ИКТӸ КОЛА - ВЕСӸ ШАЧЕШ

Пал Генай, Йынгы-Кушыргы

Иктӹ кола - весӹ шачеш
У амасам тӱгӹ пачеш
Кӱэш кушкын
Кузен Кӱшкӹ

Шанавӹл мыч
Кӱ лоц лӓктӹн
Пӹл лош пыра
Кӓршӹм шактен

Кӱ йӓ? Лӹмжӹ улы вӓл?
Амат пӓлӹ! Ӹшке кӹчӓл
Вара йадеш тӹньӹмӓт
Ӓнят йамшы Йымымат...

Сӹнзӓвӹд мыч вӹдсӹнзӓш
Йадмаш лоэш уждым коэш
Шӹлӹн йоген пыра ӓш
Цилӓ век йамакем шоэш
Токетӓт шке корным моэш
Токемӓт...
.......

One will die — another will be born,
opening a new door into the world,
ripening, rising, reaching toward the height.

And that same one will lift as a rainbow from the Stone¹,
circling in the cloud, playing its gusli-song —
the Stone that keeps its silence,
the Stone that holds what has yet to be born.

“Who is that? Surely it has a name!”
“I do not know. You must find out…”
Even you may be asked one day —
perhaps they’ll question the God who vanished.

Across unseen waves of unanswered questions
a tear‑bright stream runs toward the well² —
the well that watches upward,
the secret rivulet of your memory.

My tale drifts everywhere,
and it will find its way to you.
And to me…

1 - Stone* - Shanavӹl Kӱ — the Stone — is a sacred place in Hill Mari lore,* where something unborn is said to sleep until the time of rising.

2 - In the Hill Mari language, “well” (вӹдсӹнзӓ) literally means “the eye of water,” and “tear” (сӹнзӓвӹд) means “the water of the eye.”