Cuán desatinados habían sido en el conocimiento de las criaturas los gentiles, nuestros antecesores, ansí griegos como latinos, está muy claro por sus mismas escripturas, de las cuales nos consta cuán ridiculosas fábulas inventaron del Sol y de la Luna, y de algunas de las estrellas, y del agua, tierra, fuego y aire, y de las otras criaturas. Y lo que peor es, les atribuyeron divinidad y adoraron, ofrecieron, sacrificaron y acataron como a dioses. Esto provino, en parte, por la ceguedad en que caímos por el pecado original, y en parte por la malicia y envejecido odio de nuestro adversario Satanás, que siempre procura de abatirnos a cosas viles, ridiculosas y muy culpables. Pues si esto pasó, como sabemos, entre gente de tanta discreción y presunción, no hay por qué nadie se maraville porque se hallen semejantes cosas entre esta gente tan párvula y tan fácil para ser engañada. Pues a propósito que sean curados de sus cegueras, así por medio de los predicadores como de los confesores, se ponen en el presente libro algunas fábulas no menos frías que frívulas que sus antepasados los dexaron del Sol y de la Luna y de las estrellas y de los elementos y cosas elementales.
\nAl fin del libro se pone la manera de contar los años, y del año del jubileo, que era de cincuenta en cincuenta y dos años, y de las notables cerimonias que entonce hacían.
\nRazón tendrá el lector de desgustarse en la lectión deste Séptimo Libro, y mucho mayor la tendrá si entiende la lengua indiana juntamente con la lengua española, porque en lo español el lenguaje va muy baxo, y la materia de que se trata en este Séptimo Libro va tratada muy baxamente. Esto es porque los mismos naturales dieron la relación de las cosas que en este libro se tratan muy baxamante, según que ellos las entienden, y en baxo lenguaje. Y así se traduxo en la lengua española, en baxo estilo y en baxo quilate de entendimiento, pretendiendo solamente saber y escrebir lo que ellos entendían en esta materia de astrología y filosofía natural, que es muy poco y muy baxo. Otra cosa hay en la lengua que también dará desgusto al que la entendiere, y es que de una cosa van muchos nombres sinónimos, y una manera de decir o una sentencia va dicha de mucha maneras. Esto se hizo aposta, por saber y escrebir todos los vocablos de cada cosa y todas las maneras de decir de cada sentencia. Y esto no solamente en este libro, pero en toda la obra. Vale.
\n","citation_key":"citation_lopez_spanish_transcription","citation":{"en":["Spanish by López Austin & García Quintana 2000"],"es":["Español por López Austin & García Quintana 2000"]}},{"id":"40b1ddd5-d6e9-4f86-96af-d217fb95944c","choice":{"en":["Spanish-to-English by García Garagarza 2023"],"es":["Español-al-inglés por García Garagarza 2023"]},"type":"translation","type_label":{"en":["spanish translation"],"es":["traducción al español"]},"column":"spanish","language":{"en":["English"],"es":["Inglés"]},"language_code":"eng","subtitle":"(García Garagarza 2023)","markdown":"## Prologue\n\nHow foolish the pagans—our ancestors, both Greek and Latin—had been in their knowledge of creatures is made quite clear by their own writings, from which we know how ridiculous the fables that they invented about the sun and the moon were, as well as some about the stars, water, earth, fire, air, and other creatures. And what is worse, they attributed divinity to them, worshiped them, made offerings and sacrifices to them, and deferred to them as gods. This originated in part from the blindness into which we fell because of original sin and in part from the malice and\n\nthe age-old hatred of our enemy Satan, who always tries to pull us down to vile, ridiculous, and very culpable things.\n\nAnd if this happened, as we know, among people of such discretion and presumption, there is no reason for anyone to marvel that similar things should be found among these people who are so childish and so easily misled. And so, in order for them to be cured of their blindness through the efforts of both the preachers and the confessors, some fables—no less frigid than frivolous—that their ancestors left them concerning the sun, the moon, the stars, the [four] elements, and the things [composed of the four] elements are presented in this book. At the end of the book are presented both the method of counting the years and the Jubilee year, which would occur every fifty to fifty-two years,[^1] as well as the remarkable ceremonies that they would perform at that time.\n\n## To the reader\n\nThe reader will have reason to be displeased when reading this seventh book and will have much more [reason to be displeased] if he follows the Indian language along with the Spanish, because the Spanish-language portion is very coarse, and the subject matter that this seventh book deals with is treated in a very unrefined manner. This is because the natives themselves gave the account of the things that are dealt with so unrefinedly in this book, [and they did so] according to how they understand them and in an unrefined language. And that is how it was translated into the Spanish language: in an unrefined style and with a low quality of understanding, trying only to learn and write down what they understood in this subject of astrology and natural philosophy, which is very little and very rudimentary. There is yet another thing in the language that will give displeasure to one who might read it, and this is that there are many synonymous words for one thing, so that a manner of speech or a sentence is expressed in many ways. This was done on purpose, to learn and record all the words for each thing and all the ways of expressing each sentence. And this is the case not only in this book but in the entire work.\n\nGodspeed.\n\n\n[^1]: “Which would . . . years”: _que era de cincuenta en cincuenta y dos años_. It should say only _de cincuenta y dos años_ (every fifty-two years). Sahagún corrected this confusing sentence in the Tolosa manuscript of the _Historia general_.","html":"How foolish the pagans—our ancestors, both Greek and Latin—had been in their knowledge of creatures is made quite clear by their own writings, from which we know how ridiculous the fables that they invented about the sun and the moon were, as well as some about the stars, water, earth, fire, air, and other creatures. And what is worse, they attributed divinity to them, worshiped them, made offerings and sacrifices to them, and deferred to them as gods. This originated in part from the blindness into which we fell because of original sin and in part from the malice and
\nthe age-old hatred of our enemy Satan, who always tries to pull us down to vile, ridiculous, and very culpable things.
\nAnd if this happened, as we know, among people of such discretion and presumption, there is no reason for anyone to marvel that similar things should be found among these people who are so childish and so easily misled. And so, in order for them to be cured of their blindness through the efforts of both the preachers and the confessors, some fables—no less frigid than frivolous—that their ancestors left them concerning the sun, the moon, the stars, the [four] elements, and the things [composed of the four] elements are presented in this book. At the end of the book are presented both the method of counting the years and the Jubilee year, which would occur every fifty to fifty-two years,1 as well as the remarkable ceremonies that they would perform at that time.
\nThe reader will have reason to be displeased when reading this seventh book and will have much more [reason to be displeased] if he follows the Indian language along with the Spanish, because the Spanish-language portion is very coarse, and the subject matter that this seventh book deals with is treated in a very unrefined manner. This is because the natives themselves gave the account of the things that are dealt with so unrefinedly in this book, [and they did so] according to how they understand them and in an unrefined language. And that is how it was translated into the Spanish language: in an unrefined style and with a low quality of understanding, trying only to learn and write down what they understood in this subject of astrology and natural philosophy, which is very little and very rudimentary. There is yet another thing in the language that will give displeasure to one who might read it, and this is that there are many synonymous words for one thing, so that a manner of speech or a sentence is expressed in many ways. This was done on purpose, to learn and record all the words for each thing and all the ways of expressing each sentence. And this is the case not only in this book but in the entire work.
\nGodspeed.
\n“Which would . . . years”: que era de cincuenta en cincuenta y dos años. It should say only de cincuenta y dos años (every fifty-two years). Sahagún corrected this confusing sentence in the Tolosa manuscript of the Historia general.↩
How foolish our forefathers, the gentiles, both Greek and Latin, had been in the understanding of created things is very clear from their own writings. From them it is evident to us what ridiculous fables they invented of the sun, the moon, some of the stars, water, land, fire, air, and of the other created things. And, what is worse, they attributed divinity to them, and they worshipped them, made offerings, made sacrifices to them, and revered them as gods.
\nThis originated in part from the blindness into which we fell through original sin and in part from the cunning, the long-standing hatred of our adversary, Satan, who always endeavors to incline us toward vile, ridiculous and very culpable things.
\nSo if this happened, as we know, among people of so much discretion and presumption, there is no reason for one to marvel that similar things are found among these people, so innocent and so easy to be deceived.
\nSo, that they be cured of their blindnesses by means of the preachers as well as the confessors, some fables, no less graceless than frivolous, which their ancestors left them of the sun, the moon, the stars, the [four] elements, and things containing the [four] elements are placed in the present Book.
\nAt the end of the Book are set forth the manner of counting the years, the jubilee year, which was every fifty-two years,1 and the noteworthy ceremonies they then performed.
\nThe reader will have reason for displeasure in the reading of this seventh Book, and will have even more if he deals with the Indian language along with the Spanish language, because the style in Spanish is very crude and the subject-matter this seventh Book deals with is treated very crudely. This is because the natives themselves gave the account of the things treated in this Book very crudely, according as they understood them, and in crude style. And so it was translated into the Spanish language in crude style, with little excellence of understanding, with the sole object of knowing and recording what they understood of this subject of astrology and natural philosophy, which is very little and very crude.
\nThere is another thing in the language which will also give displeasure to one who would understand it, and it is that there are many synonymous terms for [any] one thing, and a mode of expression or a sentence is said in many ways. This was done on purpose to know and record all the vocabulary of each thing and all the modes of expressing each sentence. And this is not only in this Book but in the whole work.
\nFarewell.
\nThe corresponding Spanish passage should read: "de cincuenta y dos, en cincuenta dos años" The Tolosa MS and subsequent editions of Sahagún's Historia make the correction.↩
Quan desatinados, aujan sido, en el conocimjento, de las criaturas, los gentiles, nuestros antecessores: ansi griegos, como latinos: esta muy claro, por sus mjsmas escripturas. De las quales, nos consta: quan ridiculosas fabulas, inuentaron, del sol, y de la luna, y de algunas, de las estrellas: y del agua, tierra, fuego, y ayre: y de las otras criaturas: y lo que peor es, les atribuyeron diujnidad: y adoraron, ofrecieron, sacrificaron, y acataron: como a dioses.
\nEsto proujno, en parte, por la ceguedad, en que caymos, por el peccado original: y en parte por la malicia, y enuegecido odio, de nuestro aduersario, satanas: que siempre procura: de abatirnos, a cosas viles, ridiculosas, y muy culpables.
\nPues, si esto paso, como sabemos, entre gente, de tanta discrecion, y presuncion: no ay porque, nadie se maraujlle: porque se hallen, semejantes cosas, entre esta gente: tan parbula, y tan facil para ser engañada.
\nPues a proposito, que sean curados de sus cegueras, ansi por medio de los predicadores: como le los confessores: se ponen en el presente libro, algunas fabulas, no menos frias que fribulas: que sus antepassados, los dexaron: del sol y de la luna, y de las estrellas: y de los elementos, y cosas elementadas.
\nAl fin del libro, se pone la manera, del contar los años: y del año del jubileo: que era de cincuenta, en cincuenta y dos años y de las notables cerimonjas: que entonce hazian.
\nRazon tendra el lector, de desgustasse en la lection deste septimo libro: y mucho mayor la tendra si entiende la lengua yndiana, iuntamẽte con la lẽgua española: porque en lo español el lenguaje va muy baxo, y la materia de que se trata en este septimo libro, va tratada muy baxamente. Esto es porque los mjsmos naturales dieron la relacion de las cosas, que en este libro se tratan muy baxamente, segun que ellos las entienden: y en baxo lenguaje. Y asi se traduxo en la lengua española en baxo estilo, y en baxo qujlate de entendimjento: pretendiendo solamente saber, y escuijr lo que ellos entendian en esta materia, de Astrologia, y Philosophia natural: que es muy poco y muy baxo.
\nOtra cosa ay en la lengua que tambien dara desgusto al que la entendiere: y es que de vna cosa van muchos nõbres sinonjmos: y vna manera de dezir o vna sentencia va dicha de muchas maneras, esto se hizo aposta, por saber y escreujr, todos los vocablos de cada cosa: y todas las maneras de dezir de cada sentencia: y esto no solamente es en este libro pero en toda la obra.
\nVale.
\n","citation_key":"citation_anderson_spanish_transcription","citation":{"en":["Spanish by Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"],"es":["Español por Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"]}}]},"folio":"iv"}