Smart Billy: Prologue II "A Loss in Translation"

 There is loss in translation, and at the heart of it, a wet and pulsing world. 

Fort Wrangel Alaska, Spring 1877: A fragmented transcription of an impromptu Tlingit song:

“Grandson Billy, Lost to the Boston Man” (**title chosen by transcriber)

(…)and I will  (yashee?) (sing?) you a story.  A vision happening (…) now, in the (…)(land?) the Boston man, my grandson (…) lost. Billy is looking (…) the cabin which (witch?)(…)no alliance (…)one dead(…)in the corner of his own (…)slowing down as she, his mother (…)bottle (…)will allow this indulgence(…) to prevent this (…) progress (…)move to I.

(…) chores to do (…) must tend to his mother (…) and mother  should not (…) so thin (…) interest in her (…) (acoustics?) waiting to thatch sticks (…)catch sticks (…) fire. With you (him?) no my father! (…) saloon and mountain (…) (chien?) (…) no (illusions?) of heat (…) presence. No presence.

Loosen (free?) (…) and to leaving (…) cluster of their costs (…) will tend to his mother, to mourn (…) a wound (…) (laments?) the (…)this (…)and that.

Who (…) her (she?) (…) stone missing and wounded him (…) in weeks, taking away the right to say (…) to think he said (…) disgust (…) the is in the isn't so owned (…) it is new (good?) news in author (…)  (Xan?)(red?) words (…) to have everything he knew he said.

Mr. Priest, Mr. Priest, (…) more honors (…) many trips (voyages?) in me still, taking the with (…) to abandon them (…) news to (arouse?) suspicion (…) let the return of mysterious medicine (…) dream discoveries (…) remembered the (gesture?) (…) (strewn?)  when he walked as us on the snow (…) quickly filled his footsteps, (…)contact (…) different now than ever was, or since or is. (…)(…)(?)

DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

Hear your heartbeat.

SUM, dum

SUM, dum

Mountain

Glacier

Salmon,

Thunder

Brother

Father

Mother

River

Woman

(…)(…)  BILLY!

DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

CHANGE your heartbeat!

(…)(…)

sum,DUM

sum,DUM

Atone

Return

Atone

Return

ATONE

RETURN

sum,DUM

sum,DUM

sum,DUM!

    (…)