III. Hymn of Tlaloc

III. Tlalloc icuic.

English

1. Ahuia Mexico teutlaneuiloc amapanitla anauhcampa, ye moquetzquetl, aoyequene y chocaya.

2. Ahuia anneuaya niyocoloc, annoteua eztlamiyaual, aylhuiçolla nic yauicaya teutiualcoya.

3. Ahuia annotequiua naualpilli aquitlanella motonacayouh tic yachiuh quitla catlachtoquetl, çan mitziyapinauia.

4. Ahuia cana catella nechyapinauia anechyaca uelmatia, anotata yn oquacuillo ocelocoatl aya.

5. Ahuia tlallocana, xiuacalco aya quizqui aquamotla, acatonalaya.

6. Ahuia xiyanouia, nahuia xiyamotecaya ay poyauhtla, ayauh chicauaztica, ayauicalo tlallocanaya.

7. Aua nacha tozcuecuexi niyayalizqui aya y chocaya.

8. Ahuia queyamica xinechiuaya, temoquetl aitlatol, aniquiya ilhuiquetl, tetzauhpilla niyayalizqui aya y chocaya.

9. Ahuia nauhxiuhticaya itopanecauiloc ayoc ynomatia, ay motlapoalli, aya ximocaya ye quetzalcalla nepanauia ay yaxcana teizcaltequetl.

10. Ahuia xiyanouia, ahuia xiyamotequaya ay poyauhtla, ayauh chicauaztlica ayauicallo tlalloca.

Var. 1. Amopanitl.

Gloss.

1. Auia Mexico teutlanauiloc, q. n., yn Mexico onetlanauiloc in tlaloc. Amapanitl annauhcampa ye moquetzquetl, q. n.,

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amapanitl nauhcampa omoquequetz. Aoyeque naichocaya, id est, itlaocuyaya.

2. Auia anneuaya niyocoloc, q. n., ynehuatl ni tlalloc oniyocoloc. Annoteua eztlamiyaual, q. n., noteu eztlamiyaualtitiuh. Aylhuiçolla, q. n., yn umpa ilhuiçololo. Inic yauicaya teuitualcoya, q. n. in teuitualoc.

3. Auia annotequiua naualpilli, q. n. in tinoteuh naualpilli, i.e., tlalloc. Aquitlanella motonacayouh, q. n., ca nelli teuatl ticmochiuilia in motonacayouh. Catlachtoquetl, q. n., teuatl ticmochiuilia auh in aquin timitzpinauia.

4. Ahuia cana catella nechyapinauia, q. n., catel nechpinauia ca monechuelmati. Annotata ynoquacuillo ocelocoatl aya, q. n., yn notaua ioan yna quacuiloa yn oceloquacuili.

5. Ahuia tlallocana xiuacalco, q. n., in tlalocan xiuhcalco, id est, acxoyacalco. Ayaquizqui, q. n., umpa ualquizque. Aquamotla acatonalaya, q. n., y notauan yn oquacuiloan acatonal.

6. Ahuia xicanouia nauia xiyamotecaya, q. n., xiuian ximotecati. Ay poyauhtlan, q. n., in umpa poyauhtlan tepeticpac. Ayauh chicauaztica ayauicalo tlalocana, q. n., ayauh chicauaztica in auicalo tlalocan.

7. Aua nach tozcuecuexi niyayalizqui, q. n., y nach tozcuecuex y ye niauh niman ye choca.

8. Ahuia queyamica xinechiuaya, q. n., quenamican y ya niauh aço anechtemozque. Aniquiya ilhuiquetl tetzapilla niyayalizqui ayaichocaya, q. n., onquilhui yn tetzapilli ye niyauh niman ye choca.

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9. Ahuia nauhxiuhticaya nitopanecauiloc, q. n., nauhxiuhtica in topanecauiloz, id est, in tepan mochiuaz. Ayoc inomatia ay motlapoalli, q. n., aocmo nomatia iniquin motlapoalpan. Ca oximoac ye quetzalcalla nepanauia, q. n., ye qualcan ye netlamachtiloyan ynemca. Ay yaxcana teizcaltiquetl, q. n., iniaxca inic oteizcalli.

10. Ahuia xiyanouia, q. n., xiuia. Auia xiya motecaya ay poyauhtla, q. n., ximotecati in umpa poyauhtla. Ayauh chicauaztica auicallo tlalocan, q. n., ayauh chicauaztica in auicallo in umpa tlallocan.

The Hymn of Tlaloc.

1. In Mexico the god appears; thy banner is unfolded in all directions, and no one weeps.

2. I, the god, have returned again, I have turned again to the place of abundance of blood-sacrifices; there when the day grows old, I am beheld as a god.

3. Thy work is that of a noble magician; truly thou hast made thyself to be of our flesh; thou hast made thyself, and who dare affront thee?

4. Truly he who affronts me does not find himself well with me; my fathers took by the head the tigers and the serpents.

5. In Tlalocan, in the verdant house, they play at ball, they cast the reeds.

6. Go forth, go forth to where the clouds are spread abundantly, where the thick mist makes the cloudy house of Tlaloc.

7. There with strong voice I rise up and cry aloud.

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8. Go ye forth to seek me, seek for the words which I have said, as I rise, a terrible one, and cry aloud.

9. After four years they shall go forth, not to be known, not to be numbered, they shall descend to the beautiful house, to unite together and know the doctrine.

10. Go forth, go forth to where the clouds are spread abundantly, where the thick mist makes the cloudy house of Tlaloc.

Notes.

The god Tlaloc shared with Huitzilopochtli the highest place in the Mexican Pantheon. He was the deity who presided over the waters, the rains, the thunder and the lightning. The annual festival in his honor took place about the time of corn-planting, and was intended to secure his favor for this all-important crop. Its details are described at great length by Diego Duran, Historia de Nueva España, cap. 86, and Sahagun, Historia, Lib. II., cap. 25, and elsewhere. His name is derived from tlalli, earth. Tlalocan, referred to in v. 5, "the place of Tlaloc," was the name of a mountain east of Tenochtitlan, where the festival of the god was celebrated;. but it had also a mythical meaning, equivalent to "the earthly Paradise," the abode of happy souls.

It will be observed that v. 10, is a repetition of v. 6. The word ayauicalo refers to the ayauhcalli, "house of mist," the home of the rain god, which Sahagun informs us was represented at the annual festival by four small buildings near the water's edge, carefully disposed to face the four cardinal, points of the compass (Sahagun, ubi supra).

In v. 8 the expression tetzauhpilli (tetzauhqui, to frighten)

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may be explained by the figure of Tlaloc, whose statue, says Duran, was that of un espantable monstruo, la cara muy fea (ibid.).

The compound in v. 10, nauhxiuhtica, "after four years," appears to refer to the souls of the departed brave ones, who, according to Aztec mythology, passed to the heaven for four years and after that returned to the terrestrial Paradise,--the palace of Tlaloc. (See my paper, The Journey of the Soul, in Proceedings of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia, 1883.)