Sequoia's winters were sixteen silent tongue spirit clean
Musim dingin Sequoia adalah enam belas, hening, dan penuh semangat.
He walked at his father's side
Ia berjalan di samping ayahnya.
Across the smoking battle ground where red and white men lay all around
Di atas medan perang yang berasap, di mana pria merah dan putih tergeletak di sekeliling.
So many here had died
Begitu banyak yang telah mati di sini.
The wind had scattered around snow white leaves upon the ground
Angin menyebarkan daun-daun putih bersih di tanah.
Not leaves like leaves from trees
Bukan daun seperti daun dari pohon.
Sequoia said what can this be what's the strange thing here I see
Sequoia berkata, "Apa ini? Apa yang aneh di sini?"
From where come leaves like these
Dari mana datangnya daun-daun seperti ini?
Sequoia turned to his father's eyes and he said father you're wise
Sequoia menatap mata ayahnya dan berkata, "Ayah, kau bijak."
From where come such snow white leaves
Dari mana datangnya daun-daun putih bersih ini?
With such strange marks upon these squares
Dengan tanda-tanda aneh di atas kotak-kotak ini.
Not even the wise owl could put them there
Bahkan burung hantu yang bijak pun tak bisa menaruhnya di sana.
So strange these snow white leaves
Begitu aneh daun-daun putih bersih ini.
His father shielding his concern resenting the knowledge Sequoia yearned
Ayahnya mencoba menyembunyikan kekhawatirannya, menahan pengetahuan yang diinginkan Sequoia.
Crumbled the snow white leaves
Ia meremukkan daun-daun putih bersih itu.
He said when I explain then it's done these are talking leaves my son
Ia berkata, "Saat aku menjelaskan, maka selesai. Ini adalah daun yang berbicara, nak."
The white men's talking leaves
Daun-daun yang berbicara milik orang kulit putih.
The white man takes a berry of black and red
Orang kulit putih mengambil buah beri hitam dan merah.
And an eagle's feather from the eagle's bed
Dan bulu elang dari sarang elang.
And he makes bird track marks
Dan ia membuat jejak kaki burung.
And the marks on the leaves they say carry messages to his brother far away
Dan tanda-tanda di daun itu mengirim pesan kepada saudaranya yang jauh.
And his brother knows what's in his heart
Dan saudaranya tahu apa yang ada di hatinya.
They see these marks and they understand the truth in the heart of the far off man
Mereka melihat tanda-tanda ini dan memahami kebenaran di hati orang yang jauh.
The enemies can't hear them
Musuh-musuh tak bisa mendengar mereka.
Said Sequoia's father son they weave bad medicine on these talking leaves
Kata ayah Sequoia, "Nak, mereka menyulam obat jahat di atas daun-daun yang berbicara ini."
Leave such things to them
Biarkan hal-hal seperti itu kepada mereka.
Then Sequoia walking lightly followed his father quietly but so amazed was he
Kemudian Sequoia berjalan ringan mengikuti ayahnya dengan tenang, tetapi ia sangat terpesona.
If the white man talks on leaves why not the Cherokee
Jika orang kulit putih bisa berbicara di atas daun, mengapa tidak Cherokee?
Vanished from his father's face Sequoia went from place to place
Menghilang dari wajah ayahnya, Sequoia berpindah dari satu tempat ke tempat lain.
But he could not forget
Tetapi ia tidak bisa melupakan.
Year after year he worked on and on till finally he cut into stone
Tahun demi tahun ia bekerja tanpa henti hingga akhirnya ia mengukir di atas batu.
The Cherokee alphabet
Alfabet Cherokee.
Sequoia's hair by now was white his eyes began to lose their light
Rambut Sequoia kini sudah putih, matanya mulai kehilangan cahaya.
But he taught all who would believe
Tetapi ia mengajarkan kepada semua yang mau percaya.
That the Indian's thoughts could be written down
Bahwa pikiran orang Indian bisa dituliskan.
Just as the white men's there on the ground and he left us these talking leaves
Sama seperti tulisan orang kulit putih di tanah, dan ia meninggalkan kita daun-daun yang berbicara ini.