poem source

[jbierhorst at aol.com]

Dear Michael McCafferty,


The "poem," very popular on New Age websites, given merely as an "Aztec poem," is from Seler's Gesammelte Abhandlungen, vol. 2, p. 1045: "Im Hause des Schildkrotensitzes ist, kommt sie nieder, gebiert sie die Perle, die Schmuckfeder [...]."  Compare Anderson & Dibble Florentine Codex, part 2 (1951 ed.), p. 211: "Song of Aiopechtli. / There in her home [the goddess] Aiopechcatl, with child, gave birth [...]"  Probably the source used is Jerome Rothenberg, Shaking the Pumpkin (Anchor 1972), pp. 50 & 407.  And the translator is Anselm Hollo (see his page on Wikipedia).


Best, 


John Bierhorst 





-----Original Message-----
From: Michael McCafferty <mmccaffe at indiana.edu>
To: nahuatl at lists.famsi.org
Sent: Mon, Jul 5, 2010 10:00 am
Subject: [Nahuat-l] poem source


Can anyone point me to the source of this poem. It's supposed to be 
from the Nahuatl. Thank you! Michael

=====================================


In the house with the tortoise chair
she will give birth to the pearl
                         to the beautiful feather

in the house of the goddess who sits on a tortoise
she will give birth to the necklace of pearls
                         to the beautiful feathers we are

there she sits on the tortoise
swelling to give us birth

on your way on your way
child be on your way to me here
                         you whom I made new

come here child - come be pearl
                         be beautiful feather

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