THE INVITATION SONG
Part I (The Song of the Whip-poor-will announced by the flute.)
I
So says the whip-poor-will,
Follow me, follow me!
So says the chief to him,
Yes I will follow thee!
II
See the night darkening;
The shadows are hiding,
No light to follow for,
So says the waterfall,
So sings the river voice!
III
Someone is nearing me,
Soft he comes creeping here,
Two eyes glare close to me,
Lighting the forest path—
Hear how his breath blows by!
IV
Fol-low me, fol-low me,
So sings the whip-poor-will!
Yes, I am following,
So the chief answers him.
Part II (The Wolf and his mate are announced.)
I
Hark, the trees bending low,
Something is breaking them,
Not the strong north wind’s hand,
Something stalks broad and swift.
Snuffing and panting loud!
II
Hark! How the tangles break!
Fearless the footfalls pass,
Strong trees stretch far apart,
Great horns dividing them.
(Whip-poor-will chorus)
Part III (Buck and Doe with cries enter the room.)
I
How the cold shivers me!
No snow is falling now,
Where does the sun’s fire hide?
Something comes roaring loud
Swift footed, warning me!
II
Its breath blinds the night eyes,
Like rainy vapor falls!
Now it walks close to me,
Warming and coaxing me,
Where the black forest frowns.
(Whip-poor-will chorus)
Part IV (The Bear and his mate have come.)
I
How the wind travels now,
No one dares run with it.
Great trees bend low to it,
Rivers fight back to it,
Roaring and splashing it!
II
Hear its wings flapping strong
Far in the hidden skies!
Swift it flies northward high,
Whistling and calling loud,
Hunting its running prey!
(The Hawk and its mate are announced, and all the rest of the forest folk. Finally, at dawn, the eagle is announced by the flute.)
Part V (The Eagle Song)
I
Deep the dew water falls
No one comes close to me!
Where are you, whip-poor-will?
Why I am waiting now
Calling your voice again?
II
Screaming the night away,
With his great wing feathers
Swooping the darkness up;
I hear the Eagle bird
Pulling the blanket back
Off from the eastern sky.
III
How swift he flies bearing the sun to the morning.
See how he sits down in the trails of the eastern sky!
Whip-poor-will, Whip-poor-will, no more I follow thee!
When the night comes again, wilt thou say, “Follow me”?
THE PLANTING SONG (Osage)
I have made a footprint, a sacred one.
I have made a footprint; through it the blades push upward.
I have made a footprint; through it the blades radiate.
I have made a footprint; over it the blades float in the wind.
I have made a footprint; over it the ears lean toward one another.
I have made a footprint; over it I pluck the ears.
I have made a footprint; over it I bend the stalk to pluck the ears.
I have made a footprint; over it the blossoms lie gray.
I have made a footprint; smoke arises from my house.
I have made a footprint; there is cheer in my house.
I have made a footprint; I live in the light of day.
SONG OF THE RAIN CHANT (Navaho)
Far as man can see,
Comes the rain,
Comes the rain with me.
From the Rain-Mount,
Rain-Mount far away,
Comes the rain,
Comes the rain with me.
’Mid the lightnings,
’Mid the lightning zigzag,
’Mid the lightning flashing,
Comes the rain,
Comes the rain with me.
’Mid the swallows,
’Mid the swallows blue
Chirping glad together,
Comes the rain,
Comes the rain with me.
Through the pollen,
Through the pollen blest,
All in pollen hidden
Comes the rain,
Comes the rain with me.
Far as man can see,
Comes the rain,
Comes the rain with me.
THE VOICE THAT BEAUTIFIES THE LAND (Navaho)
I
The voice that beautifies the land!
The voice above,
The voice of the thunder,
Among the dark clouds
Again and again it sounds,
The voice that beautifies the land.
II
The voice that beautifies the land!
The voice below,
The voice of the grasshopper,
Among the flowers and grasses
Again and again it sounds,
The voice that beautifies the land.
CORN-GRINDING SONG (Tesuque Pueblo)
I
This way from the North
Comes the cloud,
Very blue,
And inside the cloud is the blue corn.
How beautiful the cloud
Bringing corn of blue color!
II
This way from the West
Comes the cloud
Very yellow,
And inside the cloud is the yellow corn.
How beautiful the cloud
Bringing corn of yellow color!
III
This way from the South
Comes the cloud
Very red,
And inside the cloud is the red corn.
How beautiful the cloud
Bringing corn of red color!
IV
This way from the East
Comes the cloud,
Very white,
And inside the cloud is the white corn.
How beautiful the cloud
Bringing corn of white color!
How beautiful the clouds
From the North and the West
From the South and the East
Bringing corn of all colors!
SONG OF THE BLUE CORN DANCE (Zuñi)
Beautiful, lo, the summer clouds,
Beautiful, lo, the summer clouds!
Blossoming clouds in the sky,
Like unto shimmering flowers,
Blossoming clouds in the sky,
Onward, lo, they come,
Hither, hither bound!
CORN-GRINDING SONG (Zuñi)
Yonder, yonder see the fair rainbow,
See the rainbow brightly decked and painted!
Now the swallow bringeth glad news to your corn,
Singing, “Hitherward, hitherward, hitherward, rain,
Hither come!”
Singing, “Hitherward, hitherward, hitherward, white cloud,
Hither come!”
Now we hear the corn-plants murmur,
“We are growing everywhere!”
Hi, yai, the world, how fair!
CORN DANCE SONG (Zuñi)
Who, ah ye know who—
Who, ah ye know who—
Who was’t that made a picture the first?
It was the bright Rainbow Youth,
Rainbow Youth—
Ay, behold it was even thus—
Clouds came,
And rain came
Close following—
Rainbow then colored all!
KOROSTA KATZINA SONG (Hopi)
I
Yellow butterflies
Over the blossoming virgin corn,
With pollen-painted faces
Chase one another in brilliant throng.
II
Blue butterflies
Over the blossoming virgin beans,
With pollen-painted faces
Chase one another in brilliant streams.
III
Over the blossoming corn,
Over the virgin corn
Wild bees hum;
Over the blossoming corn,
Over the virgin beans
Wild bees hum.
IV
Over your field of growing corn
All day shall hang the thunder-cloud;
Over your field of growing corn
All day shall come the rushing rain.
ANGA KATZINA SONG (Hopi)
Rain all over the cornfields,
Pretty butterfly-maidens
Chasing one another when the rain is done,
Hither, thither, so.
How they frolic ’mid the corn,
Laughing, laughing, thus:
A-ha, ha-ha,
O-ah, e-lo!
How they frolic ’mid the corn,
Singing, singing, thus:
O-o, o-ho,
O-he, e-lo!
HE-HEA KATZINA SONG (Hopi)
Corn-blossom maidens
Here in the fields,
Patches of beans in flower,
Fields all abloom,
Water shining after rain,
Blue clouds looming above.
Now behold!
Through bright clusters of flowers
Yellow butterflies
Are chasing at play,
And through the blossoming beans
Blue butterflies
Are chasing at play.
WUWUCHIM CHANT (Hopi)
Thus we, thus we,
The night along,
With happy hearts
Wish well one another.
In the chief’s kiva
They, the fathers,
They and Muyingwa
Plant the double ear—
Plant the perfect double corn-ear.
So the fields shall shine
With tassels white of perfect corn-ears.
Hither to them, hither come,
Rain that stands and cloud that rushes!
A RAIN SONG OF THE SNAKE SOCIETY—I (Sia)
Priests of tinia,
Let the white floating clouds,
The clouds like the plains,
The lightning, thunder, rainbow, and cloud peoples water the earth.
Let the people of the white floating clouds,
The people of the clouds like the plains,
The lightning, thunder, rainbow, and cloud peoples
Come and work for us and water the earth.
A RAIN SONG OF THE SNAKE SOCIETY—II (Sia)
Cloud priest who ascends through the heart of the spruce of the north,
Cloud priest who ascends through the heart of the pine of the west,
Cloud priest who ascends through the heart of the oak of the south,
Cloud priest who ascends through the heart of the aspen of the east,
Cloud priest who ascends through the heart of the cedar of the zenith,
Cloud priest who ascends through the heart of the oak of the nadir,
Send your people to work for us
That the water of the six great springs may quicken the earth,
That she may give to us the fruits of her being.
CORN SONG (Pima)
I
Hi-ilo-o ya-a-a! He who sees everything
Sees the two stalks of corn standing;
He’s my younger brother. Hi-ilo-o ya-a-a!
He who sees everything, sees the two squashes;
He’s my younger brother. Hi-ilo-o ya-a-a!
On the summit of Ta-atûkam sees the corn standing;
He’s my younger brother. Hi-ilo-o ya-a-a!
On the summit of Ta-atûkam sees the squash standing;
He’s my younger brother. Hi-ilo-o woiha!
II
Hi-ilo-o ya-a-a! Over Ta-atûkam
Rise the clouds with their loud thundering.
Hi-ilo-o ya-a-a! Over Ta-atûkam
Rise the clouds with their loud raining.
Hi-ilo-o ya-a-a! The Bluebird is holding
In his talons the clouds that are thundering.
Hi-ilo-o ya-a-a! Yellowbird is holding
In his talons the clouds that are raining.
III
Hi-ilo-o ya-a-a! See Elder Brother
Breathe out the winds that over Ta-atûkam
Drive the clouds with their loud thundering.
Hi-ilo-o ya-a-a! See Elder Brother
Breathe out the winds that over Ta-atûkam
The welcome storm clouds are suspending.
Hi-ilo-o ya-a-a! In the great rain clouds
Let me sing my song of rejoicing.
RAIN SONGS (Pima)
I
Hi-ihiya naiho-o! Let us begin our song,
Let us begin, rejoicing. Hitciya yahina-a.
Let us begin our song, let us begin, rejoicing,
Singing of the large corn. Hitciya yahina-a.
Singing of the small corn. Hitciya yahina-a.
II
Hi-ihiya naiho-o! The darkness of evening
Falls as we sing before the sacred âmĭna.
About us on all sides corn tassels are waving.
Hitciya yahina! The white light of day dawn
Yet finds us singing, while corn tassels are waving.
Hitciya yahina-a! The darkness of evening
Falls as we sing before the sacred âmĭna.
About us on all sides corn tassels are waving.
Hitciya yahina! The white light of day dawn
Yet finds us singing, while the squash leaves are waving.
III
Hi-ihiya naiho-o! The earth is rumbling
From the beating of our basket drums.
The earth is rumbling from the beating
Of our basket drums, everywhere humming.
Hitciya yahina-a.
Earth is rumbling, everywhere raining,
Hitciya yahina-a.
IV
Hi-ihiya naiho-o! Pluck out the feathers
From the wing of the Eagle and turn them
Toward the east where lie the large clouds.
Hitciya yahina-a! Pluck out the soft down
From the breast of the Eagle and turn it
Toward the west where sail the small clouds.
Hitciya yahina! Beneath the abode
Of the rain gods it is thundering;
Large corn is there. Hitciya yahina!
Beneath the abode of the rain gods
It is raining; small corn is there.
Hitciya yahina.