Rig Veda Americanus | Page 9

that it is of ancient Chichimec
origin and that it cannot well be rendered in Nahuatl. Its language is
exceedingly obscure, but it is evidently a dancing song.
Amimitl, "the water-arrow," or "fish-spear," was, according to
Torquemada, especially worshipped at Cuitlahuac. He was god of
fishing, and visited the subjects of his displeasure with diseases of a
dropsical or watery character (Monarquia Indiana, Lib. VI., cap. 29).
On slender and questionable grounds Clavigero identifies him with
Opochtli, the god of net makers and fishers with nets (Storia Antica del
Messico, Tom. II., p. 20).
The four noble ones referred to in vv. 3 and 4 probably refer to those
characters in the Mexican sacred dances called "the four auroras," four
actors clothed respectively in white, green, yellow and red robes. See
Diego Duran, Historia, cap. 87.
XI. Otontecutli icuic.

0. Onoalico, onoalico, pomaya, yyaya, ayyo, ayyo, aya, aya, ayyo.
0. Chimalocutitlana motlaqueuia auetzini nonoualico, quauinochitla,
cacauatla motlaqueuia auetzini.
0. Ni tepanecatli aya cuecuexi, ni quetzallicoatli aya cuecuexi.
0. Cane ca ya itziueponi, cane ca ya itziueponi.
0. Otomico, noyoco, nauaco, mexicame ya yauilili, noyoco, nauaco,
mexicame ya.
0. A chimalli aya, xa, xauino quiyauilili, noyoco, nauaco, mexicame ya.
Var. 2. Nonoualco.
Hymn of Olontecutli.
0. At Nonoalco he rules, at Nonoalco, Oho! Oho!
0. In the pine woods he prepares your destruction at Nonoalco, in the
tuna woods, in the cacao woods he prepares your destruction.
0. I, dweller in the palace, shook them; I, Quetzalcoatl, shook them.
0. There was a splendor of spears, a splendor of spears.
0. With my captain, with my courage, with my skill, the Mexicans were
put to flight; even the Mexicans, with my courage, with my skill.
0. Go forth, ye shield bearers, put the Mexicans to flight with my
courage, with my skill.
Notes.
The absence of a Gloss to this hymn adds to the difficulty of a
translation. Otontecutli was the chief deity of the Otomis, and the chant
appears to be one of their war songs in their conflict with the Azteca.
The name is a compound of otomitl_, an Otomi, and _tecutli, ruler or
lord. He is slightly referred to by Sahagun as "the first ruler to govern
the ancestors of the Otomis." (Historia, Lib. X, cap. 29, sec. 5.)
XII. Ayopechtli icuic.
0. Cane cana ichan, ayopechcatl cozcapantica mixiuhtoc.
0. Cane cana ichan ayopechcatl cozcapantica mixiuhtoc, cane ichan
chacayoticaya.
0. Xiualmeuayauia, xiua xiualmeuayaauiaya yancuipilla, xiualmeuaya.
0. Auiya xiualmeuaya, ueya, xiua, xiualmeuaya, cozcapilla
xiualmeuaya.

Gloss.
0. Q.n., in oncan ichan ayopechtli oncan mixiuiqui tlacatilia in cuzcatl
quetzalli.
0. Cane cana ichan, q.n., in oncan ichan ayopechcatl oncan quitlacatilia
in cozcatl quetzalli oncan yoliua, tlacatiua.
0. Q.n., ximeua, ximeua, in tipiltzintli xiualmeua in quinotitlacat
tipiltzintli.
0. Q.n., xiualmeua, xiualmeua, in tipiltzintli in ti cuzcatl, in ti quetzalli.
Hymn to Ayopechcatl.
0. Truly in whatever house there is a lying-in, Ayopechcatl takes charge
of the child.
0. Truly in whatever house there is a lying-in, Ayopechcatl takes charge
of the child, there where it is weeping in the house.
0. Come along and cry out, cry out, cry out, you new comer, come along
and cry out.
0. Come along and cry out, cry out, cry out, you little jewel, cry out.
Notes.
The name of Ayopechcatl does not appear among the divinities named
by Sahagun, Duran or the other authorities at my command. Her name
indicates her function as the goddess of the child-bed and the neonatus,
and the above hymn establishes her claim to a place in the Aztec
pantheon.
XIII. Ciuacoatl icuic.
0. Quaui, quaui, quilaztla, coaeztica xayaualoc uiuiya quauiuitl
uitzalochpa chalima aueuetl ye colhoa.
0. Huiya tonaca, acxolma centla teumilco chicauaztica, motlaquechizca.
0. Uitztla, uitztla, nomactemi, uitztla, uitztla nomactemi, açan teumilco
chicauaztica motlaquechizca.
0. Malinalla nomactemi, açan teumilco chicauaztica motlaquechizca.
0. A omei quauhtli, ye tonanaya chalmecatecutli ay tziuac y mauiztla
nechyatetemilli, yeua nopiltzinaya mixcoatla.
0. Ya tonani, yauçiuatzin, aya tonan yauçiuatzi aya y maca coliuacan y
yuitla y potocaya.

0. Ahuiya ye tonaquetli, yautlatocaya, ahuiya ye tonaquetli yautlatocaya
moneuila no tlaca cenpoliuiz aya y maca coliuaca y yuitla y
potocaya.
0. Ahuia quauiuitl amo xayaualli onauiya yecoyametl amo xayaualli.
Var. 1. Cohoaeztica. 2. Acxoima. 7. Maneuila, cenpoalihuiz, inmaca.
Gloss.
0. Q.n., in quauhcihuatl, ic oxaualoc in coaetztli, ioan in quauhtli yhuitli
in moteneua iquauhtzon, ipan iualuicoc yn umpa colhuacan.
0. Q.n., inic motocaya çentli, in mochiuaya teumilpa, ichicauaztica inic
tlatatacaya, inic tocaya.
0. Uitztla, q.n., nomactemi nochicauaztica inic nitocaya, inic
nitlatatacaya.
0. Malinalla, uictli, q.n._, uictica in tlachpanaya, _id est, iceliniquia, yn
uncan teumilpan auh ychicauaztica inic nitlatatacaya, inic tocaya.
0. Q.n., matlactli omei quauhtli yn notonal innamona auh ynan
nopilhoan in chalmeca xicuiti in tziuactli xinechtemilica.
0. Q.n., in iyauciuatzin yn amona umpa nochan in coluaca auh in
quauiuitl nictemaca ynic oquauhtiuac.
0. Q.n., ca otonac ca otlatuic