WEBVTT NOTE Created by CaptionSync from Automatic Sync Technologies www.automaticsync.com 00:00:00.856 --> 00:00:06.476 align:middle >> There's a poet that I co-translated, as Joshua mentioned, with Kent Johnson, 00:00:06.966 --> 00:00:12.066 align:middle from Bolivia named Jaime Sáenz who is very influenced by the Aymara, 00:00:12.416 --> 00:00:16.136 align:middle who I was talking with a class about earlier today. 00:00:16.486 --> 00:00:23.576 align:middle And then, in the Aymara language, which is called Aymara, it's impossible to say something 00:00:23.576 --> 00:00:31.426 align:middle like Joan of Arc burned at the stake in May, 1431, since that statement is unqualified 00:00:31.476 --> 00:00:37.396 align:middle by anyone's experience because every sentence has to express whether an action 00:00:37.396 --> 00:00:40.826 align:middle or event was personally witnessed or not. 00:00:43.286 --> 00:00:50.906 align:middle It may be the only studied culture for which the past is linguistically and conceptually in front 00:00:50.906 --> 00:00:54.136 align:middle of the people while the future lies behind them. 00:00:54.136 --> 00:00:58.646 align:middle To speak of the future, elderly Aymara will thumb or wave backwards 00:00:58.646 --> 00:01:00.766 align:middle over their shoulder to reference the past. 00:01:01.096 --> 00:01:04.436 align:middle They make forward sweeping motions with their hands and arms. 00:01:04.846 --> 00:01:11.086 align:middle The main word for I, front and sight in Aymara means the past, while the basic word 00:01:11.086 --> 00:01:14.686 align:middle for back or behind also means the future. 00:01:15.286 --> 00:01:20.516 align:middle It's been suggested that in a culture that places a premium on stipulating degrees 00:01:20.516 --> 00:01:25.336 align:middle of evidential investment distinguishing the observed from the unobserved, 00:01:25.366 --> 00:01:31.356 align:middle the known from the unknown, it makes sense to metaphorically position the past in your field 00:01:31.356 --> 00:01:37.016 align:middle of vision while the future, always speculative, remains invisible behind you. 00:01:38.016 --> 00:01:46.296 align:middle Here's the Bolivian poet Jaime Sáenz channeling the Aymara spiritual regard for a harmony 00:01:46.296 --> 00:01:51.106 align:middle of opposites into his own philosophical grammar. 00:01:55.876 --> 00:01:58.026 align:middle I'll read you just a little bit in Spanish. 00:02:01.046 --> 00:02:07.506 align:middle Si algo me sobrecoge, es la imagen que me imagina en la distancia. 00:02:07.506 --> 00:02:16.216 align:middle Se escucha una respiración en mis adentros, el cuerpo respira en mis adentros. 00:02:17.316 --> 00:02:18.476 align:middle ¿Qué es tu cuerpo? 00:02:19.316 --> 00:02:24.906 align:middle Yo no sé si te has preguntado alguna vez qué es tu cuerpo. 00:02:25.676 --> 00:02:28.546 align:middle Es un trance grave y difícil. 00:02:29.496 --> 00:02:33.766 align:middle Yo me he acercado una vez a mi cuerpo.