American Indian love lyrics, and other verse, from the songs of the North American Indians

by Unknown

AMERICAN INDIAN LOVE LYRICS

PART ONE
Indian Love Lyrics and Other Verse selected from the songs of the North American Indians

MY BARK CANOE (Ojibwa)

In the still night, the long night through,

I guide my bark canoe,

My love, to you.

While the stars shine, and falls the dew,

I seek my love in bark canoe—

I seek for you.

It is I, love, your lover true,

Who glides the stream in bark canoe.

It glides to you,

My love, to you.

HER SHADOW (Ojibwa)

Out on the lake my canoe is gliding,

Paddle dipping soft lest she should take alarm;

Ah, hey-ah hey-ah ho, hey-ah hey-ah ho, thus I go!

Somewhere along shore she is hiding,

She is shy to yield to love’s alluring charm;

Ah, hey-ah hey-ah ho, hey-ah hey-ah, love will win, I know.

There is a shadow swiftly stealing!

Should it be her own, soon I will win the race;

Ah hey-ah hey-ah ho, hey-ah hey-ah ho, I think it is!

Will she but turn, herself revealing,

I will shout aloud when-e’er I see her face.

Ah! hey-ah hey-ah ho, hey-ah hey-ah ho,

There she is!

LOVER’S WOOING or BLANKET SONG (Zuñi)

I

O what happiness!

How delightful,

When together we

’Neath one blanket walk.

We together

’Neath one blanket walk,

We together

’Neath one blanket walk,

We walk.

O! What happiness!

How delightful,

When together we

’Neath one blanket walk.

We together,

’Neath one blanket walk,

We together,

’Neath one blanket walk,

We walk.

II

Can it be that

My young maiden fair

Sits awaiting,

All alone tonight?

Is she waiting

For me only?

Is she waiting

For me only?

III

May I hope it is

My young maiden

Sitting all alone

And awaiting me;

Will she come then?

Will she walk with me?

’Neath one blanket

We together be,

We—we two, we two,

We two, we two—

Will she come?

PAPAGO LOVE SONG (Papago)

Early I rose

In the blue morning;

My love was up before me,

It came running to me from the doorways of the Dawn.

On Papago Mountain

The dying quarry

Looked at me with my love’s eyes.

LOVE SONG (Dakota)

Many are the youths, many youths:

Thou alone art he who pleaseth me.

Over all I love thee.

Long shall be the years of parting!

THE BRIDE’S SONG (Algonquin)

There are many men in the world,

But only one is dear to me.

He is good and brave and strong.

He swore to love none but me;

He has forgotten me.

It was an evil spirit that changed him,

But I will love none but him.

LONELY (Ojibwa)

Fear not, he sayeth,

Though far away,

Thy lover strayeth

At break of day.

“Go not, my sweetheart,”

Vainly I cry,

“To yon far island,”

Yearning I sigh.

Thither must I go,

Sadly I moan;

Heavy my woe,

Left here alone.

WAR SONG (Dakota)

Friend, whatever hardships threaten,

If thou call me,

I’ll befriend thee;

All enduring fearlessly,

I’ll befriend thee.

ONONDAGA HYMN (Iroquois)

Woe! Woe!

Hearken ye!

We are diminished!

Woe! Woe!

The cleared land has become a thicket.

Woe! Woe!

The cleared places are deserted.

Woe!

They are in their graves—

They who established it—

Woe!

The great League.

Yet they declared

It should endure—

The great League.

Woe!

Their work has grown old.

Woe!

Thus we are become miserable.

LAMENT OF A MAN FOR HIS SON (Paiute)

Son, my son!

I will go up to the mountain

And there I will light a fire

To the feet of my son’s spirit,

And there will I lament him;

Saying,

O my son,

What is my life to me, now you are departed!

Son, my son,

In the deep earth

We softly laid thee

In a Chief’s robe,

In a warrior’s gear.

Surely there,

In the spirit land

Thy deeds attend thee!

Surely,

The corn comes to the ear again!

But I, here,

I am the stalk that the seed-gatherers

Descrying empty, afar, left standing.

Son, my son!

What is my life to me, now you are departed?

DEATH OF TALUTA (Siouan)

Ah, spirit, thy flight is mysterious!

While the clouds are stirred by our wailing,

And our tears fall faster in sorrow—

While the cold sweat of night benumbs us,

Thou goest alone on thy journey—

In the midst of the shining star people!

Thou goest alone on thy journey—

Thy memory shall be our portion;

Until death we shall watch for the spirit.

WIND SONG (Kiowa)

O you warriors, you have loved ones

Longing for you, longing for you;

Rich are ye.

O you lovers, you have maidens

Longing for you; none have I.

Wherefore droop ye in silence, so downcast?

Cheer your hearts with song, ho!

BLUEBIRD SONG (Pima)

Hai-ya, hai-ya,—hai-ya, hai-ya—

All my song is lost and gone.

Sad at heart is the bluebird,

All my song is lost and gone,

Woe is me, alas! alas!

All my song is lost and gone!

SONG OF THE UNHAPPY WIFE (Dakota)

Sorely I am distressed;

Sorely I am distressed;

Sorely I am distressed.

The earth alone continues long;

I speak as one not expecting to live,

Sorely I am distressed;

The earth alone continues long.

THE SONG OF UKIABI (Cegiha)

I am walking to and fro!

I can find nothing which can heal my sorrow.

A LOVER’S LAMENT (Tewa)

My little breath, under the willows by the water-side we used to sit,

And there the yellow cottonwood bird came and sang.

That I remember and therefore I weep.

Under the growing corn we used to sit,

And there the little leaf bird came and sang.

That I remember and therefore I weep.

There on the meadow of yellow flowers we used to walk.

Oh, my little breath! Oh, my little heart!

There on the meadow of blue flowers we used to walk.

Alas! how long ago that we two walked in that pleasant way.

Then everything was happy, but, alas! how long ago.

There on the meadow of crimson flowers we used to walk.

Oh, my little breath, now I go there alone in sorrow.

MY HOME OVER THERE (Tewa)

My home over there, my home over there,

My home over there, now I remember it!

And when I see that mountain far away,

Why, then I weep. Alas! what can I do?

What can I do? Alas! What can I do?

My home over there, now I remember it!

HUNTING-SONG (Navaho)

Comes the deer to my singing,

Comes the deer to my song,

Comes the deer to my singing.

He, the blackbird, he am I,

Bird beloved of the wild deer.

Comes the deer to my singing.

From the Mountain Black,

From the summit,

Down the trail, coming, coming now,

Comes the deer to my singing.

Through the blossoms,

Through the flowers, coming, coming now

Comes the deer to my singing.

Through the flower dew-drops,

Coming, coming now,

Comes the deer to my singing.

Through the pollen, flower pollen,

Coming, coming now,

Comes the deer to my singing.

Starting with his left fore-foot,

Stamping, turns the frightened deer.

Comes the deer to my singing.

Quarry mine, blessed am I

In the luck of the chase.

Comes the deer to my singing.

Comes the deer to my singing,

Comes the deer to my song,

Comes the deer to my singing.

A SONG OF THE DEER CEREMONY (San Carlos Apache)

At the east,

Where the jet ridges of the earth lie....

At the south,

Where the white shell ridges of the earth lie,

Where all kinds of fruit are ripe,

We two will meet.

From there where the coral ridges of the earth lie,

We two will meet.

Where the ripe fruits are fragrant,

We two will meet.

MOUNT KOONAK: A SONG OF ARSUT (Eskimaun)

I look toward the south, to great Mount Koonak,

To great Mount Koonak, there to the south;

I watch the clouds that gather round him;

I contemplate their shining brightness;

They spread abroad upon great Koonak;

They climb up his seaward flanks;

See how they shift and change;

Watch them there to the south;

How one makes beautiful the other;

How they mount his southern slopes,

Hiding him from the stormy sea,

Each lending beauty to the other.

THE COYOTE AND THE LOCUST (Zuñi)

Locust, locust, playing a flute,

Locust, locust, playing a flute!

Away up on the pine-tree bough,

Closely clinging,

Playing a flute,

Playing a flute!