Goetz, John W.

English

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A QOHELETH OF OLD MEXICO.FRAGMENTS OF A POEM ON "THE TRANSITORINESS OFHUMAN AFFAIRS."BY JOHN W. GOETZ.[Buddhism has taught us the truths of transitoriness and of suffering.The same ideas are repeated in Ecclesiastes, chapter i. 4, where we read:"Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity."And it is interesting to discover the same thoughts expressed in old Mexicanpoetry as composed by one of their kings.Nezahualcoyotl—that was the sovereign's name—was born on February4, 1402, in Tezcoco. His parents were King Ixtlixochitl and Queen Matlal-huatzin, a sister of the Nahua king, Huitzilihuitl. In the year 1431 he wasceremoniously crowned as king of Texcoco and of the whole Chichimeco-Tecpanic kingdom.The chronicles have handed down to us interesting accounts of his cour-age, his talents, his hardships, and romantic events of his life. One mightreally fancy to read an American tradition of the history of David.Only two of his poems have come down to posterity, one of which iswithout a title, while the other bears the title "The Transitoriness of HumanAffairs." Here follows a literal translation of it from the Naguatl language.J. w. G.]The transitory pomps of this world are like the green willows,for howsoever much the latter may strive for permanence, a suddenfire will nevertheless consume them, a sharp ax will destroy them,the north wind will pluck them out, and old age and decrepitudebend them and make them down-hearted.The characteristics of the royal purple coincide with those ofroses, on account of their color as well as on account of their fate.The beauty of the roses lasts only as long as their chaste budscatch and keep avariciously those particles which the Dawn meltsinto precious pearls and economically dissolves into liquid dew;But no sooner does the Father of the Winds send the smallestray of light to them, then he deprives them of their beauty andA QOHELETH OF OLD MEXICO. * 285bloom, making them wither and lose their bright purple color withwhich they had been agreeably and gaily clad.During a short period only the proud and flourishing nationsenjoy their leadership;For those that in the morning prove themselves great andhaughty, weep in the evening over the sad loss of their throne andover the repeated catastrophes which bring them nearer to dismay,drought, death, and the grave.All earthly things come to an end ; for even the most festive,joyful and splendid career will come to a standstill, and completelyvanish away.The whole earth is a grave ; nothing exists that she does notpitifully hide and bury.Rivers, brooks and springs flow, and none of them returns toits source.They eagerly hasten towards the vast region of Tloluca (thesea) and the nearer they come to its extensive coast, the deeper theydig their sad beds in which to bury themselves.What was yesterday is not to-day, and one does not know whatto-day's things will be to-morrow.The tombs are filled with ashes of evil smell, which were for-merly bones, corpses and living bodies of people who sat on thrones,presided over councils, led armies, conquered countries, ownedtreasures, founded religions, and enjoyed pomp, authority, goodfortune and power.These glories disappeared like the terrible smoke vomited bythe infernal fire of the Popocatepetl, with no other monuments butthe rough hides on which they are recorded.And if I led you into the dark holes of the grave-yards, andasked you about the bones of the mighty Chalchiuhtlanetzin, thefirst chief of the ancient Toltecs, and about those of the venerableworshiper Necaxeomil;If I were to ask you what became of the incomparable beautyof Empress Xiuhtzal, and about the remnants of the peaceful To-piltzin, the last sovereign of the unfortunate Toltec kingdom;If I inquired for the ashes of our ancestor Xolotl. or the stillwarm dust of my famous, immortal, though most unfortunatefather Ixtlixochitl;If I were to question you as to all your august fore-fathers;what would you reply?286" THE OPEN COURT.The same as I also should answer: Indipohdi, indipohdi (Iknow nothing) ; for the first and the last are mingled with theearth.Their fate will be ours and that of our successors.Let us therefore, O invincible princes, brave commanders, truefriends and loyal liegemen, try to attain heaven ; for there every-thing is eternal and nothing decays.The horror of the grave is a flattering cradle for the sun, andthe miserable shadows bright lights for the stars.Nobody is able to change those celestial bodies ; for as theyserve directly the magnificence of our creator, they let our eyes seethe same things to-day that our ancestors beheld and that our off-spring too will behold.

A Qoheleth of Old Mexico. Fragments of a Poem on the  Transitoriness of Human Affairs.

https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2849&amp;context=ocj

A Qoheleth of Old Mexico. Fragments of a Poem on the Transitoriness of Human Affairs.

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