Brígido Bogado is a poet of the Mbyá Guaraní people and writes in Guaraní with Spanish translation. Born in Paraguay in an Mbyá community, Brígido was adopted in his childhood and raised by a non-Mbyá family in Colonia Fram. After studying Philosophy and Theology at the Universidad Católica de Asunción, he returned to the village of his birth and dedicated himself to the development of the Mbyá communities of Paraguay, but within the framework of their own identity, culture, values, and language. As an educator he helped to found the first indigenous school in the department (province) of Itapúa in southeastern Paraguay, specifically in the community of Pindó de San Cosme y Damián. In 2016 Bogado was awarded the prize for Teaching Excellence offered by the Ministry of Education and Culture for his dedication to and achievements in the field of education. In 2011 he received first prize in the literary contest sponsored by the Grupo General de Seguros (General Insurance Group) and the Sociedad de Escritores del Paraguay (Society of Paraguayan Writers).
Publications
El ayer y el hoy (2001)
La tierra y el ser (2005)
Canto de la tierra (2007)
Ayvu’i (2009)
Secretos de un lago (2010)
Ñe’e porãngue’í: una aproximación al ser mbya (2012)
Sentimientos y algo más (2019)
Multimedia Links
The poems selected here come from his collection Ayvu’i, written in Mbyá Guaraní. In these poems, Bogado elaborates on the nature of life and on the concept of “yvy marae’ỹ” or “land without evil.” Yvy marae’ỹ is a pan-Guaraní belief that describes both a kind of afterlife without suffering and evil, as well as an attitude and system of beliefs and actions for happiness in the present life, based on mutual, communitarian care and reciprocation, and responsible stewardship of the earth.
“Ñe’ẽ nepyrumby”
Ñevanga porai
ayvu rupive
Tangara tangara
ojerojy ojerojy
tekoasy ñevanga
Ñamandu, Ñamandu.
Teko porai
ñe’ẽ oguejy
ñamaẽty kyrỹi kyrỹi.
Ayvu porai oguejy oguejy
Teko porã omyasãi omyasãi.
************************************
“Yvy marae’ỹ”
Tekoha opyta nandi
yvytu oho ha ou
Ñande Ru Tupã oguata
ñe’ẽ kuéry ogueraha.
Oĩ opytáva
oĩ ohóva
Ñe’ẽ porã oho
ohendúva guete.
Ani rema’ẽ
ani repena
ne ñe’ẽ ohóma
Ñande Ru apykápe oguapy.
“Principio de la vida”
Mirar al hombre y a la mujer
vivir la vida a la plenitud
con su alma sincera
al son de los sueños y la danza
que se vuelven tierra y humanidad.
La palabra que nació una vez
en labios de los dioses
brotó plena de los sembrados.
Seres que se vuelven palabras y palabras
matizando el complejo mundo
asombrado ante el milagro de la vida.
******************************************
“Tierra sin mal”
Vacío quedó el asiento de la vida
soplo de vida que viene y va
El Padre Tupã bajó a la tierra
a llevar las almas al infinito.
Han quedado algunas
han sido elevadas otras
Las almas han sido elevadas
por la sabiduría de los cuerpos.
No mires atrás
no hagas caso a nadie
solo sientes tu cuerpo elevarse
y él ya está sentado
en el asiento de la vida.
“The beginning of life”
To watch man and woman
living life in its fullness
with simplicity of soul
to the music of dreams and dance
that become earth and humanity.
The word that was born once
on the lips of the gods
arose, full, from the fields.
Beings that become words and words
giving nuance to the complex world
astonished before the miracle of life.
*****************************************
“Land without evil”
The seat of life was left empty
breath of life that comes and goes
Father Tupã came down to the earth
to carry souls away to eternity.
Some have remained
others have been raised up
Their souls have been raised up
because of the wisdom of their bodies.
Do not look back
give no thought to anyone
you only feel your body rise up
and it is already seated
on the seat of life.
Bogado, Brígido. “Ñe’ẽ nepyrumby / Principio de la vida.” Poesía guaraní contemporánea. Ñe’ẽ rendy. Edited by Susy Delgado, Grupo Editorial Atlas, 2011. pp. 173
Itapúa en Noticias. "Docente Indígena de Itapúa Recibe Premio a la Excelencia Docente.” Youtube, 26 Apr. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaJO-94MP5E&feature=youtu.be&t=7.
Recalde Godoy, Leidy Janina. “Comarca Guarani: Literatura y Cultura.” Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana, 2017, https://dspace.unila.edu.br/bitstream/handle/123456789/3638/TCC%20BIBLIOTECA%20UNILA.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
Regan, Jaime. Hacia la tierra sin mal: la religión del pueblo en la Amazonía. Second edition, CAAAP, CETA, IIAP, 1993. pp. 126-130.
Zarratea, Tadeo. La poesía guaraní del siglo XX: Galería de 22 poetas de la lengua. Servilibro, 2013. pp. 281-284.