Part 4

Above them, with his pinions spread Majestic in his noiseless flight, The Eagle wheels; then soars him far To vanish in the western night.

VI

AZTEC GODS

[Illustration]

[Illustration: Tezcatlipoca

_O Lord, very mighty! On the day that I honor thee I shall ascend a terraced temple; Bright flowers will adorn my head, dancing maidens will accompany me; To the music of pulsing flutes I shall sing thee with triumphant voice!_ ]

TEZCATLIPOCA

Puissant Lord! Invisible, impalpable, inescapable!

Men see thee not, and thou art with them; Men touch thee not, and thou art with them; Men know thee not, and thou knowest them.

The dense rocks are as crystal before thee; The hearts of the quaking mountains are as crystal before thee; As crystal is my heart--naught therein is hidden from before thee.

Thy mind doth reflect all secret things, O Tezcatlipoca! Thou art as a fume-dark mirror of polished obsidian, deep with reflection. All things remote thy body doth envelop; none withstay thee, who art the blown breath of the spacious world!

Whistlings and flutings and the rumblings of many drums are thine, And the Night Winds are thy hounds, that bay thy relentless Ways; Thou art the Sweeper-up of the Realms of Silence--they also are of thee.

O Lord very mighty! On the day that I honor thee I shall ascend a terraced temple; Bright flowers will adorn my head, dancing maidens will accompany me; To the music of pulsing flutes I shall sing thee with triumphant voice!

O Lord very terrible! On the day that I honor thee I shall mount upon the Dragon of Stone; I shall break my singing flute, the flowers of my chaplet I shall scatter to the winds: On the day that I honor thee my heart I shall cast before thee!

Let it be pellucid as crystal, on that day when thou shalt pierce me! Let it be as bodiless light, when thou comest with unstaying feet! Let my heart be altogether pure, when as a fleet wind thou takest me hence!

O Tezcatlipoca! Lord ever terrible! Lord inescapable!

[Illustration: Xochiquetzal

_Radiant Lily, there where thou standest Exhaling fragrance, A Butterfly to thy lips clinging,-- Radiant Lily, I thank thee!_ ]

XOCHIQUETZAL

Radiant Lily, there where thou standest Exhaling fragrance, A Butterfly to thy lips clinging,---- Radiant Lily, I thank thee.

Upon the lips of the Goddess of Flowers A Butterfly is clinging---- Upon the lips of the Goddess of Life An iridescent Butterfly, Sipping the sweets, Fanning its wings in her breath.

Is she not beautiful---- The Lily of Life? Exhaling her fragrance, With golden pollen fruitful, Summoning the Winged Spirits?

QUETZALCOATL

Thou green-feathered Sky-Snake, Thou crested Serpent, Thy body is the undulating cloud, the rolling cloud, Boiling white above, Black-bellied. Forked lightnings are thy tongues, Thine eyes flash forked lightnings; Thy great drums boom From mountain to mountain, thundering---- Whither thou goest bearded with black rain, Shedding beneath thee a reek of black rain.

He was an old man when he sailed away to Tlapallan: Bright was his countenance as the silver-crested cloud; Like a descending rain was his streaming beard; His wind-blown robe was as the blue rain hiding the hill-tops. Upon the azure lake he was wafted, Serpent-treading---- Wafted beyond the horizons of day and night, Wafted unto Tlapallan, Quetzalcoatl departing.

He was an old man when he sailed afar to Tlapallan: 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.