VIII. Hymn to the God of Flowers.

VIII. Xochipilli icuic.

English

1. Ye cuicaya tocniuaya ouaya yeo, ye cuicaya ye quetzalcoxcuxa yoaltica tlao çinteutla, oay.

2. Çan quicaquiz nocuic ocoyoalle teumechaue, oquicaquiz nocuica in cipactonalla atilili, ouayya.

3. Ayao, ayao, ayao, ayao, nitlanauati ay tlalocan tlamacazque, ayao, ayao, ayao.

4. Ayao, ayao, ayao, tlalocan tlamacazque nitlanauati, aya, ayao, ayyao.

5. Ac, çani uallaçic, otli nepaniuia, cani çinteutla campa ye noyaz, campa otli nicyatoca ça oay.

6. Ayao, aya, ayao, tlalocan tlamacazque, quiauiteteu, ayyao, aya, ayao.

Gloss.

1. Q. n., ca otonac, ca otlatuic ca ye cuico ca ye cuica centeotl in quetzalcocox.

2. Q. n., macaco, in tocuic ynican maquicaquican yn nican tlaca.

3. Q. n., in tlaloque tlamacazque niquinnauatia ye niauh in nochan.

4. Q. n., yn tlaloque tlamacazque niquinnauatia ye niauh in nochan.

5. Q. n., ca onitlanauati ni tlaloca catli ye nictocaz utli.

6. Q. n., yn antlaloque yn antlamacazque catli nictocaz yn anteteuh.

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Hymn to Xochipilli.

1. O friends, the quetzal bird sings, it sings its song at midnight to Cinteotl.

2. The god will surely hear my song by night, he will hear my song as the day begins to break.

3. I send forth the priests to the house of Tlaloc.

4. The priests to the house of Tlaloc do I send forth.

5. I shall go forth, I shall join myself unto them, I shall go where is Cinteotl, I shall follow the path to him.

6. The priests go forth to the house of Tlaloc, to the home of the gods of the plain.

Notes.

Xochipilli, "lord of flowers," otherwise named Macuilxochitl, "five flowers" (the name of a small odorous plant), was the deity who gave and protected all flowering plants. As one of the gods of fertility and production, he was associated with Tlaloc, god of rains, and Cinteotl, god of maize. His festival is described in Sahagun (Historia, Lib. I., cap. 14).

2. Cipactonalla, from cipactli, and tonalli, may refer to Cipactonal, the reputed discoverer of the Aztec calendar. See Sahagun, Historia, Lib. IV., cap. i.