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 Ancient Nahuatl Poetry
ANOTHER CHALCO-SONG, A POEM OF TETLEPAN QUETZANITZIN
Translated by Daniel G. Brinton; language: english and nahuatl
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VI. OTRO CHALCAYOTL, CANTO DE TETLEPAN QUETZANITZIN. |
VI. ANOTHER CHALCO-SONG, A POEM OF TETLEPAN QUETZANITZIN. |
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1. Aua nocnihue ninentlamatia zan ninochoquilia in monahuac aya
yehuan Dios, quexquich onmitzicnotlamachtia momacehual cemamanahuac
ontonitlanililo in ic tontlahuica tontecemilhuitiltia in tlalticpac.
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1. Alas, my friend, I was afflicted, I cried aloud on thy account to
God. How much compassion hast thou for thy servant in this world sent
here by thee to be thy subject for the space of a day on this earth!
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2. Macazo tleon xoconyoyocoya ti noyollo, yehua cuix ic nepohualoyan
in oncan nemohua yehua, in atle tlahuelli in antecocolia huel on
yecnemiz in tlalticpac.
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2. However that may be, mayst thou so dispose my heart, that it may
pass through this place of reckoning, without anger, without injury,
and live a good life on earth.
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3. In quimati noyollo nichoca yehua huel eza ye nelli in titicnihuan,
huellenelli nemoa in tlalticpac in tonicniuh tlatzihuiz yehuan Dios.
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3. My heart knows how truly I weep for my friend, how truly as it
lives on earth it cries aloud for thee, my friend, to God.
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4. Xontlachayan huitztlampayan, iquizayan in tonatiuh,
ximoyollehuayan oncan manian teoatl tlachinolli, oncan mocuica in
teucyotl in tlatocayotl yectliya xochitl in amo zannen mocuia, in
quetzallalpilo niaya macquauhtica, chimaltica neicaloloyan in
tlalticpac ic momacehuaya in yectliya xochitl in tiquelehuia in
ticnequia in tinocniuh in quitemacehualtia in quitenemactia in tloque
in nahuaque.
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4. Let thy soul awake and turn toward the south, toward the rising of
the sun, rouse thy heart that it turn toward the field of battle,
there let it win power and fame, the noble flowers which it will not
grasp in vain; adorned with a frontlet of quetzal feathers I went
forth armed with sword and shield to the battlefield on earth, that I
might merit these noble flowers with which we may rejoice as we wish
our friends, as the Cause of All may reward and grant to us.
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5. Nentiquelehuia in tictemoaya in tinocniuh yectliya xochitl can
ticuiz intlacamo ximicaliya, melchiquiuhticaya, mitonalticaya
ticmacehuaya in yectliyaxochitla, yaochoquiztli ixayoticaya in
quitemacehualtica in tloque in nahuaque.
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5. Vainly, O friends, do we desire and seek where we may cull those
noble flowers unless we fight with bared breasts, with the sweat of
the brow, meriting these noble flowers, in bitter and painful war,
for which the Cause of All will give reward.
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NOTES FOR SONG VI.
Most of the poems in this collection are not assigned to any author,
but this, and apparently the one following, are recorded as the
compositions of Tetlapan Quetzanitzin. He is evidently the personage
spoken of by Sahagun as "King of Tlacopan," as present with Montezuma
on the occasion of his first interview with Cortez. Later in the
struggle Tetlapan appears as the associate of Quauhtemoctzin, the
"King of Mexico." (See Sahagun, Hist. de la Nueva Espaсa, Lib. XII,
cap. 16 and 40.) M. Rйmi Simeon explains the name to mean "he who
deceives the people by magic;" deriving it from quetza, he places;
te, the people, tlepan, on the fire. A simpler derivation seems
to me possible from tetlapanqui, miner, or quarryman (literally,
stone-breaker), and quetzalli, red; quetzatzin, the lord or
master of the miners.
Both this and the following are war songs, and have marked similarity
in thought and wording. The introduction of the Spanish Dios was
doubtless substituted by the scribe, for the name of some native god
of war, perhaps Huitzilopochtli.
1. Aua; this word I take to be a form of the interjection yahue,
or, as Olmos gives it in his Grammar, aa.
2. nepohualoyan; "the place of counting or reckoning," from
pohua, to count. The reference is not clear, and the translation
uncertain. In some parts of ancient Mexico they used in their
accounting knotted cords of various colors, like the Peruvian
quipus. These were called nepohualtzitzin.
4. This verse is remarkable for its sonorous phrases and the archaic
forms of the words. Its translation offers considerable difficulty.
xontlachayan, I take to be an imperative form from tlachia, to
look, with the euphonic on.
teoatl tlachinolli, literally "the divine water (i.e. blood), the
burning," and the expression means war, battle. In one of his sermons
Fray Juan Bautista describes the fall of Jericho in the words,
otlaltitechya in altepetl teuatl tlachinolli ye opoliuh, and
explains it, "the town was destroyed with fire and blood" (Sermones
en Lengua Mexicana, p. 122). The word tlachinolli is from
chinoa, to burn.
quetzalalpilo; a compound of quetzalli, a beautiful feather, and
tlalpiloni, the band which passed around the head to keep the hair
in place.
5. melchiquiuhticaya; "he who presented his breast," an imperfect,
reflexive form. Molina gives melchiquiuh petlauhqui, with the
translation despechugado. Vocabulario Mexicana, s.v.
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UnCopyrighted©Sam, 2003-2009
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RUS ver.