Maya and Aztec

ANCIENT
NAHUATL
POETRY,
CONTAINING THE NAHUATL TEXT
OF XXVII ANCIENT MEXICAN POEMS.
BRITON’S LIBRARY OF ABORIGINAL AMERICAN LITERATURE,
NUMBER VII.
WITH A TRANSLATION, INTRODUCTION, NOTES AND VOCABULARY.
BY
DANIEL G. BRINTON
1890
It is with some hesitation that I offer this volume to the scientific public. The text of the ancient songs which it contains offers extreme and peculiar difficulties to the translator, and I have [...]

§ 1. THE NATIONAL LOVE OF POETRY.
The passionate love with which the Nahuas cultivated song, music and
the dance is a subject of frequent comment by the historians of
Mexico. These arts are invariably mentioned as prominent features of
the aboriginal civilization; no public ceremony was complete without
them; they were indispensable in the religious services held in the
temples; [...]

I. CUICAPEUHCAYOTL.

I. SONG AT THE BEGINNING.

1. Ninoyolnonotza, campa nicuiz yectli, ahuiaca xochitl:—Ac
nitlatlaniz? Manozo yehuatl nictlatlani in quetzal huitzitziltin, in
chalchiuh huitzitzicatzin; manozo ye nictlatlani in zaquan papalotl;
ca yehuantin in machiz, ommati, campa cueponi in yectli ahuiac
xochitl, tla nitlahuihuiltequi in nican acxoyatzinitzcanquauhtla,
manoze nitlahuihuiltequi in tlauhquecholxochiquauhtla; oncan
huihuitolihui ahuach tonameyotoc in oncan mocehcemelquixtia; azo
oncan niquimittaz intla onechittitique; nocuexanco nictemaz [...]

II. XOPANCUICATL, OTONCUICATL, TLAMELAUHCAYOTL.

II. A SPRING SONG, AN OTOMI SONG, A PLAIN SONG.

1. Onihualcalac nicuicani nepapan xochitlalpan, huel
teellelquixtican, tetlamachtican, oncan ahuach tonameyoquiauhtimani,
oncan cuicuica in nepapan tlazototome, on cuicatlaza in coyoltototl
cahuantimani inin tozquitzin in quellelquixtia in tloque in nahuaque
yehuan Dios, ohuaya, ohuaya.

[...]

III. OCCE AL MISMO TONO TLAMELAUHCAYOTL.

III. ANOTHER PLAIN SONG, TO THE SAME TUNE.

1. Xochicalco nihualcalaquia in nicuicani, oncan icac in
chalchiuhuehuetl, oncan chialon ipalnemohuani in teteuctin xochitl
tzetzeliuhtimani, tolquatectitla, xoyacaltitlan, onahuiaxtimani in
xochicopal tlenamactli huel teyolquima, cahuia ca ihuintia in toyollo
ixpan in tloque in nahuaque.

[...]

IV. MEXICA OTONCUICATL.

IV. AN OTOMI SONG OF THE MEXICANS.

1. Nicchalchiuhtonameyopetlahuaya, nictzinitzcanihuicaloaya,
niquilnamiquia nelhuayocuicatla, nic zacuanhuipanaya yectli
yancuicatl nicuicani, nicchalchiuhtlazonenelo ic nichualnextia in
xochicueponallotl ic nicellelquixtia in tloque in nahuaque.

1. I, the singer, polished my noble new song like a shining emerald,
I arranged [...]

V. OTRO MEXICA TLAMELAUHCACUICAYOTL.

V. ANOTHER PLAIN SONG OF THE MEXICANS.

1. Zanio in xochitl tonequimilol, zanio in cuicatl ic huehuetzi in
tellel in Dios ye mochan.

1. I alone will clothe thee with flowers, mine alone is the song
which casts down our [...]

VI. OTRO CHALCAYOTL, CANTO DE TETLEPAN QUETZANITZIN.

VI. ANOTHER CHALCO-SONG, A POEM OF TETLEPAN QUETZANITZIN.

1. Aua nocnihue ninentlamatia zan ninochoquilia in monahuac aya
yehuan Dios, quexquich onmitzicnotlamachtia momacehual cemamanahuac
ontonitlanililo in ic tontlahuica tontecemilhuitiltia in tlalticpac.

1. Alas, my friend, I was afflicted, [...]

VII. OTRO.

VII. ANOTHER.

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!

[...]

VIII. OTRO, QUEUH CE TLATOHUANI IN QUIMILNAMIQUI IN TLATOQUE.

VIII. COMPOSED BY A CERTAIN RULER IN MEMORY OF FORMER RULERS.

1. Tlaocolxochi ixayoticaya ic nichuipana in nocuic nicuicani,
niquimilnamiqui in tepilhuan, in teintoque, in tlaзotitoque in campa
in ximohuaya, in oteuctico, in otlatocatico in tlallia icpac, in
quetzalhuahuaciuhtoque in chalchiuhteintoque in tepilhuan, [...]