cuentos de barro - DSpace Universidad Don Bosco

el NeGro
El negro Nayo había llegado a la costa
dende lejos. Sus veinte años, morados y
murushos, reiban siempre con jacha339 fresca de jícama pelada.
Tenía un no sé qué que agradaba,
un dón de dar lástima; se sentía uno
como dueño de él. A ratos su piel tenía
tornasombras azules, de un azulón
empavonado341 de revólver. Blanco
y sorprendido el ojo; desteñidas las
palmas de las manos, como en los
monos; gachero el hombro izquierdo,
en gesto bonachón. El sombrero de
palma dorada le servía para humillarse
en saludos, más que para el sol,
que no le jincaba el diente342 . Se reiba
cascabelero, echándose la cabeza a
la espalda, como alforja de regocijo,
descupiéndose toduel y con gárgaras
de oes enjotadas.
El negro Nayo era de porái...: de un porái
dudoso, mezcla de Honduras y Berlice,
Chiquimula y Blufiles de la Costelnorte.
De indio tenía el pie achatado, caitudo,
raizoso y sin uñas —pie de jengibre—;
y un poco la color bronceada de la piel,
que no alcanzaba a velar su estruc tura
grosera, amasada con brea y no con
barro.
178
THe BlacK MaN
Nayo, the black man, had arrived at
the coast from far away. He was in his
twenties, and for these twenty years he
had a purple tone to his dark skin and
curly hair. He was always smiling with
fresh teeth like a peeled jícama. 340
He had a certain something that made
people like him, a [divine] gift and
people felt sorry for him. People felt
like they owned him. At times, his skin
had blueish shades, melted blue like
a revolver. His eyes were white and
surprised; his palms were faded like
a monkey; his left shoulder bowed
down making him seem like a kindly
person. He used his golden-straw hat
to humble himself in greetings, rather
than to protect himself from the bite
of the sun. He was always laughing,
always in a good mood, throwing his
head back like a knapsack full of joy,
spewing his hardy o-shaped gargles
that always contained an h: ho, ho, ho.
Nayo was from ovethea, from a dubious
ovethea, a mixture of Honduras and
Belize, Chiquimula and Blufiles from
the Northern Coast. He had coarse feet
like the indigenous peasants, gnarly
ginger root-like feet without nails. His
tanned skin showed his ancestry a little
that was normally hard to see because
of his rough build, kneaded with tar
and not clay.
339. Dentadura.
340. Yam bean.
341. RAE: pavonar. (De pavón, por el color del plumaje). 1. tr. Dar pavón al hierro o al acero.
342. Quizás de la expresión “hincar el diente” Eng: “can’t wait to do do sth.” Lit. “sink its teeth”