VI. Hymn to the God of Fire.

VI. Ixcoçauhqui icuic.

English

1. Huiya tzonimolco notauane ye namech maya pinauhtiz, tetemoca ye namech maya pinauhtiz.

2. Xonca mecatla notecua icçotl mimilcatoc chicueyocan naualcalli nauali temoquetlaya.

3. Huiya tzonimolco cuicotipeuhque, aya tzonimolco cuicotipeuhque, aya iztleica naual moquizcauia, iztlauan naual moquizca.

4. Huia tzonimolco maceualli maya temacouia, oya tonaqui, oya tonaqui maceualli, maya temacouiya.

5. Huiya tzonimolco xoxolcuicatl cacauantoc ya ayouica mocuiltonoaci tontecuitl moteicnelil mauiztli.

6. Huiya ciuatontla xatenonotza, ayyauhcalcatl quiyauatla, xatenonotza.

Var. 2. Xoncan mecatlan notechoan. 3. Iztleica (for iztlauan). 6. Ia ayiauhcalcatl.

Gloss.

I. Q. n., yn itzonmolcatl notauane ye nemechpinauhtiz nachcan nochan tetemoan, ye nemechpinauhtiz.

2. Q. n., yn mecatla amo tecuhuan in oncan icçotl mimilcatoc ucyaquixtoc icçotl uncan in temoc in chicueyocan.

3. Q. n., yn tzonmolco otipeuhque macuico yn tzonmolco macuico otipeuhque tleica in amo anualquiça tleica yn ayaualquiça.

4. Q. n., yn tzonmolco otonac auh in omaceualhoan xinechinacaqui notechpouizque yn enetoltiloyan.

{p. 34}

5. Q. n., yn cuicatl tzomolco ca ye cauani in aic necuiltonollo netotilo in tetecuti yeua moteicnelil ca mauiztic.

6. Q. n., yn ciuatontli xitenonotza in quiauat ayauhcalcatl, id est, in ticiuatontli xitenonotza.

Hymn to Ixcoçauhqui.

1. In the Hall of Flames let me not put to shame my ancestors; descending there, let me not put you to shame.

2. I fasten a rope to the sacred tree, I twist it in eight folds, that by it I, a magician, may descend to the magical house.

3. Begin your song in the Hall of Flames; begin your song in the Hall of Flames; why does the magician not come forth? Why does he not rise up?

4. Let his subjects assist in the Hall of Flames; he appears, he appears, let his subjects assist.

5. Let the servants never cease the song in the Hall of Flames; let them rejoice greatly, let them dance wonderfully.

6. Call ye for the woman with abundant hair, whose care is the mist and the rain, call ye for her.

Notes.

Ixcoçauhqui, "the Yellow Faced," was the Mexican God of Fire. Torquemada gives as his synonyms Xiuhtecutli, "Lord of Fire," and Huehueteotl, "the Ancient God" (Monarquia Indiana, Lib. VI., cap. 28). Elsewhere he identifies him with the Sun-god (Ibid., Lib. XIV., cap. 4). Sahagun describes his annual festival (Hist., Lib. II., cap. 38), and gives another of his names, Cueçaltzin, a reverential form of cuezalotl, flame (Hist., Lib. I., cap. 13).

{p. 35}

The tzonmolco so often referred to in this hymn was the sixty-fourth edifice in the great temple of Tenochtitlan, and was devoted to the worship of Ixcoçauhqui (Sahagun). The word literally means "the place of spreading hairs," the rays or ornaments spreading from the head of the statue of the god representing flames (Sahagun).

The reference in v. 6 seems to be to one of the women who were sacrificed at the festival, as related by Sahagun (Lib. II., App.).