The Prayer of the Maize (Mexican)

THE PRAYER OF THE MAIZE

(Mexican)

(This is a conventional ceremony where a high priest, masked, personates Kin-teotl, god of the maize. An altar priest chants of the loves and greatness of the gods, but with an earthly love in his heart for a vestal who personates the goddess of art in a similar ceremony at the adjacent temple of Cholula)

Priest

(Placing flowers of the field on shrine)

THE FLOWER in my heart blossoms, sweetness it brings in the night!

Our mother has loved. The goddess of love has scattered flowers of fragrance!"

Kin-teotl

"I, Kin-teotl, god of the grain, am as a flower--a flower ever renewing!"

Priest

"Kin-teotl was born from the water, he came as a mortal, as a youth, from the cerulean home of the fishes, an ever new, glorious god!

He shone as the sun; his mother dwelt in the House of the Dawn!"

Kin-teotl

"I come forth on the earth--even to the market place like a mortal--even I--great and glorious!

Be ye happy under the flower bush varied in hue as the quetzal bird; Listen to the quechol singing to the gods! Listen to the singing of the quechol along the river:--hear its flute along the river in the home of the reeds!"

(The flutes sound the call of the birds as Kin-teotl disappears in the temple followed by the devotees)

Priest

"Ai!--would that my altar flowers would cease from dying! Our flesh is as flowers--even as flowers in the place of the flowers.

She goes to the mart! As goddess they carry her to the mart! She speaks at Cholula--she startles my heart! She startles my heart!

"Ai! for joy the high priest is there at her shrine! Where merchants sell the ear rings of green jade, she is to be seen by men--in the Place of Wonders she is to be seen!

Sleep, sleep, sleep! I fold my hands to sleep!

I, O Woman!--sleep!"