The Poetry in Nahuatl Was called"flower and song", since it was characterized as a dialogue between the heart itself, the world, the divine and the people.
Therefore, it was highly important within the Aztec societies. Poets were usually priests or princes whose job was to convey poetic sentiment to the people (Brinton, 2004).
Language Nahuatl Is an Uto-Aztec language spoken by approximately 1.5 million people in Mexico. Most people who speak Nahuatl inhabit the central region of the country (Ager, 2017).
Nahuatl is a language that rescues forms of expression such as poetry, so various expressions of this lyrical genre can be found in books and texts written in Nahuatl language.
Although poetry was generally transmitted orally from one generation to another, at present some poets can be recognized who are attributed the authorship of multiple poems in Nahuatl. Some examples are Tecayehuatzin, Nezahualpiltzin, Yoyontzin and Temilotzin.
Poems in Nahuatl with its Spanish translation
1- Nonantzin (Mother of my own)
Nonantzin Nonantzin ihcuac nimiquiz,
Motlecuilpan xinechtoca
Huan cuac tiaz titlaxcal chihuaz,
Ompa nopampa xichoca
Huan tla acah mitztlah tlaniz:
-Zoapille, tickete?
Xiquilhui xoxouhqui in cuahuitl,
Popcorn roof.
Mother of mine
My little mother, when I die,
Bury me by the fire
And when you go to make the tortillas there for me cries.
And if anyone asked you,
"Lady, why are you crying?"
Tell him that the wood is green,
Makes you cry with smoke.
Ihcuac tlalixpan tlaneci ( Dawn)
Ihcuac tlalixpan tlaneci
Ihcuac tlalixpan tlaneci,
In mtztli momiquilia,
Citlalimeh ixmimiqueh
In ilhuicac moxotlaltia.
Ompa huehca itzintlan tepetl,
Popocatoc hoxacaltzin,
Ompa yetoc notlahzotzin,
Noyolotzin, nocihuatzin.
Dawn
When on earth dawns
The moon dies
The stars are no longer seen,
The sky is lit.
Far away, at the foot of the hill,
Smoke comes out of my cabin,
There is my sweetheart,
My heart, my little woman (León-Portilla, 2017).
3- Tochan in Altepetl- Our House Flower Enclosure
Tocahn in xochitlah,
Ye in huecauh Mexihco Tenochtitlán;
Any, yeccan,
Otechmohual huiquili Ipalnemohuani,
Ninacata totlenyouh, tomahuizouh intlatic pac.
Tochan pocayautlan,
Nemequimilolli in altepetl
Ye in axcan Mexihco Tenochtitlán;
Tlahuelilocatiltic tlacahuacayan.
Cuixoc huel tiquehuazqueh nican in cuicatl?
Nican otech mohualhuiquili Ipalnemohuani,
Nican cacta totlenyouh, tomahuizouh in
Tlalticpac.
Our House Flower Enclosure
Our house, enclosure of flowers,
With sun rays in the city,
Mexico Tenochtitlán in ancient times;
Place good, beautiful,
Our dwelling of humans,
Brought us here the giver of life,
Here was our fame,
Our glory on earth.
Our house, fog of smoke,
City shroud,
Mexico Tenochtitlán now;
Crazed place of noise
Can we still raise a song?
The giver of life brought us here
Here was our fame,
Our glory on earth.
4- Tochin In Metztic-The Rabbit on the Moon
Yohualtotomeh
Inchan omanqueh:
Cenca quiahuia yohualnepantla
In ihcuac oyahqueh in tlilmixtli,
Yohualtotomeh patlantinemih,
Azo quittayah tochin in metztic.
Nehhuatl huel oniquimittac
In yohualtotomehihuan
Tochin in metztic.
The Rabbit on the Moon
The birds of the night
They stayed in his house;
It rained heavily in the middle of the night.
When the black clouds left,
The birds were fluttering,
Maybe they saw the rabbit on the moon.
I could contemplate
The birds of the night
And also the rabbit on the Moon.
5-Poem
No hual collides in
No hual icnotlamati
Zan ca anicnihuan
Azo toxochiuh on
Ma ye ic ninapantiuhcan
On Ximohuayan?
Nihuallaocoya.
Translation
Here I start to cry
I get sad.
I'm just a singer
See, my friends
Perhaps with our flowers
I have to dress there where
Are those who have no body?
I get sad.
6- Piltototsin-Little Bird
Piltototsin, kenke tikuika?
In the nikuika pampa niyolpaki,
Na nikuika pampa nochipa tlanes
Iuan ta, kenke axtikuika?
Piltototsin, kenke tikuika?
In the nikuika pampa niyoltok,
In nikuika pampa amo nikokojtok,
Uan ta, kenke ax tikuika?
Piltototsin, kenke tikuika?
In the nikuika pampa nitlayejyekmati,
Na nikuika pampa onkaj tonati
Uan ta, kenke axtikuika?
Little bird
Why do you sing?
I sing because I am happy,
I sing because it always dawns
And you, why do not you sing?
Bird, Why do you sing?
I sing because I have life,
I sing because I'm not hurt
And you, why do not you sing?
Bird, Why do you sing?
I sing because I see beautiful things,
I sing because there is sun,
And you, why do not you sing?
7-Poem
Nimitstlasojtla inon tetlakauilili
Ma tlakatl ti tepetlakpayotl miyotl
Nech katl tlalelchiualistli nech
Neyoliximachilistli se sitlalxonekuili
Aikmikini itech nikampa tetonali
Translation
I love you, that's the heritage
That your person gives me you are
Summit of light in my existence
And an ineffable reproach in me
Consciousness and an immortal wake
Within my soul.
8-Niuin- I'm drunk
Niuinti, nichoka, niknotlamati,
Nik mati, nik itoa,
Nik ilnamiki:
Ma ka aik nimiki
Ma ka aik nipoliui.
In kan ajmikoa,
In kan on tepetiua,
In ma onkan niau...
Ma ka aik nimiki,
Ma ka aik nipoliui.
I'm drunk
I'm drunk, I cry, I grieve
I think, I say,
In my interior I find it:
If I never died,
If it never disappeared.
Where there is no death
Wherever she is conquered,
Let me go there
If I never died,
If it never disappeared.
9-Nitlayokoya-I'm sad
Nitlayokoya, niknotlamatiya
San, nitepiltsin Nesaualkoyotl
Xochitika ye iuan kuikatika
Nikimilnamiki tepiluan,
Ain oyake,
Yejua Tesosomoktsin,
The yejuan Kuajkuajtsin.
Ok nelin nemoan,
Kenyonamikan.
Maya nikintoka in intepiluan,
Maya nikimonitkili toxochiu!
Ma ik itech nonasi,
Yektli yan kuikatl in Tesosomoktsin.
O aik ompoliuis in moteyo,
Nopiltsin, Tesosomoktsin!
Anka sa ye in mokuik a ika
Niualchoka
In san niualiknotlamatiko,
Nontiya.
San niualayokoya, niknotlamati.
Ayokik, ayok,
Kenyan,
Titechyaitakiu in tlaltipak,
Ika nontiya.
10-I'm sad
I'm sad, I grieve,
I am Mr. Nezahualcoyotlcon
Flowers and with songs,
I remember the princes
To those who left
To Tezozomoctzin,
To Cuacuahtzin.
In fact they live,
There where in some way there is
I wish I could follow the princes
Bring them our flowers!
If i could make my hands
The beautiful songs of Tezozomoctzin!
Your reputation will never perish!
Oh my lord, your Tezozomoctzin!
So, missing your songs
I have come to grieve
I just came to be sad
I tear myself apart
I have come to be sad, I grieve
You are no longer here, no longer,
In the region where there is somehow,
Leave us without provision on earth
For this, I tear myself apart.
10- Nikitoa- I ask
Niqitoa ni Nesaualkoyotl:
Kuix ok neli nemoua in tlaltikpak?
An nochipa tlaltikpak:
San achika and nikan.
Tel ka chalchiuitl no xamani,
No teokuitlatl in tlapani,
No ketsali posteki.
An nochipa tlaltikpak:
San achika ye nikan.
I ask
I asked Nezahualcóyotl:
Do you really live on the earth with roots?
Not forever on earth:
Just a little here.
Although jade is broken,
Even if it is broken gold,
Even if quetzal plumage is torn.
Not forever on earth:
Just a little here (Mexica, 2017).
References
- Ager, S. (2017). Omniglot . Obtained from Nahuatl (nāhuatl / nawatlahtolli): omniglot.com
- Brinton, D.G. (April 30, 2004). ANCIENT NAHUATL POETRY . Retrieved from INTRODUCTION: gutenberg.org
- CATEGORY: POEMS IN NAHUATL AND SPANISH . (June 18, 2013). Obtained from Poems in Nahuatl - Bird: hablemosnahuatl.mx
- Leon-Portilla, M. (2017). Indigenous Communities of Mexico . Obtained from 4 short poems that you should know in Indigenous language náhuatl: communitiesindigenasenmovimiento.mx
- Mexica . (June 29, 2017). Obtained from Cantares Mexicanos: mexica.ohui.net.