Comments on the Florentine
Campbell, R. Joe
campbel at indiana.edu
Fri Aug 26 14:23:48 UTC 2011
Nocnihuan,
When I got back from my first contact with Nahuatl in Tepoztlan in
the summer of 1962 with Ken Hale, I first saw volumes of Dibble and
Anderson's edition of the Florentine Codex in the University of
Illinois library.
"WOW!!" is a very weak word to express my reaction, so you can picture
it as "WOW-cubed!!!" It has only grown since then.
I'm sending you some of my notes on the Florentine, with the hope of
a two-way communication:
1) your comments which might modify my opinions;
2) modifying your reading of some phrases in the text.
The format below gives the book and page number in the D&A edition
(the file number is for my use in locating the passage. The "word"
line identifies the commented portion of the phrase. "my word gloss"
gives my modified translation of the selected word in the Nahuatl
phrase. The comment line is my note (usually to myself and therefore
informal) expressing an opposing opinion about the translation.
I would very much appreciate comments to the contrary.
Joe
1.
book 1 file 1 page 27
Nah: intla otetlaxin: inic amo cuatetlaxililoz, inic
amo cuatepitziniloz,
inic amo cuatetzotzonaloz, moyolmelahua.
Eng: if they had committed adultery, so that their heads might
not be pierced, nor crushed, nor beaten with stones, [therefore]
they confessed.
word: cuatetlaxililoz
my word gloss: he will have rocks thrown at his head
comment: *****??11|D&A translate this as pierced; it seems
to involve rock throwing
2.
book 1 file 2 page 42
Nah: oncan ic oquichtia.
Eng: thus he made him a man of consequence.
word: oquichtia
my word gloss: he became a warrior
comment: *****??11|D&A translate this as "he made him a man",
but since there is no transitive construction, it looks
more like "in this way he became a man, a warrior"
3.
book 1 file 3 page 49
Nah: ihuan in aca matzicolihuiya, ima quicuecuetza, icxi quicuecuetza,
macopichahui, icxicopichahui, icxicuecuechca, ihixatotoco,
tempapatlaca, tenhuihuiyoca, itech quinehua: mitoa, oquitlahuelique
in xoxouhque tepicme.
Eng: and if one were lame in one hand, [if] his arm quivered,
his leg quivered, a hand became misshapen, a foot became
misshapen, his foot shook, his eyes trembled, his lips quivered,
his lips trembled, if he were possessed, it was said, the
green mountain gods had become angered by him.
word: ihixatotoco
my word gloss: there is running of water from his eyes
comment: *****??11|D&A translate this as "his eyes trembled",
but it seems more likely that it means "there is running
of water from his eyes"
4.
book 2 file 2 page 58
Nah: auh in ehuatl, ocototzauh, ocacalachuac, ocuahuac:
Eng: and the skins were in pieces; they crackled; they were
hard.
word: cototzauh, o-
my word gloss: it wrinkled, it twisted
comment: *****??11|D&A translate this as "were in pieces",
but it is more likely that that it is "it wrinkled, it twisted",
consistent with the semantics of 'cototzahui'.
5.
book 2 file 4 page 82
Nah: iitztitoque,
Eng: they lay sleepless.
word: iitztitoqueh
my word gloss: they lie sleepless
comment: *****??11|D&A translate this as concerning sleeplessness,
but it is more likely that it concerns "itztia" (being cold)
6.
book 2 file 4 page 88
Nah: auh in icuac quimeltetequi, in ce ompeti iiechiquiuh,
conanilia in iyollo, contlalitihui comic, tlatexohuilli
motocayotia, mixcomitl, nauhcampa in tlaolxahualli:
Eng: and when they slashed open the breasts of [the victims],
when they opened the breast of one of them, they seized
his heart; they went to place it in a vessel painted blue,
named the cloud vessel, which was painted with rubber on
four sides.
word: tlalihtihui, con-
my word gloss: they go placing it
comment: *****??11|is this really a directional or a compound
verb? D&A translate this as a purposive verb, but it is
a compound verb
7.
book 2 file 7 page 119
Nah: niman ic conicza in itianquiz, za iyopa, za ye connahuatia
in tianquiztli.
Eng: then she tramped over her market place for the last time
before she took leave of the market place.
word: iyohpa
my word gloss: only time
comment: *****??11|D&A translate this as "last time"; it is
more likely "only time"
8.
book 2 file 7 page 125
Nah: in ocaxitico tlatzintlan, mec quimana in oncan coaxalpan.
Eng: when he had come reaching the bottom, then he placed
it there on the landing.
word: ahxitico, oc-
my word gloss: he came to bring it
comment: *****??11| not reaching the bottom -- came to bring
it (the chalk)
9.
book 2 file 7 page 125
Nah: auh in ixquich tlacatl, zan iuh ontlantihui in quitlalcahuia,
zan quezquinti in huel quimonaxitia, in huel ompa quimoncahua
tocititlan:
Eng: and everyone [else] went stopping when they left her;
there were only few who indeed brought her, who indeed left
her there at tocititlan.
word: ahxitia, quimon-
my word gloss: they bring them
comment: *****??11|D&A translate this as "they bring her",
but it means "they bring them"
10.
book 2 file 7 page 125
Nah: auh in ixquich tlacatl, zan iuh ontlantihui in quitlalcahuia,
zan quezquinti in huel quimonaxitia, in huel ompa quimoncahua
tocititlan:
Eng: and everyone [else] went stopping when they left her;
there were only few who indeed brought her, who indeed left
her there at tocititlan.
word: cahua, quimon-
my word gloss: they leave them
comment: *****??11|D&A translate this as "they leave her",
but it means "they leave them"
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