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 Ancient Nahuatl Poetry
ANOTHER
Translated by Daniel G. Brinton; language: english and nahuatl
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VII. OTRO. |
VII. ANOTHER. |
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1. Tleinmach oamaxque on in antocnihuan in an Chiapaneca Otomi,
omachamelelacic: in ic oamihuintiqueo octicatl in oanquique ic
oamihuintique, xicualcuican, in amo ma in anhuehuetztoqueo,
ximozcalicano in antocnihuan nipatiazque in tochano, xopantlalpan ye
nican, ma quiza in amihuintiliz, on xitlachiacano ohuican ye
anmaquia, O!
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1. What have you done, O you our friends, you Chiapanecs and Otomis,
why have you grieved, that you were drunken with the wine which you
took, that you were drunken? Come hither and sing: do not lie
stretched out; arise, O friends, let us go to our houses here in this
land of spring; come forth from your drunkenness, see in what a
difficult place you must take it.
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2. Ca yeppa yuhqui in tizaoctli in tlalticpac, quitemacao ohuican ic
tecalaquiao teoatl tlachinolli quitoao texaxamatzao teopopoloao on
canin xaxamanio in tlazochalchihiuitl, in teoxihuitl, in maquiztli
tlazotetl in tepilhuan in coninio in xochitizaoctlio cuel can in
antocnihuan in tonicahuacao.
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2. For formerly it was so on earth that the white wine was taken in
difficult places, as on entering the battlefield, or, as it was said,
where the stones were broken and destroyed, where were broken into
fragments the lovely emeralds, the turquoises, the honored precious
stones, the youths, the children; therefore take the flowery white
wine, O friends and brothers.
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3. Ma ye ticiti in xochitlalpan in tochan xochitlalticpacilhuicacpaco
in huel ic xochiamemeyallotl on ahuiaxtimani, teyolquima yoliliz
ahuach xochitl in tochan in Chiappan, oncan timalolo in teucyotl in
tlatocayotl in chimalxochitl oncuepontimani tonacatlalpan.
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3. Let us drink it in the flowery land, in our dwelling surrounded by
the flowery earth and sky, where the fountains of the flowers send
their sweetness abroad; the delicious breath of the dewy flowers is
in our homes in Chiapas; there nobility and power make them glorious,
and the war-flowers bloom over a fertile land.
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4. Quemach in amo antlacaquio in antocnihuan tohuian tohuiano
xicahuacano, in tizaoctlio teoatlachinoloctli; ma ye ticiti in ompa
tinectilo in tochan xochiahuachoctli, zan ic ahuiaca ihuinti in
toyollo, tetlamachtio teyolquimao tixochiachichinatihui
netlamachtiloyan in toquizayan xochitlalpan tonacatlalpan: tlemach
oamaxqueo? xichualcaquican in tocuic in tamocnihuan, etc.
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4. Is it possible, oh friends, that you do not hear us? Let us go,
let us go, let us pour forth the white wine, the wine of battle; let
us drink where the wine sweet as the dew of roses is set forth in our
houses, let our souls be intoxicated with its sweetness; enriched,
steeped in delight, we shall soak up the water of the flowers in the
place of riches, going forth to a land of flowers, a fertile spot.
What have you done? Come hither and listen to our songs, O friends.
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NOTES FOR SONG VII.
The second specimen from the muse of Tetlapan Quetzanitzin is the
noblest war song in the collection. It is an appeal to his friends to
join in a foray to Chiapas. The intoxication of the battle field is
compared to that produced by the strong white wine prepared from
maguey, which was drunk only on solemn occasions. The bard likens the
exhaustion of his fellow warriors from previous conflicts, to the
stupor which follows a debauch, and he exhorts them to throw it
aside.
1. oamaxque, o, pret. am, you, axque, 2d pl. pret. from
ay,
to do.
octicatl, apparently an old form from octli, the intoxicating
beverage prepared from the maguey.
oanquique, 2d pl. pret. from cui, to take.
ohuican, a place of difficulty and danger. The frequent addition of
the terminal o in this and the succeeding verses is merely
euphonic.
2. teoatl tlachinolli; see note VI, 4.
in maquiztli tlazotetl, the beloved jewels, a phrase which
indicates that the broken stones and splintered emeralds referred to
are the young warriors who fall in battle, the pride of their
parents' hearts, who are destroyed in the fight.
The tizaoctli, white wine (tizatl, chalk, hence white, and
octli, wine), referred to in this passage, is said by Sahagun to
have been drunk especially at the feast of the god Papaztac, one of
the many gods of the wine cup. Hist. de Nueva Espaсa. Lib. II, App.
Tezozomoc mentions it as handed to the mourners at funeral
ceremonies. Cronica Mexicana, cap. 55.
3. xochitlalticpacilhtuicacpao; in this long compound of xochitl,
flower, tlalti, earth, and ilhuicatl, sky, with various
postpositions and the euphonic terminal o, the final pa gives the
sense of location, towards, in the direction of.
chimalxochiti; "the shield flower," the shield or buckler of the
ancient warriors, ornamented with tassels and feathers, is not
unaptly called the flower of war.
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