POETRY AND MUSIC.
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
On the summits of the mountains
Sought the gods and found them,
Truly with my sacrifice
Sought the gods and found them.
Somebody doubts it, so I have heard.
Holy Young Woman
Sought the gods and found them,
On the summits of the clouds
Sought the gods and found them,
Truly with my sacrifice
Sought the gods and found them.
Somebody doubts it, so I have heard.
Maid Who Becomes a Bear (Tsĭké Sas Nátlehi)90 is an important character in Navaho mythology. The last line in each stanza is an instance of irony.
53. It will be seen from the instances given that they understand the value of repetition in poetry. The refrain is a favorite form of expression; but they know of other means of giving verbal melody to their songs, as may be seen in the following original text of the Bluebird (Sialia arctica) Song:—
Tsihayilkáe dóla aní,
Áyas dotlĭ′zi bĭza holó,
Bĭza hozónigo, bĭza holó,
Bĭza holónigo hwíhe ĭnlí
Dóla aní. Dóla aní.
To appreciate this a translation is not necessary, but it is given, as the reader may wish to know it:—
Just at daylight Sialia calls.
The bluebird has a voice,
He has a voice, his voice melodious,
His voice melodious that flows in gladness.
Sialia calls. Sialia calls.
The regular Navaho name for the bluebird “dóli” (changed here to “dóla” for poetic reasons) is translated Sialia, to distinguish it from the descriptive term “áyas dotlĭ′zi” which means literally bluebird.
54.Rhyme.—They are not ignorant of the value of rhyme in poetry, but they more often produce this by the repetition of significant or meaningless syllables than by selecting different words with similar endings. Still we often find this, the more difficult means, resorted to as in the above song of the bluebird.
55.Music.—To the casual listener it may appear that there is much sameness in the music of their songs; but a more careful study will reveal the fact that the variety is great. It is remarkable how, with such rude instruments (an inverted basket for a drum, and a gourd rattle) to accompany them, they succeed, in a series of two hundred or more songs, in producing so many musical changes. In their sacred songs of sequence, where four or more songs of similar import follow one another, as is often the case, the music may be nearly alike (but never quite alike) in all; but when the theme of the poetry changes, the music also takes a decided change.
56. For further information on the subject of music the reader is referred to note 272, which contains remarks by Prof. John Comfort Fillmore, formerly of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but now of Claremont, California. Over two years ago the writer sent a number of phonographic records of Navaho songs to Professor Fillmore, who has diligently studied them and has written many of them in musical notation. Some of the musical scores are appended to the note.