!!

The Sighting of Mary(The Miracle at Sapallanga))1820s))(In English and Spanish)

Written by:
Dennis L. Siluk



(In English and Spanish)

The Sighting of Mary
(The Miracle at Sapallanga))1820s))




I


In silence and
forevermore, I stood
upon a mountain top
where many stood before,
and blue gold and
yellow gold were the
clouds upon the sky…
startling it was, as a
mist, enfolded, descended
the mountain top
like a lake where
marble angels stood,
held like ruby-stones
in Heaven’s hand.

And there I beheld her
as she stood in her grace,
stars upon her lovely face,
and whence she come
there was no trace.


II


Holy, holy was the
young Seraph´s
words,
cast in love by Christ.
Fair, fair was she as
Venus of the sky,
starlight in her eyes;
weak with the sight
I leaned upon a rock
listened to my soul,
music rendered (somewhere)
from the unknown….

It was as if she stood
in a silent shrine—
and she sent forth her gaze
—which descended
throughout the mountain top;
then she sent forth
her soul…
to the little town
called Sapallanga—
below Heaven’s silver breasts
(and so—, now the
legend is told…).







Notes: #1459 (9/12/2006) On top of the mountain called, St. Christopher, near the town-let called Sapallanga, perhaps ten miles from Huancayo, Peru, in the Mantaro Valley, twenty-children in the early 1820s saw a vision of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ; thus, since—once a year a festival is held in her honor and for that special happening.

The Chutos parade down the streets of this little village, with the Chonguinadas, as they hack, slice, and slash their whips as the protectors of these dancers, as the festival goes on for approximately three days.

Poem: dedicated to the Mayor of Sapallanga, Luis Alberto Perez Peralta, who was kind enough to welcome and escort me and my wife around the city and inform me of the legend, and point out the mountain and its pilgrims that hike up to the top to the little church to give homage to the event (and special thanks to Lily Unchupaico, for her tour of the fest).


















Spanish Version
Translated by Rosa Peñaloza de Siluk

La Aparición de María
(El Milagro de Sapallanga))1820s)




I


En silencio y
por siempre jamás, estuve
sobre una cima de montaña
donde muchos estuvieron antes,
y oro azul y
oro amarillo eran las
nubes sobre el cielo…
asombroso era, mientras una
niebla, envuelta, bajó
la cima de la montaña
como un lago donde
ángeles de mármol estuvieron de pie,
sostenidos como piedras de rubíes
en la mano del Cielo.

Y allí la contemplé
mientras ella estuvo en su gracia,
estrellas sobre su cara encantadora,
y de dónde ella viene
no había ningún rastro.



II


Santo, santo era las
palabras del Serafín joven,
moldeado en amor por Cristo.
Muy bonita, muy bonita era ella como
Venus del cielo,
luz de las estrellas en sus ojos;
débil por la visión
me incliné sobre una roca
escuché a mi alma,
música dada (en algún sitio)
del desconocido…

Era como si ella estuvo de pie
en un santuario silencioso—
y ella envió en adelante su mirada fija
—que descendió
en todas partes de la cima de montaña;
entonces ella envió en adelante
su alma…
a la pequeña ciudad
llamada Sapallanga—
bajo de los pechos de plata del Cielo
(y entonces—, ahora la
leyenda es contada…).





Apuntes: # 1459 (12/Septiembre/2006) Sobre la cima de la montaña llamada San Cristóbal, cerca de la ciudad pequeña llamada Sapallanga, quizás a diez millas de Huancayo, Perú, en el Valle del Mantaro, veinte niños a principios de los años 1820 vieron una visión de la Virgen María, la Madre de Cristo; así, una vez al año un festival es llevado a cabo en su honor y por aquel acontecimiento especial.

El desfile de los “Chutos” abajo de las calles de este pequeño pueblo, con las Chonguinadas, mientras ellos tiran sus azotes como los protectores de estos bailarines, mientras el festival continúa durante aproximadamente tres días.

Poema: dedicado al Alcalde de Sapallanga, Luis Alberto Pérez Peralta, quien fue bastante amable en darnos la bienvenida y escoltarnos a mi esposa y a mí alrededor de la ciudad e informarme de la leyenda, y enseñarnos la montaña y sus peregrinos que van de excursión hasta la pequeña iglesia que está en la cima para dar su homenaje (y gracias especiales al Lily Unchupaico, por mostrarnos el festival).

A Brief look at the Wanka

GWB


A Brief look at the Wanka (Advance): the Chavin culture is the oldest of the great Peruvian civilizations; it flourished between 1800 and 300 BC, approximately two millennia before the Inca Empire. The jaguar being a symbol to the culture; the Inca was perhaps the most cleaver and imperialistic of all the cultures that appeared in Peru, but the Wankas from Huancayo were perhaps the toughest of all the warriors that emerged in Peru’s history: located at 3’260 m (of altitude) in the fertile valley of Rio Mantaro.
The city of Huancayo is most famous for its Sunday markets, and two-2 km from Huancayo there is Torre-Torre, red-colored geological formations due to erosion. In a new park of the city, Wanka statues of stone evoke the culture of the old Huanca civilization.
The Wanka warrior lived between 800 to 1400 AD (Huanca: or Wanka) Waaka Michiq (or: Huanca Quechua: original). I have traveled all over the Mantaro Valley, and it is beyond description, its beauty, and spectacular views (vistas) from the top of nearby mountains. It was natural for the Wanka to deal with their differences by talking, not always war, and what usually followed the talking was “Kawagley”, or singing, dancing, drumming. The Wanka had a love for the earth (Quechua language, the word pacha is used to describe earth)) or allpa, which means ground or land; and Urqu Pacha, refers to the world of the dead.))
The Wanka
One must remember in the world of the Wanka, or in particular, Andean world, nothing is finite. Life and death is like water, a necessity, and part of creation. Pachayachachi (to live on this earth), one must accept the normal process of life and death, lest he be haunted his whole life with bewilderment.
WAR: I do not know of any specific word for War, in Quechua, or in the Wanka dictionary: the word: awqatinkuy, meaning to fight, is pretty close. Or wañuchina kushunchu, which means to cause death. Taking this to a more personal level: the word “warrior” in, Yupiaq; thus, a warrior is called: a warrior’s name that is, is anguyagta.

The Warrior used: bows, arrows, harpoons, and spears, a kayak, and lived in villages. They had a community house to talk things out; and they often fought among themselves. They also played games, games of skill, things like that. There was perhaps a period of time when the Wanka tried psychologically as well as a spiritual approach in dealing with a way to do away with war. And used dancing instead, as we see today, thus, holding together the culture and language, its revitalization efforts, you could say.

Waging War: The focus of this story is not so much about how one wages war, or its ability to wage war, but rather on the ability to look at war, to reflect the individual and the peoples actions—in this case, using tools as weapons to kill each other. As we see today in the Mantaro Valley of Peru, Harmony has replacement war, based on singing, dancing and drumming,

The Wanka Today: The Wanka today are much like any other group of people in many ways, they have their problems such as: alcoholism, domestic violence and suicides at the community level and self-governance and education rights at the institutional, political levels. There is no word for alcoholism in Quechua, no word for suicide, thus, it had to be invented for the 20th and 21st century (we can call it: hatun wasi or yatray wasi ((the learning house)).