Chapter I: H S (2)

4. The battle is there, the beginning of the battle is in the open fields, the smoke of the warriors winds around and curls upward from the slaughter of the flowery war, ye friends and warriors of the Chichimecs.

5. Maca mahui noyollo ye oncan ixtlahuatl itic, noconele hua in itzimiquiliztli zan quinequin toyollo yaomiquiztla ohuaya.

5. Let not my soul dread that open field; I earnestly desire the beginning of the slaughter, may thy soul long for the murderous strife.

6. O anquin ye oncan yaonahuac, noconelehuia in itzi miquiliztli can quinequin toyollo yaomiquiztla ohuaya ohuaya.

6. O you who are there in the battle, I earnestly desire the beginning of the slaughter, may thy soul long for the murderous strife.

7. Mixtli ye ehuatimani yehuaya moxoxopan ipalnemohuani ye oncan celiztimani a in quauhtlin ocelotl, ye oncan cueponio o in tepilhuan huiya in tlachinol, ohuaya ohuaya.

7. The cloud rises upward, rising into the blue sky of the Giver of Life; there blossom forth prowess and daring, there, in the battle field, come the children to maturity.

8. In ma oc tonahuican antocnihuan ayiahuc, ma oc xonahuiacan antepilhuan in ixtlahuatl itec, y nemoaquihuic zan tictotlanehuia o a in chimalli xochitl in tlachinoll, ohuaya, ohuaya, ohuaya.

8. Let us rejoice, dear friends, and may ye rejoice, O children, within the open field, and going forth to it, let us revel amid the shield-flowers of the battle.

XVII.

_XOCHICUICATL._

_A FLOWER SONG._

1. Can ti ya nemia ticuicanitl ma ya hualmoquetza xochihuehuetl quetzaltica huiconticac teocuitlaxochinenepaniuhticac y ayamo aye iliamo aye huiy ohuaya, ohuaya.

1. Where thou walkest, O singer, bring forth thy flowery drum, let it stand amid beauteous feathers, let it be placed in the midst of golden flowers;

2. Tiquimonahuiltiz in tepilhuan teteucto in quauhtlo ocelotl ayamo, etc.

2. That thou mayest rejoice the youths and the nobles in their grandeur.

3. In tlac[)a]ce otemoc aya huehuetitlan ya nemi in cuicanitlhuia zan qui quetzal in tomaya quexexeloa aya icuic ipalnemoa qui ya nanquilia in coyolyantototl oncuicatinemi xochimanamanaya taxocha ohuaya, ohuaya.

3. Wonderful indeed is it how the living song descended upon the drum, how it loosened its feathers and spread abroad the songs of the Giver of Life, and the coyol bird answered, spreading wide its notes, offering up its flowery songs of flowers.

4. In canon in noconcaqui in tlatol aya tlacazo yehuatl ipalnemoa quiyananquilia quiyananquilia in coyolyantototl on cuicatinemi xochimanamanaya, etc.

4. Wherever I hear those words, perhaps the Giver of Life is answering, as answers the coyol bird, spreading wide its notes, offering up its flowery song of flowers.

5. In chalchihuitl ohuayee on quetzal pipixauhtimania in amo tlatolhuia, noyuh ye quittoa yayoquan yehuayan cuetzpal ohuaye anquinelin ye quimatin ipalnemoa ohuaya.

5. It rains down precious stones and beauteous feathers rather than words; it seems to be as one reveling in food, as one who truly knows the Giver of Life.

6. Noyuh quichihua con teuctlon timaloa yecan quetzalmaquiztla matilolticoya conahuiltia icelteotlhuia achcanon azo a yan ipalnemoa achcanon azo tle nel in tlalticpac ohuaya.

6. Thus do the nobles glorify themselves with things of beauty, honor and delight, that they may please the one only god, though one knows not the dwelling of the Giver of Life, one knows not whether he is on earth.

7. Macuelachic aya maoc ixquich cahuitl niquin notlanehui in chalchiuhtini in maquiztini in tepilhuan aya; zan nicxochimalina in tecpillotl huia: zan ca nican nocuic ica ya nocon ilacatzohua a in huehuetitlan a ohuaya ohuaya.

7. May I yet for a little while have time to revel in those precious and honorable youths; may I wreathe flowers for their nobility; may I here yet for a while wind the songs around the drum.

8. Oc noncoati nican Huexotzinco y nitl[)a]tohuani ni teca ehuatzin huiya chalchiuhti zan quetzalitztin y, niquincenquixtia in tepilhuan aya zan nicxochimalina in tecpillotl huia ohuaya ohuaya.

8. I am a guest here among the rulers of Huexotzinco; I lift up my voice and sing of precious stones and emeralds; I select from among the youths those for whom I shall wreathe the flowers of nobility.

9. A in ilhuicac itic ompa yeya huitz in yectliyan xochitl yectliyan cuicatl y, conpolo antellel conpolo antotlayocol y in tlacazo yehuatl in Chichimecatl teuctli in teca yehuatzin ica xonahuiacan a ohuaya ohuaya.

9. There comes from within the heavens a good flower, a good song, which will destroy your grief, destroy your sorrow; therefore, Chief of the Chichimecs, be glad and rejoice.

10. Moquetzal izqui xochintzetzeloa in icniuhyotl aztlacaxtlatlapantica ye onmalinticac in quetzalxiloxochitl imapan onn[)e]nemi conchichichintinemi in teteuctin in tepilhuan.

10. Here, delightful friendship, turning about with scarlet dyed wings, rains down its flowers, and the warriors and youths, holding in their hands the fragrant xilo flowers, walk about inhaling the sweet odor.

11. Zan teocuitlacoyoltototl o huel yectli namocuic huel yectli in anq'ehua anquin ye oncan y xochitl y ya hualyuhcan y xochitl imapan amoncate in amontlatl[)a]toa ye ohuaya ohui ohui ilili y yao ayya hue ho ama ha ilili ohua y yaohuia.

11. The golden coyol bird sings sweetly to you, sweetly lifts its voice like a flower, like sweet flowers in your hand, as you converse and lift your voice in singing, etc.

12. O ach ancati quechol in ipalnemoa o ach ancati tlatocauh yehuan Dios huiya achto tiamehuan anquitztoque tlahuizcalli amoncuicatinemi ohui, ohui, ilili, etc.

12. Even like the quechol bird to the Giver of Life, even as the herald of God, you have waited for the dawn, and gone forth singing ohui, etc.

13. Maciuhtiao o in quinequi noyollo, zan chimalli xochitl mixochiuh ipalnemoani, quen conchihuaz noyollo yehua onentacico tonquizaco in tlalticpac a ohuaya ohuaya.

13. Although I wish that the Giver of Life shall give for flowers the shield-flower, how shall I grieve that your efforts have been in vain, that you have gone forth from the world.

14. Zan ca yuhqui noyaz in o ompopoliuh xochitla antlenotleyoye in quemmanian, antlenitacihcayez in tlalticpac. Manel xochitl manel cuicatl, quen conchihuaz noyollo yehua onentacico tonquizaco in tlalticpac ohuaya ohuaya.

14. Even as I shall go forth into the place of decayed flowers, so sometime will it be with your fame and deeds on earth. Although they are flowers, although they are songs, how shall I grieve that your efforts have been in vain, that you have gone forth from the world.

15. Manton ahuiacan antocnihuan aya ma on nequech nahualo nican huiya a xochintlaticpac ontiyanemi yenican ayac quitlamitehuaz in xochitl in cuicatl in mani a ichan ipalnemohuani yi ao ailili yi ao aya hue aye ohuaya.

15. Let us be glad, dear friends, let us rejoice while we walk here on this flowery earth; may the end never come of our flowers and songs, but may they continue in the mansion of the Giver of Life.

16. In zancuelachitzincan tlalticpac aya ayaoc noiuhcan quennonamicani cuixocpacohua icniuhtihuay auh in amo zanio nican totiximatizo in tlalticpac y yiao ha ilili yiao.

16. Yet a little while and your friends must pass from earth. What does friendship offer of enjoyment, when soon we shall no longer be known on earth?

17. Noconca con cuicatl noconca o quin tlapitzaya xochimecatl ayoquan teuctliya ahuayie, ohuayiao ayio yo ohua.

17. This is the burden of my song, of the garland of flowers played on the flute, without equal in the place of the nobles.

18. Zan mitzyananquili omitzyananquili xochincalaitec y in aquiauhatzin in tlacateuhtli ayapancatl yahuayia.

18. Within the house of flowers the Lord of the Waters, of the Gate of the Waters, answers thee, has answered thee.

19. Can tinemi noteouh ipalnemohuani mitztemohua in quemmanian y mocanitlaocoyan, nicuicanitlhuia, zan ni mitzahuiltiaya ohuiyan tililiyanco huia ohuaya ohuaya.

19. Where thou livest, my beloved, the Giver of Life sends down upon thee sometimes things of sadness; but I, the singer, shall make thee glad in the place of difficulty, in the place of cumber.

20. In zan ca izqui xochitl in quetzalizqui xochitl pixahui ye nican xopancalaitec i tlacuilolcalitec, zan nimitzahahuiltiaya ohui.

20. Here are the many flowers, the beauteous flowers, rained down within the house of spring, within its painted house, and I with them shall make thee glad.

21. O anqui ye oncan Tlaxcala, ayahue, chalchiuhtetzilacuicatoque in huehuetitlan ohuaye, xochin poyon ayiahue Xicontencatl teuctli in Tizatlacatzin in camaxochitzin cuicatica y melelquiza xochiticaya on chielo itlatol ohuay icelteotl ohuaya.

21. O, you there in Tlaxcala, you have played like sweet bells upon your drums, even like brilliantly colored flowers. There was Xicontecatl, lord of Tizatlan, the rosy-mouthed, whose songs gave joy like flowers, who listened to the words of the one only God.

22. O, anqui nohuia y, ye mochan ipalnemohua xochipetlatl ye noca xochitica on tzauhticac oncan mitztlatlauhtia in tepilhua ohuaya.

22. Thy house, O Giver of Life is in all places; its mats are of flowers, finely spun with flowers, where thy children pray to thee.

23. In nepapan xochiquahuitl onicac, aya, huehuetitlan a a yiahue, can canticaya quetzaltica malintimani, ya, yecxochitl motzetzeloaya ohuaya ohuaya.

23. A rain of various flowers falls where stands the drum, beauteous wreaths entwine it, sweet flowers are poured down around it.

24. Can quetzatzal petlacoatl yepac o, ye nemi coyoltototl cuicatinemiya, can quinanquili teuctli ya, conahuiltianquauhtloocelotl ohuaya ohuaya.

24. Where the brilliant scolopender basks, the coyol bird scatters abroad its songs, answering back the nobles, rejoicing in their prowess and might.

25. Xochitzetzeliuhtoc y, niconnetolilo antocnihuan huehuetitlan ai on chielo can nontlamati toyollo yehua ohuaya ohuaya.

25. Scattering flowers I rejoice you, dear friends, with my drum, awaiting what comes to our minds.

26. In zan ca yehuan Dios tlaxic, ya, caquican yehual temoya o ilhuicatl itic, y, cuicatihuitz, y, quinanquilia o, angelotin ontlapitztihuitzteaya oyiahue yaia o o ohuaya ohuaya.

26. It reaches even to God, he hears it seeking him within the heavens, the song comes and the angels answer, playing on their flutes.

27. Zan ninentlamatia can niquauhtenco ayahue can. * * *

27. But I am sad within this wood.

XVIII.

_NICAN OMPEHUA TEPONAZCUICATL._

_HERE BEGIN SONGS FOR THE TEPONAZTLI._

_Tico, tico, toco, toto, auh ic ontlantiuh cuicatl, tiqui, ti ti, tito, titi._

_Tico, tico, toco, toto, and as the song approaches the end, tiqui, titi, tito, titi._

1. Tollan aya huapalcalli manca, nozan in mamani coatlaquetzalli yaqui yacauhtehuac Nacxitl Topiltzin, onquiquiztica ye choquililo in topilhuan ahuay yeyauh in polihuitiuh nechcan Tlapallan ho ay.

1. At Tollan there stood the house of beams, there yet stands the house of plumed serpents left by Nacxitl Topiltzin; going forth weeping, our nobles went to where he was to perish, down there at Tlapallan.

2. Nechcayan Cholollan oncan tonquizaya Poyauhtecatitlan, in quiyapanhuiya y Acallan anquiquiztica ye choquililon ye.

2. We went forth from Cholula by way of Poyauhtecatl, and ye went forth weeping down by the water toward Acallan.

3. Nonohualco ye nihuitz ye nihui quecholi nimamaliteuctla, nicnotlamatia oyah quin noteuc ye ihuitimali, nechya icnocauhya nimatlac xochitl, ayao ayao o ayya y yao ay.

3. I come from Nonohualco as if I carried quechol birds to the place of the nobles; I grieve that my lord has gone, garlanded with feathers; I am wretched like the last flower.

4. In tepetl huitomica niyaychocaya, axaliqueuhca nicnotlamatiya o yaquin noteuc (etc. as v. 3).

4. With the falling down of mountains I wept, with the lifting up of sands I was wretched, that my lord had gone.

5. In Tlapallan aya mochieloca monahuatiloca ye cochiztla o anca ca zanio ayao, ayao, ayao.

5. At Tlapallan he was waited for, it was commanded that there he should sleep, thus being alone.

6. Zan tiyaolinca ye noteuc ic ihuitimali, tinahuatiloya ye Xicalanco o anca zacanco.

6. In our battles my lord was garlanded with feathers; we were commanded to go alone to Xicalanco.

7. Ay yanco ay yanco ayamo aya ayhuiya ayanco ayyanco ayamo aye ahuiya que ye mamaniz mocha moquiapana, oquen ye mamaniz moteuccallatic ya icnocauhqui nican Tollan Nonohualco ya y ya y ya o ay.

7. Alas! and alas! who will be in thy house to attire thee? Who will be the ruler in thy house, left desolate here in Tollan, in Nonohualco?

8. In ye quinti chocaya teuctlon, timalon que ye mamaniz mochan (etc. as v. 7).

8. After he was drunk, the ruler wept; we glorified ourselves to be in thy dwelling.

9. In tetl, in quahuitl o on timicuilotehuac nachcan Tollan y inon can in otontlatoco Naxitl Topiltzin y aye polihuiz ye motoca ye ic ye chocaz in momacehual ay yo.

9. Misfortune and misery were written against us there in Tollan, that our leader Nacxitl Topiltzin was to be destroyed and thy subjects made to weep.

10. Zan can xiuhcalliya cohuacallaya in oticmatehuac nachcan Tollan y inon can yn otontlatoco Naxitl Topiltzin (etc. as in v. 9).

10. We have left the turquoise houses, the serpent houses there in Tollan, where ruled our leader Nacxitl Topiltzin.

XIX.

_Tico toco toco ti quiti quiti quiti quito; can ic mocneptiuh._

_Tico, toco, toco, tiquiti, quiti, quiti, quito; where it is to turn back again._

1. Tlapapal xochiceutli niyolaya nepapan tonacan xochitl moyahuaya oncueponti moquetzaco ya naya aya ye teo ya ixpan tonaa Santa Maria ayyo.

1. Resting amid parti-colored flowers I rejoiced; the many shining flowers came forth, blossomed, burst forth in honor of our mother Holy Mary.

2. An ya ya cuicaya zan quetzala xihuitl tomolihui yan aya ye nitlachihual icelteotl y ye Dios aya ni itlayocolaoya yecoc ya.

2. They sang as the beauteous season grew, that I am but a creature of the one only God, a work of his hands that he has made.

3. Zan ca tlaauilolpan nemia moyollo amoxpetlatl ipan toncuicaya tiquimonyaitotia teteuctin aya in obispo ya zan ca totatzin aya oncan titlatoa atlitempan ay yo.

3. Mayst thy soul walk in the light, mayst thou sing in the great book, mayst thou join the dance of the rulers as our father the bishop speaks in the great temple.

4. Yehuan Dios mitzyocox aya xochitla ya mitztlacatilo yancuicatl mitzicuiloa Santa Maria in obispo ya.

4. God created thee, he caused thee to be born in a flowery place, and this new song to Holy Mary the bishop wrote for thee.

XX.

1. Tolteca icuilihuia ahaa ya ha on tlantoc amoxtli ya moyollo ya on aya mochonaciticac o o Toltecayootl aic aya ninemiz ye nican ay yo.

1. The Toltecs have been taken, alas, the book of their souls has come to an end, alas, everything of the Toltecs has reached its conclusion, no longer do I care to live here.

2. Ac ya nechcuiliz, ac ye nohuan oyaz o, nicaz a anni icuihuan aya y yancuicanitl y yehetl y noxochiuh non cuica ihuitequi onteixpan ayyo.

2. Who will take me? Who will go with me? I am ready to be taken, alas. All that was fresh, the perfume, my flowers, my songs, have gone along with them.

3. Huey in tetl nictequintomahuac quahuitl, nicicuiloa yancuicatl itech aya oncan nomitoz in quemmanian in can niyaz nocuica machio nicyacauhtiaz in tlalticpac, y onnemiz noyol zan ca ye nican ya hualla y yancoya nolnamicoca nemiz ye noteyo ay yo.

3. Great is my affliction, weighty is my burden; I write out a new song concerning it, that some time I may speak it there where I shall go, a song to be known when I shall leave the earth, that my soul shall live after I have gone from here, that my fame shall live fresh in memory.

4. Nichocaya niquittoaya nicnotza noyollo ma niquitta cuicanelhuayotl ayama nicyatlalaquiya ma ya ica tlalticpac quimman mochihua onnenemiz noyol y. Zan ca teucxochitl ahuiaca ipotocaticac mocepanoayan toxochiuh ay ye ayao ohuiy on can quiya itzmolini ye nocuic celia notlatollaquillo ohua in toxochiuh icac iquiapani ayao.

4. I cried aloud, I looked about, I reflected how I might see the root of song, that I might plant it here on the earth, and that then it should make my soul to live. The sweet exhalations of the lovely flowers rose up uniting with our flowers; one hears them growing as my song buds forth, filled with my words our flowers stand upright in the waters.

5. Tel ca cahua xochitl ahuiac xeliuhtihuitz a ipotocaya in ahuiyac poyomatlin pixahua oncan ninenenemi nicuicanitl y ye aya o ohui y on ca quiya itzmolinï ye nocuic celia, etc.

5. But the flowers depart, their sweetness is divided and exhales, the fragrant poyomatl rains down its leaves where I the poet walk in sadness; one hears them growing, etc.

XXI.

_HUEXOTZINCAYOTL._

_A SONG OF THE HUEXOTZINCOS,_

_Viniendo los de Huexotzinco à pedir socorro à Moteuczoma Tlaxcalla._

_Coming to Ask Aid of Montezuma Against Tlaxcalla._

1. Tlacuiloltzetzeliuhticac moyoliol tiMoteuczom[=a]tzi nichuicatihuitz nictzetzelotihuitz y o huetzcani xochinquetzalpapalotl moquetzalizouhtihuitz noconitotia chalchiuhatlaquiquizcopa niyahueloncuica chalchiuhhuilacapitzli nicteocuitlapitza ya ho ay la ya o haye ohuichile amiyacale.

1. Raining down writings for thy mind, O Montezuma, I come hither, I come raining them down, a very jester, a painted butterfly; stringing together pretty objects, I seem to be as one cementing together precious stones, as I chant my song on my emerald flute, as I blow on my golden flute, ya ho, ay la, etc.

2. Ohuaya ye onniceelehuia moxochiuh aya ipalnemoani yehuay[=a] Dios aya ilihu[=a]ca nahuiche nictzetzeloaya noncuicatilo yaha y.

2. Yes, I shall cause thy flowers to rejoice the Giver of Life, the God in heaven, as hither I come raining down my songs, ya ho.

3. Tozmilini xochitl in noyolyol ay yahue tozmilini xochitl noteponaz ayanco ayancayome oncana y yahue nicxochiamoxtozimmanaya itlatol ayanco ayanca yomeho.

3. A sweet voiced flower is my mind, a sweet voiced flower is my drum, and I sing the words of this flowery book.

4. Xompaqui xonahuia annochipanicantiyazque ye ichano nohueyetzinteuctli Moteuczomatzi, totlaneuh tlpc totlaneuh uelic xochitl o ayanco.

4. Rejoice and be glad ye who live amid the flowers in the house of my great lord Montezuma, we must finish with this earth, we must finish with the sweet flowers, alas.

5. Tlachinoltepec yn ahuicacopa tixochitonameyo timoquetzaco y yehuan Dios a ocelozacatl ypan quauhtli choca ymopopoyauhtoc y yanco y liyan cay yahue ayli y yacalco y ya y ycho zaca y yahue.

5. At the Mount of Battle we bring forth our sweet and glittering flowers before God, plants having the lustre of the tiger, like the cry of the eagle, leaving glorious memory, such are the plants in this house.

6. Ohuaya yehe nipa tlantinemia ixpan Dios a ninozozohuayatlauhquechol, zaquan quetzal in tlayahualol papalotl mopilihuitzetzeloa teixpana xochiatlaquiquizcopa oh tlatoca ye nocuic y yanco ili, etc.

6. Alas! in a little while there is an end before God to all living; let me therefore string together beauteous and yellow feathers, and mingling them with the dancing butterflies rain them down before you, scattering the words of my song like water dashed from flowers.

7. Nehcoya ompa ye nihuithuiya xoxouhqui hueyatla ymancan zanniman olini pozoni tetecuica ic nipa tlania, zan iquetzal in tototl xiuhquechol tototl no chiuhtihuitz'y ni yahuinac ya Huexotzinco Atzalan ayome.

7. I would that I could go there where lies the great blue water surging, and smoking and thundering, till after a time it retires again: I shall sing as the quetzal, the blue quechol, when I go back to Huexotzinco among the waters (_or_, and Atzalan).

8. Zan niquintocaz aya niquimiximatitiuh nohueyotzitzinhuan chalchiuhquechol y canca xiuhquechol in teocuitlapapalotl in cozcatototl ontlapia ye onca Huexotzinco Atzalan ayame;

8. I shall follow them, I shall know them, my beloved Huexotzincos; the emerald quechol birds, the green quechol, the golden butterflies, and yellow birds, guard Huexotzinco among the waters (_or_, and Atzalan).

9. Xochi Atzalaan teocuitlaatl chalchiuhatl y nepaniuhyan itlatoaya in quetzalcanauhtli quetzalnocuitlapilli cuecueyahuaya yliya yliya yaho ayli yaho aye huichile anicale.

9. Among the flowery waters, the golden waters, the emerald waters, at the junction of the waters which the blue duck rules moving her spangled tail.

10. Huecapan nicac nicuicanitl huiya zaquan petlatolini, ma nica yeninemia nicyeyectian cuicatla in nic xochiotia yayaho yahii.

10. I the singer stand on high on the yellow rushes; let me go forth with noble songs and laden with flowers.

XXII.

_Tico tico ticoti tico tico ticoti auh ic ontlantiuk in cuicatl totoco totoco._

_Tico, tico, ticoti, tico, tico, ticoti, and then the song ends with totoco, totoco._

1. Xichocayan nicuicanitl nicitta noxochiuh zan nomac ommania zan quihuintia ye noyollo ni cuicatl aya nohuian nemia, zan ca ye noyollo notlayocola in cayo.

1. In the place of tears I the singer watch my flowers; they are in my hand; they intoxicate my soul and my song, as I walk alone with them, with my sad soul among them.

2. Xiuhtlamatelolla quetzalchalchiuhtla ipan ye nicmatia nocuic aya ma yectlaxochitl y, zan nomac ton mania, etc.

2. In this spot, where the herbage is like sweet ointment and green as the turquoise and emerald, I think upon my song, holding the beauteous flowers in my hand, etc. (as in v. 1).

3. In quetzalin chalchiuhtla ipan ye nicmatia yectli ye nocuic yectli noxochiuh annicuihuan tepilhuan aya xonahuiacan a ayac onnemiz o in tlalticpac ayo.

3. In this spot of turquoise and emerald, I think upon beauteous songs, beauteous flowers; let us rejoice now, dear friends and children, for life is not long upon earth.

4. O an niquitquiz ye niaz yectli nocuic yectli noxochiuhui annicuihuan tepilhuan aya.

4. I shall hasten forth, I shall go to the sweet songs, the sweet flowers, dear friends and children.

5. O huayanco o nichocaya a huayanco o cahua y yahue nictzetzelo xochitl ay yo.

5. O he! I cried aloud; O he! I rained down flowers as I left.

6. Mach nohuan tonyaz quennonamica o ah nicitquiz xochitl zan nicuicanitl huiya ma yo a xonahuiyacan to ya nemia ticaqui ye nocuic ahuaya.

6. Let us go forth anywhere; I the singer shall find and bring forth the flowers; let us be glad while we live; listen to my song.

7. Ay ca nichocaya nicuicanitl ya icha ahuicaloyan cuicatl ha Mictlan temohuiloya yectliya xochitl onca ya oncaa y yao ohuayan ca ya ilaca tziuhan ca na y yo.

7. I the poet cry out a song for a place of joy, a glorious song which descends to Mictlan, and there turns about and comes forth again.

8. Amo nequimilool amo neccuiltonol antepilhuan aychaa ohuicaloyan cuicatl.

8. I seek neither vestment nor riches, O children, but a song for a place of joy.

XXIII.

_YCUIC NEZAHUALCOYOTZIN._

_SONGS OF THE PRINCE NEZAHUALCOYOTL._

_Totoco totoco tico, totoco totoco ic ontlantiuh tico titico ti tico tico._

_Totoco, totoco, tico, totoco totoco, then it ends with tico titico, titico, tico._

1. Nicaya quetza con tohuehueuh aoniquimitotia quauhtlocelo yn ca tiyayhcac in cuicaxochitl, nictemoan cuicatl ye tonequimilol ayyo.

1. I bring forth our drum that I may show the power and the grandeur in which thou standest, decked with flowers of song: I seek a song wherewith to drape thee, ah! oh!

2. Ti Nopiltzi o ti Nezahualcoyotl o tiya Mictl a quenonamica y yece miyoncan ay yo.

2. Thou, my Lord, O thou Nezahualcoyotl, thou goest to Mictlan in some manner and at a fixed time, ere long.

3. Quiyon quiyon caya nichocaya ya ni Nezahualcoyotl huiya queni yeno yaz o ya nipolihuiz oya miquitla ye nimitzcahua noteouh ypalnemo o tinechnahuatia ye niaz nipolihuiz aya, yo.

3. For this, for this, I weep, I Nezahualcoyotl, inasmuch as I am to go, I am to be lost in death, I must leave thee; my God, the Giver of Life, thou commandest me, that I go forth, that I be lost, alas.

4. Quenon maniz tlallin Acolihuacan huiya cuixoca quen mano o ticmomoyahuaz in momacehuali ye nimitzcahua noteouh, etc.

4. How shall the land of Acolhuacan remain, alas? How shall we, thy servants, spread abroad its fame? I must leave thee; my God, etc.

5. Can yio cuicatli tonequimilol quipoloaya a in totlacuiloli tepilhuan oo maya o huitihua nican aya ayac ichan tlalticpac oo ticyacencahuazque huelic ye xochitl ayio.

5. Even this song for thy draping may perish, which we have written for our children, it will no longer have a home here on earth when we shall wholly leave these fragrant flowers.

6. O ayac quitlamitaz monecuiltonol ypalnemoa a noyolquimati cuelachic otictlanehuico Nezahualcoyotzin ay oppatihua nican anaya y chan tlpc. Oon yn ay oppatihua in tlalticpacqui, zan nicuicanitl ayaho onnichocaya niquelnamiqui Nezahualcoyotl aya ho.

6. Alas! thy riches shall end; the Giver of Life teaches me that but for a little while do we enjoy the prince Nezahualcoyotl, nor a second time will he come to his house on earth; no second time will he rejoice on earth; but I the singer grieve, recalling to memory Nezahualcoyotl.

7. Xo acico ye nican in teotl aya ypalnemoa, ayaho on nichocaya a niquelnamiqui Nezalhuacoyotl ayio.

7. Let us seek while here the god, the Giver of Life; I grieve, recalling to memory Nezahualcoyotl.

XXIV.

_Quititi, quititi, quiti tocoto, tocoti tocoto tocoti zan ic mocueptiuh._

_Quititi, quititi, quiti tocoto, tocoti, tocoto, tocoti, then it is to turn back again._

1. Ma xochicuicoya ma ichtoa nichuana ayyahue teyhuinti xochitl ao ya noyehcoc ye nica poyoma xahuallan timaliuhtihuitz ay yo.

1. Let me pluck flowers, let me see them, let me gather the really intoxicating flowers; the flowers are ready, many colored, varied in hue, for our enjoyment.

2. Ma xochitl oyecoc ye nican ayyahuc can tlaahuixochitla moyahuaya motzetzeloa ancazo yehuatl in nepapaxochitl ayyo. Zan commoni huchuetl ma ya netotilo.

2. The flowers are ready here in this retired spot, this spot of fragrant flowers, many sorts of flowers are poured down and scattered about; let the drum be ready for the dance.

3. Yn quetzal poyomatl ayc ihcuilihuic noyol nicuicanitl in xochitl ayan tzetzelihui ya ancuel ni cuiya ma xonahuacan ayio zan noyolitic ontlapanion cuicaxochitl nicyamoyahuaya yxoochitla.

3. I the singer take and pour down before you from my soul the beautiful poyomatl, not to be painted, and other flowers; let us rejoice, while I alone within my soul disclose the songs of flowers, and scatter them abroad in the place of flowers.

4. Cuicatl ya ninoquinilotehuaz in quemmanian xochineneliuhtiaz noyollo yehuan tepilhuan oonteteuctin in ca yio.

4. I shall leave my songs in order that sometime I may mingle the flowers of my heart with the children and the nobles.

5. Zan ye ic nichoca in quemanian zan nicaya ihtoa noxochiteyo nocuicatoca nictlalitehuaz in quemanian xochineneliuhtiaz, etc.

5. I weep sometimes as I see that I must leave the earth and my flowers and songs, that sometime these flowers will be vain and useless.

XXV.

_Tico toco tocoto ic ontlantiuh ticoto ticoto._

_Tico, toco, tocoto, and then it ends, ticoto, ticoto._

1. Toztliyan quechol nipa tlantinemia in tlallaicpac oquihuinti ye noyol ahua y ya i.

1. The sweet voiced quechol there, ruling the earth, has intoxicated my soul.

2. Ni quetzaltototl niyecoya ye iquiapan ycelteotl yxochiticpac nihueloncuica oo nicuicaihtoa paqui ye noyol ahuay.

2. I am like the quetzal bird, I am created in the house of the one only God; I sing sweet songs among the flowers; I chant songs and rejoice in my heart.

3. Xochiatl in pozontimania in tlallaicpac oquihuinti ye noyol ahua.

3. The fuming dew-drops from the flowers in the field intoxicate my soul.

4. Ninochoquilia niquinotlamati ayac in chan oo tlallicpac ahua.

4. I grieve to myself that ever this dwelling on earth should end.

5. Zan niquittoaya ye ni Mexicatl mani ya huiya nohtlatoca tequantepec ni yahui polihuin chittepehua a ya ye choca in tequantepehua o huaye.

5. I foresaw, being a Mexican, that our rule began to be destroyed, I went forth weeping that it was to bow down and be destroyed.

6. Ma ca qualania nohueyotehua Mexicatli polihui chile.

6. Let me not be angry that the grandeur of Mexico is to be destroyed.

7. Citlalin in popocaya ipan ye moteca y za ye polihui a zan ye xochitecatl ohuaye.

7. The smoking stars gather together against it; the one who cares for flowers is about to be destroyed.

8. Zan ye chocaya amaxtecatl aya caye chocaya tequantepehua.

8. He who cared for books wept, he wept for the beginning of the destruction.

XXVI.

_Toto tiquiti tiquiti ic ontlantiuh tocotico tocoti toto titiqui toto titiquiti._

_Toto tiquiti tiquiti, then it ends tocotico, tocoti toto titiqui toto titiquiti._

1. Oya moquetz huel oon ma on netotilo teteuctin aya ma onnetlanehuihuilo chalchihuitl on quetzali patlahuac, ayac ichan tlalticpac, ayio zan nomac onmania ooo y xochiuh aya ipalnemoa ma onnetlanehuilo chalchihuitl.

1. Come forth to the dance, ye lords, let there be abundance of turquoise and feathers; our dwelling on earth is not for long; only let the gods give me flowers to my hand, give me abundance of turquoises.

2. Oyohual in colinia o on in icelteotl ipalnemaa Anahuac o onnemia noyol ayio.

2. Come let us move in the dance in honor of the one only god, the Giver of Life, while my soul lives by the waters (_or_, in Anahuac).

3. In yancuica oncan quixima ipalnemoani ca ye Nonoalco ahuilizapan i in teuctli yehua Nezahualpilli y yece ye oncan aya in tlacoch tenanpan Atlixco ayio.

3. The Giver of Life made known a new song after the lord Nezahualpilli entered the strongholds of Nonoalco and sped his arrows within the walls of Atlixco.

4. Zan momac otitemic motlahuan zomal a ica ticahuiltia icelteotl in teuctli yehua.

4. Thou hast filled thy plate and thy cup in thy hands and hast rejoiced in the one only God, the Lord.

5. Y yeho aye icnotlamati noyollo, zan niNonoalcatl, zan can nicolintototl o nocamapan aya Mexicatl in ca yio.

5. Alas, how I am afflicted in my soul, I, a resident of Nonoalco; I am like a wild bird, my face is that of a Mexican.

6. On quetzal pipixauhtoc motlachinolxochiuh in ipalnemoa zan ca nicolintototl, etc.

6. The beauteous flowers of thy battles lie abundantly snowed down, O Giver of Life; I am like a wild bird, etc.

XXVII.

_Toco toco tiqui tiqui ic ontlantiuh toco tico tocoti._

_Toco, toco, tiqui, tiqui, and then it ends toco, tico, tocoli._

1. Ma ya pehualo ya nicuihua in ma ya on acico ye nicaan aya oya y[)e]coc yehuan Dios in cayio in ma ya ca ya onahuilihuan tepilhuan a ayamo acico ya yehuan Dios oncan titemoc yehuan Dios a oncan huel in oncan tlacat y ye Yesu Cristo in ca yio.

1. Let my song be begun, let it spread abroad from here as far as God has created; may the children be glad, may it reach to God, there to God whom we seek, there where is Jesus Christ who was born.

2. In oncan tlahuizcalli milintimani mochan aya moxochiuhaya Dios aya chalchiuhcueponi maquiztzetzelihui onnetlamachtiloya in ca yio in oncan ya o nepapan izhuayo moxochiuh aya Dios a.

2. There the dawn spreads widely over the fields, over thy house, and thy flowers, O God, blossom beauteous as emeralds; they rain down in wondrous showers, in that place of happiness; there alone may my flowers, of various leaves, be found, O God.

3. Zan ye xochitl moyahua oo zan ca itlatol in ipalnemoani o ontepan ye moteca anahuac ooica tichuelmana atl on yan tepetl ayio.

3. There the flowers are the words of the Giver of Life; they are upon the mountains and by the waters; we find them alike by the water and the mountain.

4. Zan temomac mania cemilhuitl in niman ye tehuatl toconyaittoaya ipalnemoani.

4. Our day is in thy hand, and soon we shall see thee, thou Giver of Life.

NOTES.

NOTES FOR SONG I.

The song is an allegory, portraying the soul-life of the poet. By the flowers which he sets forth to seek, we are to understand the songs which he desires to compose. He asks himself where the poetic inspiration is to be sought, and the answer is the same as was given by Wordsworth, that it is to the grand and beautiful scenes of Nature that the poet must turn for the elevation of soul which will lift him to the sublimest heights of his art. But this exaltation bears with it the heavy penalty that it disqualifies for ordinary joys. As in medieval tales, he who had once been admitted to fairyland, could nevermore conquer his longing to return thither, so the poet longs for some other condition of existence where the divine spirit of song may forever lift him above the trials and the littleness of this earthly life.

There is no sign of Christian influence in the poem, and it is probably one handed down from a generation anterior to the Conquest.

1. The word _peuhcayotl_ from _peua_, to begin, intimates that this was a song chanted at the beginning of a musical entertainment. The verses are longer, and the phraseology plainer than in many of those following. There is also an absence of interjections and lengthened vowels, all of which indicate that the time was slow, and the actions of the singer temperate, as was the custom at the beginning of a _baile_. (See Introd., p. 20.)

1. _Ninoyolnonotza_, a reflexive, frequentative form from _notza_, to think, to reflect, itself from the primitive radicle _no_, mind, common to both the Nahuatl and Maya languages. The syllable _yol_ is for _yollotl_, heart, in its figurative sense of soul or mind. The combination of _yolnonotza_ is not found in any of the dictionaries. The full sense is, "I am thinking by myself, in my heart."

_ahuiaca_, an adverbial form, usually means "pleasant-smelling," though in derivation it is from the verb _ahuia_, to be satisfied with.

_quetzal_, for _quetzalli_, a long, handsome blue feather from the quetzal bird, often used figuratively for anything beautiful or precious.

_chalchiuh_ for _chalchiuitl_, the famous green-stone, jade or emerald, so highly prized by the Mexicans; often used figuratively for anything noble, beautiful and esteemed.

_huitzitzicatin_, a word not found in the dictionaries, appears to be from _tzitzilca_, to tremble, usually from cold, but here applied to the tremulous motion of the humming bird as it hovers over a flower.

_zacuan_, the yellow plumage of the zacuan bird, and from similarity of color here applied to the butterfly. The zacuan is known to ornithologists as the _Oriolus dominicensis_. These birds are remarkably gregarious, sometimes as many as a hundred nests being found in one tree (see Eduard Mühlenpfort, _Versuch einer getreuen Schilderung der Republik Mexiko_, Bd. I, p. 183).

_acxoyatzinitzcanquauhtla_; composed of _acxoyatl_, the wild laurel; _tzinitzcan_, the native name of the _Trogon mexicanus_, renowned for its beautiful plumage; _quauhtli_, a tree; and the place-ending _tla_, meaning abundance.

_tlauquecholxochiquauhtla_; composed of _tlauquechol_, the native name of the red, spoon-billed heron, _Platalea ajaja; xochitl_, flower; _quauhtli_, tree; and the place-ending _tla_.

_tonameyotoc_, the root is the verb _tona_, to shine, to be warm; _tonatiuh_, the sun; _tonameyotl_, a ray of the sun, etc. As warmth and sunlight are the conditions of growth and fertility, many derivatives from this root signify abundance, riches, etc.

_mocehcemelquixtia_; _mo_ is the reflexive pronoun, 3d sing., often used impersonally; _cehcemel_, is a reduplicated form of the numeral _ce_, one; it conveys the sense of entire, whole, perfect, and is thus an interesting illustration of the tendency of the untutored mind to associate the idea of unity with the notion of perfection; _quixtia_ is the compulsive form of _quiza_, to go forth.

_onechittitique_; 3d person plural, preterit, of the causative form of _itta_, to see; _ittitia_, to cause to see, to show; _nech_, me, accusative form of the pronoun.

_nocuexanco_; from _cuexantli_, the loose gown worn by the natives, extending from the waist to the knees. Articles were carried in it as in an apron; _no-cuexan-co_, my-gown-in, the terminal _tli_ being dropped on suffixing the postposition.

_tepilhuan_; from _pilli_, boy, girl, child, young person, with the relative, indefinite, pronominal prefix _te_, and the pronominal plural termination _huan_, to take which, _pilli_ drops its last syllable, _li_; hence, _te-pil-huan_, somebody's children, or in general, the young people. This word is of constant occurrence in the songs.

_teteuctin_, plural with reduplication of _teuctli_, a noble, a ruler, a lord. The singer addresses his audience by this respectful title.

2. _ixochicuicatzini_; _i_, poss. pron. 3d sing.; _xochitl_, flower; _cuicatl_, song; _tzin_, termination signifying reverence or affection; "their dear flower-songs."

_yuhqui tepetl_, etc. The echo in the Nahuatl tongue is called _tepeyolotl_, the heart or soul of the mountain (not in Simeon's _Dictionnaire_, but given by Tezozomoc, _Cronica Mexicana_, p. 202).

_meyaquetzalatl_; from _meya_, to flow slowly, to trickle; _quetzalli_, beautiful; _atl_, water.

_xiuhtotoameyalli_; the root _xiuh_ meant originally green (or blue, as they were not distinguished apart); hence _xiuitl_, a leaf or plant, the green herbage; as where the Nahuas then were this was renewed annually, _xiuitl_ came to mean a year; as a comet seems to have a bunch of fiery flames growing from it, this too was _xiuitl_, and a turquoise was called by the same term; in the present compound, it is employed adjectively; _xiuh-totol_, turquoise-bird, is the _Guiaca cerulea_, Linn.; _ameyalli_, from _atl_, water, _meya_, to trickle, and the noun ending.

_mo-motla_; to throw one's self, to dash one's self against something, etc.

_centzontlatolli_; literally," four hundred speeches." The numeral four hundred was employed, like the Greek "myriad," to express vaguely any extraordinary number. The term may be rendered "the myriad-voiced," and was the common name of the mocking-bird, called by ornithologists _Turdus polyglottus_, _Calandria polyglotta_, and _Mimus polyglotta_.

_coyoltototl_, literally, "the rattle-bird," so called from its peculiar notes (_coyolli_ = a rattle), is one of the _Tanegridae_, probably the _Piranga hepatica_.

_ayacachicahuactimani_; composed of _ayacachtli_, the rattle (see _ante_, page 24); and _icahuaca_, to sing (of birds); to the theme of this verb is added the connective syllable _ti_, and the verb _mani_, which, in such connection, indicates that the action of the former verb is expended over a large surface, broadly and widely (see Olmos, _Gram. de la Langue Nahuatl_, p. 155, where, however, the connective _ti_ is erroneously taken for the pronoun _ti_).

_hueltetozcatemique_; composed of _huel_, good or well; _tetozca_, from _tozquitl_, the singing voice; and _temo_, to let fall, to drop; _que_ is the plural verbal termination.

3. _ma n-amech-ellelti_, vetative causative from _elleloa_, to cause pain.

_cactimotlalique_, appears to be a compound of _caqui_, to listen, to hear, and _tlalia_, to seat, to place.

_amohuampotzitzinhuan_, a compound based on the pronoun of the second person plural, _amo_, the particle _po_, which means similarity or likeness, and the reduplicated reverential plural termination. The same particle _po_, appears a few lines later in _toquichpohuan_; _potli_ = comrade, compeer.

4. _Tepeitic_, from _tepetl_, mountain, _ititl_, belly, from which is derived the proposition _itic_, within, among. The term is applied to a ravine or sequestered valley.

5. _quauhtliya ocelotl_, the expression _quauhtli, ocelotl_, is of frequent occurrence in the ancient Nahuatl writers. The words mean literally "eagle, tiger." These were military titles applied to officers commanding small bodies of troops; figuratively, the words mean control, power, and dignity; also, bravery and virtue. Comp. Agustin de Vetancurt, _Teatro Mexicano_, Tratado II, cap. 3.

6. _in tloque in nahuaque_; this expression, applied by the ancient Nahuas to the highest divinity, is attributed by some to Nezahualcoyotl (see above, p. 36). It is composed of two postpositions _tloc_ and _nahaac_, and in the form given conveys the meaning "to whom are present and in whom are immanent all things having life." See Agustin de la Rosa, _Analisis de la Platica Mexicana sobre el Mislerio de la Santisima Trinidad_, p. 11 (Guadalajara, 1871). The epithet was applied in heathen times to the supreme divinity Tonacateotl; see the _Codex Telleriano-Remensis_, in Kingsborough's _Mexico_, Vol. VI, p. 107.

8. _ximoayan_; this word does not appear in the dictionaries of Molina or Simeon, and is a proof, as is the sentiment of the whole verse, that the present poem belongs to a period previous to the Conquest. The term means "where all go to stay," and was the name of the principal realm of departed souls in the mythology of the ancient Nahuas. See Bartholome de Alva, _Confessionario en Lengua Mexicana_, fol. 13 (Mexico, 1634); Tezozomoc, _Cronica Mexicana_, cap. 55; D.G. Brinton; _The Journey of the Soul_ (in Aztec and Aryan Myths), Philadelphia, 1883.

_yhuintia_, causative form of _ihuinti_, to make drunk. The Nirvana of the Nahuas was for the soul to lie in dense smoke and darkness, filled with utter content, and free from all impressions ("en lo profundo de contento y obscuridad," Tezozomoc, _Cronica Mexicana_, cap. 55).

NOTES FOR SONG II.

On the signification of the titles given to this poem see the Introduction, § 3.

1. _yehnan Dios_; literally "who are God;" the introduction of the Spanish _Dios_, God, is in explanation of _in tloque in nahuaque_; so far from proving that this song is of late date, this vouches for its genuine ancient character, through the necessity for such explanation.

2. _nelhuayotl_, the essence or source of something, its true nature; probably from _nelli_, true.

_teoquecholme_; the prefix _teotl_, divine, is often added as an expression of admiration. Sahagun mentions the _teoquechol_ as a bird of brilliant plumage.

NOTES FOR SONG III.

The poet recalls a recent attendance on the obsequies of an acquaintance, and seeks to divert his mind from the gloomy contemplation of death and the ephemeral character of mortal joys by urging his friend to join in the pleasure of the hour, and by suggesting the probability of an after life.

1. _xochicalco_; compounded of _xochitl_, flower; _calli_, house; and the postposition, _co_. The term was applied to any room decorated with flowers; here, to the mortuary chamber, which Tezozomoc tells us was decked with roses and brilliant feathers.

_ipalnemohuani_, literally "the one by whom life exists." The composition is _i_, possessive pronoun, third person, singular; _pal_, postposition, by; _nemoani_, singular of the present in _ni_ of the impersonal form of the verb _nemi_, to live, with the meaning to do habitually that which the verb expresses. It is an ancient epithet applied to the highest divinity, and is found in the _Codex Telleriano-Remensis_, Kingsborough's _Mexico_, Vol. VI, p. 128, note.

_tolquatectitlan_, from _toloa_, to lower, to bow; _quatequia_, to immerse the head; _tlan_, place ending. In the ancient funeral ceremonies the faces of the assistants were laved with holy water. On this rite see the note of Orozco y Berra to his edition of the _Cronica Mexicana_ of Tezozomoc, p. 435 (Mexico, 1878).

_xoyacaltitlan_; from _xoyaui_, to spoil, to decay, whence _xoyauhqui_, rank, unpleasant, like the odor of decaying substances.

_xochicopal tlenamactli_, "the incense of sweet copal," which was burned in the funeral chamber (see Tezozomoc's description of the obsequies of Axayaca, _Cron. Mex._, cap. 55).

2. The translation of this verse offers some special difficulties.

NOTES FOR SONG IV.

A poem of unusually rich metaphors is presented, with the title "A Song of the Mexicans, after the manner of the Otomis." It is a rhapsody, in which the bard sings his "faculty divine," and describes the intoxication of the poetic inspiration. It has every inherent mark of antiquity, and its thought is free from any tincture of European influence.

2. _miahuatototl_, literally, "the corn-silk bird," _miahua_ being the term applied to the silk or tassel of the maize ear when in the milk. I have not found its scientific designation.

6. _poyomatl_; the poyomatli is described by Sahagun (_Hist. de la Nueva España_, Lib. X, cap. 24) as a species of rose, portions of which were used to fill the cane tubes or pipes used for smoking. He names it along with certain fungi employed for the same purpose, and it probably produced a narcotic effect.

NOTES FOR SONG V.

From the wording, this appears to be one of the lost songs of Nezahualcoyotl, either composed by him or sung before him. (See the Introduction, p. 35.) It is a funeral dirge, dwelling on the fact of universal and inevitable death, and the transitoriness of life. There is in it no hint of Christian consolation, no comfortable hope of happiness beyond the grave. Hence it dates, in all likelihood, from a period anterior to the arrival of the missionaries.

1. _tonequimilol_; I take this to be a derivative from _quimiloa_, to wrap up, especially, to shroud the dead, to wrap the corpse in its winding sheets, as was the custom of the ancient Mexicans. The word, however, seems an archaic form, as it does not lend itself readily to analysis.

The expression _in Dios_, I explain as in the note to II, 1, and do not consider that it detracts from the authentic antiquity of the poem.

2. _yoyontzin_; on the significance of this appellation of Nezahualcoyotl, see Introduction, p. 35.

3. _ti Nezahualcoyotl_; "thou Nezahualcoyotl." The princely poet may have addressed himself in this expression, or we may suppose the song was chanted before him.

5. _Nopiltzin_; the reference is to Quetzalcoatl, the famous "fair God" of the Nahuas, and in myth, the last ruler of the Toltecs. See D.G. Brinton, _American Hero Myths_ (Philadelphia, 1882). The term means "my beloved Lord." On Tezozomoc, see Introduction, p. 35.

6. The text of the latter part or refrain of verses 5 and 6 is corrupt, and my translation is doubtful.

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 España_, Lib. XII, cap. 16 and 40.) M. Rémi 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._

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 España_. 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.

NOTES FOR SONG VIII.

The entire absence in this lament for the dead of any consolation drawn from Christian doctrines, points clearly to a date for its composition earlier than the teachings of the missionaries. Its cry of woe is hopeless, and the title attributes its authorship to one of the old chieftains, _tlatoani_, who held the power before the Spaniard arrived.

1. _quetzalhuahuaciuhtoque_, from _quetzalli, huaqui_; _in teintoque_, the splinters; the same simile is employed in VII, 2.

2. _ximoayan_, see note to I, 8. The occurrence of this term here and in verse 3 testifies to the fact of a composition outside of Christian influences.

NOTES FOR SONG IX.

The title does not necessarily mean that this song is a translation from the Otomi language, but merely that the time to which it was chanted was in the Otomi style; or, the term _Otomi_ may have reference to the military officer so called. The word is perhaps a compound of _otli_, path, and _mitl_, arrow.

The bard sings the vanity of earthly pleasures, and the reality of earthly pains; he exhorts himself and his hearers not to neglect the duties of religion, and lauds his own skill in song, which he compares to the sweet voices of melodious birds. There is nothing in the poem which reflects European influence.

1. _xotlacueponi_; the meaning of this compound is obscure. It is not found in the dictionaries.

2. The terminal _o_ is inserted several times in the passage to express emotion and fill the metre.

_mixitl tlapatl_. A phrase signifying the stupor or drunkenness that comes from swallowing or smoking narcotic plants. See Olmos, _Grammaire de la Langue Nahuatl_, pp. 223, 228; _oquiqueo_ is from _i_, to drink, or _cui_, to take, the _o_ terminal being euphonic.

NOTES FOR SONG X.

The poet expresses his grief that his songs all dwell on painful topics; he exhorts his hearers of the vanity of fame and skill in handicrafts, and of the uncertainty of life; closing, he appeals especially to those of Tezcuco and Atecpan to listen and believe his warnings.

In spite of the introduction of the Spanish word _Dios_, and the exhortation to "believe," in the last line, it is possible that the substance of this song was due to purely native inspiration; yet it may have been, like Song XIX, one of those written at an early period for the converts by the missionaries.

NOTES FOR SONG XI.

In a similar strain as in the last poem, the bard bewails the briefness of human life and friendships. He closes with an appeal to the Master of Life, of whom no mortal tongue can speak in worthy and appropriate terms.

6. _ihuiti_, apparently a form of _ihuintia_.

_tonan_; the reference appears to be to _Tonantzin_, Our Mother, otherwise known as Cihuacoatl, the Serpent Woman. She was the mythical mother of the human race, and dispensed afflictions and adverse fortune. See Sahagun, _Hist. de la Nueva España_, Lib. I, cap. 6. The name is a proof of the antiquity of the poem, which is throughout in the spirit of the ancient religion.

NOTES FOR SONG XII.

As stated in the Introduction (§ 10), a note prefixed to this song introduces it as a translation from the Otomi into the Nahuatl tongue. It admirably illustrates the poetic flexibility of the Nahuatl.

3. _epoyhuayan_, from _epoalli_, sixty; _teoquauhtli ocelott_, "divine eagles, tigers." These terms refer to the warriors bearing these titles.

_tlazomaquiztetl_, "beloved, precious stones," a figure of speech referring to the youths who go to war. The same or similar metaphors are used in previous songs.

5. The fifth and sixth verses present serious difficulties of construction which I do not flatter myself I have overcome.

NOTES FOR SONG XIII.

The inhabitants of Huexotzinco were in frequent strife with those of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, and on various occasions the latter captured many prisoners. The present poem is represented to be a composition of one of these prisoners when he and his companions were confined in Tlatilolco, one of the suburbs of Tenochtitlan. It breathes hatred against his captors and an ardent thirst for vengeance. The latest date at which I find captives from Huexotzinco detained in Mexico is 1511, and it is to this year, therefore, that I assign the composition of the poem.