lo que ello se trata, más de aquellos que son naturales y acostumbrados a este lenguaje, de manera que seguramente se canta todo lo que él quiere, sea guerra o paz, loor suyo o contumelia de Jesucristo, sin que de los demás se pueda entender.1
\nA partir de aquí falta en el documento la traducción del texto náhuatl, que corresponde a los cantares de los dioses.↩
And their meaning cannot possibly be understood except by those who are natives and are accustomed to this language, so that surely everything that he wants [to be sung] is sung—whether it is about war or peace, in praise of him or as an offense to Jesus Christ—without anybody else being able to understand them.1
\nThe songs referenced here often contained very archaic words and phrases that not even Sahagún could understand. The “hidden evil” means that the words could be manifestations of idolatry. The main goal of the Historia general was to recognize idolatrous manifestations in Mexican culture in order to stamp them out.↩
[Comment on the Sacred Songs]1
\nConsistent with [the passage] in the Holy Gospel which says, He who does evil detests the light, it is a very ancient practice of our adversary, the devil, to seek hiding places in order to perform his works. Consistent with this, our enemy planted, in this land, a forest or a thorny thicket filled with very dense brambles, to perform his works therefrom and to hide himself therein in order not to be discovered, even as do the wild beasts and the very poisonous serpents. The songs which, in this land, he contrived to be prepared and utilized in his service and for his divine worship, his songs of praise, in the temples as well as beyond them, are this forest or brambled thorny thicket. Said songs contain so much guile that they say anything and proclaim that which he commands. But only those he addresses understand them. It is well established that the songs and psalms he has composed are the cave, the forest, the thorny thicket where this accursed adversary now hides. And they are sung to him without its being understood what they are about, other than by those who are natives and versed in this language, so that, certainly, all he desires is sung, be it of war or peace, of praises to himself, or of scorn of Jesus Christ, without being understood by the others.
\nSongs to the Gods in Book II. The Spanish text was also published in the Florentine Codex, Book II, p. 207, note 14, 2nd rev. ed.,\np. 221, note 1.
\nThis discussion appears without title at the beginning of the↩
Costumbre muy antigua es, de nr̃o aduersario el diablo: buscar ascondrijos, para hazer sus negocios: conforme a lo del sancto Euangelio, que dize. Quien haze mal, aborrece la luz: conforme a esto, este nr̃o enemigo, en esta tierra planto, vn bosque, o arcabuco, lleno de muy espesas breñas, para hazer sus negocios, desde el, y para absconderse en el, para no ser hallado: como hazen las bestias fieras, y las muy ponçuñosas serpientes. Este bosque, o arcabuco breñoso, son los cantares, que en esta tierra el vrdio, que se hiziessen, y vsasen, en su serujcio: y como su culto diujno y psalmas de su loor, ansi en los templos, como fuera dellos: los quales lleuan tanto artificio, que dizen lo que qujeren, y apregonan lo que el manda: y entiendenlos solamente aquellos, a qujen el los endereça. Es cosa muy aueriguada, que la cueua, bosque, y arcabuco, donde el dia de oy, este maldito aduersario, se absconde, son los cantares, y psalmas, que tiene compuestos: y se le cantan, sin poderse entender, lo que en ello se trata, mas de aquellos que son naturales, y acostumbrados, a este lenguaje. De manera, que seguramente se canta, todo lo que el quiere, sea guerra, o paz, loor suyo, o contumelia de xp̃o, sin que de los demas se pueda entender.
\n","citation_key":"citation_anderson_spanish_transcription","citation":{"en":["Spanish by Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"],"es":["Español por Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"]}}],"nahuatl_col":[{"id":"06964de6-458e-45e1-aafa-7ebd60aeb956","choice":{"en":["Nahuatl by Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"],"es":["Náhuatl por Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"]},"type":"transcription","type_label":{"en":["nahuatl transcription"],"es":["transcripción al náhuatl"]},"column":"nahuatl","language":{"en":["Nahuatl"],"es":["Náhuatl"]},"language_code":"nci","subtitle":"(Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982)","markdown":"*aia* \nivi nocaquja \ntlacatl, *ia* nech *ia* pinavia, *aia* \nca nomati njtetzavitli, *avia, aia* \nco nomati njia, iauhtla \naqu itoloc \ntlacuchcalco, notequjoa \ni uesca \ntlatoa *ia* \n*ay* nopilchan \n\nIhiaquetl tocujlechcatl \nquaviquemjtl nepapanoc \nvitzetla \n\n*Huja* oholopa telipuchtla \nyvijoc in nomalli \nie njmavia, \nie njmavia \nivjioc in nomalli \n\n*Huja* vitznavac telipuchtla \nyvjioc in nomalli \nie njmavja \nyvjioc in nomalli. \n\n*Huja* i tzicotla telibuchtla, \nyvjioc in nomalli \nie njmavia, \nie njmavia \nivjioc in nomalli \n\nvitznaoac teuhoaquj \nmachiotla tetemoia, \n*ahuja aia* tonac \n*iahuja oia* tonac \n*ia* machiotla tetemoia. \n\nTocujlitla teuhoaquj \nmachiotla tetemoia, \n*ahuja, oia* tonac, \n*iavjia oia* tonac \n*via* machiotla tetemoia. \n\n\n##### Tlalloc icujc \n\n*Ahujia* Mexico \nteutlaneviloc","html":"aia
\nivi nocaquja
\ntlacatl, ia nech ia pinavia, aia
\nca nomati njtetzavitli, avia, aia
\nco nomati njia, iauhtla
\naqu itoloc
\ntlacuchcalco, notequjoa
\ni uesca
\ntlatoa ia
\nay nopilchan
Ihiaquetl tocujlechcatl
\nquaviquemjtl nepapanoc
\nvitzetla
Huja oholopa telipuchtla
\nyvijoc in nomalli
\nie njmavia,
\nie njmavia
\nivjioc in nomalli
Huja vitznavac telipuchtla
\nyvjioc in nomalli
\nie njmavja
\nyvjioc in nomalli.
Huja i tzicotla telibuchtla,
\nyvjioc in nomalli
\nie njmavia,
\nie njmavia
\nivjioc in nomalli
vitznaoac teuhoaquj
\nmachiotla tetemoia,
\nahuja aia tonac
\niahuja oia tonac
\nia machiotla tetemoia.
Tocujlitla teuhoaquj
\nmachiotla tetemoia,
\nahuja, oia tonac,
\niavjia oia tonac
\nvia machiotla tetemoia.
Ahujia Mexico
\nteutlaneviloc
Such is what I hear1
\nThe man puts me to shame
\nI think myself ill-omened
\nI think I go to war
\nYet it has been said2
\nMy seasoned warrior’s in the spear house
\nThey laugh3
\nThey talk
\nIt is my house as lord
The Tocuiltec is panting4
\nEagle robes lie variously
\nIn Uitztlan
By the youths of Olopan
\nMy captive lies emplumed
\nI’m afraid
\nI’m afraid
\nMy captive lies emplumed
By the youths of Uitznauac
\nMy captive lies emplumed
\nI’m afraid
\nMy captive lies emplumed
By the youths of Tzicotlan
\nMy captive lies emplumed
\nI’m afraid
\nI’m afraid
\nMy captive lies emplumed
The priest of Uitznauac5
\nCame down to the marvel6
\nThe sun shone
\nThe sun shone
\nHe came down to the marvel
The priest of Tocuillan
\nCame down to the marvel
\nThe sun shone
\nThe sun shone
\nHe came down to the marvel
In Mexico
\nGod’s goods are borrowed
Seler (Gesammelte Abhandlungen, Vol. II, pp. 971, 973) takes the particle aia as negative.↩
oc itoloc.↩
in uetzca.↩
ihiaquetl: Seler (Gesammelte Abhandlungen, Vol. II, p. 974) equates the term with iyac; cf. iaque or telpochiaque. Garibay (Viente himnos, p. 44) equates it with ihiyaqui, derived from ihiyotl.↩
vitznaoac teuhoaqui: we read teuhoaquj as teohua (god-keeper or priest); cf. also Seler, Gesammelte Abhandlungen, Vol. II, p. 975. Garibay (Viente himnos, pp. 41, 46) prefers to derive the term from teotl and aqui and translates the phrase “Se mete el dios en Huitznahuac.”↩
machiotlan.↩