Edgar: doublets, bifrasismos, difrasismos

micc2 micc2 at COX.NET
Thu Sep 2 07:04:50 UTC 2004


the effects of water and fire have nothing to do with this disfrasismo
except that:

when fire overwhelms water, hot (and sometimes violent) steam is sent
out....
when water overcomes fire, it causes flames to shoot out as it puts the
fire out... and again  steam (and smoke  this time) are sent out violently.

it is this great release of violence and energy that symbolize war, not
how water or fire were used in battle.

mario cuauhtlehcoc
www.mexicayotl.org


ANTHONY APPLEYARD wrote:

> --- Geoff Davis <mixcoatl at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
>
>>... Here are two common examples:
>>in atl in tlachinolli - "water and fire" - war
>>in xochitl in cuicatl - "flower and song" - poetry
>>
>>
>
>Andrews's book translates difrasismos as e.g. "It is a flower and it is
>a song".
>
>In "it is water and it is fire" used to mean "it is war", I know that
>war all too often involves setting buildings on fire, but where does
>water come into it? Does it refer to war canoes? Or does the phrase
>refer to water and fire being incompatible "elements"?
>
>Citlalyani
>
>
>
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