Venerable was his streaming beard.
Shall he not come again unto his children?
Shall he not once more be wafted upon the azure lake,
Serpent-treading,
In vaporous robes resplendent?
Shall he not strike forth with staves of sunbeam,
Making earth fruitful,
Making beautiful the feathered fields----
With corn of all colors,
With flowers of all colors?
Lo, where his hand is uplifted----
Quetzalcoatl of the East, Quetzalcoatl of the West!
Lo, where he hurleth into the heaven his Fire-Snakes----
Great Serpents, like undulating clouds,
Crested, rain-reeking.
Their bellies blacken the sky;
Their fierce rains flood earth’s hill-rimmed vale;
Their drumming is from mountain to mountain;
From horizon to horizon is their thunder.
Wonderful are the green plumes of the quetzal, flowing:
They bend in gracious curves, aslant in the sunlight;
They glow like fields of bladed maize, aslant in the sunlight;
All precious jewels shine within them----
Green fire-opals and blue turquoise,
The colors of all flowers,
The rich tasselings of bearded corn....
How beautiful are the dews dropt from the Sky-Serpent!
How precious are thy gifts, O Quetzalcoatl!
My offering is corn of seven hues;
My offering is blue smoke of tobacco;
My offering is a precious plume of the green-feathered quetzal;
A rich jewel is my offering, green, with fire in its heart!
Answer me from the two horizons,
O Quetzalcoatl!
From the rims of night and day return unto me,
O Quetzalcoatl, Lord very grateful!
[Illustration: Quetzalcoatl
_Thou green-feathered Sky Snake,
Thou crested Serpent,
Thy body is the undulating cloud, the rolling cloud,_
]
TONATIUH
There is a valorous cry when he mounts with the Morning----
Tonatiuh! Tonatiuh!
Golden plumes shining, emerald plumes shining,
Bannerets of scarlet, and tawny skins of lions,----
There is a valorous cry like the shouting of many armies
When the souls of the Battle-Slain mount with their Chieftain Sun!
At the Place of the Zenith they lay down their arms----
Tonatiuh! Tonatiuh!
At the Place of the Zenith the Warriors are defeated;
From the Place of the Zenith the Sun descends mid wailing.
There is wailing and woe when he descends to the House of
Evening----
Alas, for Tonatiuh!
They drag him down--their hair is disheveled with mourning,
Their fingers are many and sharp--they, the Dark Mothers,
Whose breasts are heavy for the children they died in bearing:
Wailing they drag him down, the Vengeful Mothers----
Alas, for Tonatiuh!
Alas, for Tonatiuh!
[Illustration: Xiuhtecutli
_Lord Fire!
Thou who art the Central Burning,
Who art armed with a spear-thrower,
Who art armed with many spears--
The Gaping Jaws of Earth are beneath thee,
Whereof the teeth are obsidian blades...._
]
XIUHTECUTLI
Lord Fire!
Thou who art the Central Burning,
Who art armed with a spear-thrower,
Who art armed with many spears----
The Gaping Jaws of Earth are beneath thee,
Whereof the teeth are obsidian blades,
Whereof the maw is Mictlan,
Whereof the belly is the House of Bones....
Lord Fire!
Thou dost give a little light,
Thou dost give a little warmth,
With thy spears thou dost give a little defense
Against the day and the hour when I must descend....
I will make thee an offering of blood,
I will make thee an offering of a man’s heart----
My heart I will give thee,
That thou mayest burn a little longer,
That the Jaws close not so soon upon me....
Lord Fire! Lord Fire!
The End
Transcriber’s Notes
Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.
Small capitals are changed to lower case.
New original cover art included with this eBook is granted to the
public domain.
Misspellings in the text, and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been
retained.