le, shine in their deeds like beautiful flowers in a field, and
win lasting fame by their exploits.

_mopopoyauhtoc_. The grammarian Olmos explains the reflexive verb
_mopopoyauhtiuh_ to signify "he leaves an honored memory of his
exploits." See Simeon, _Dictionaire de la Langue Nahuatl_, sub voce.

7. _Huexotzinco atzalan_; "Huexotzinco amid the waters." This
expression, repeated in verse 8, appears inappropriate to the town of
Huexotzinco, which lies inland. In fact, the description in verse 7
applies to Tenochtitlan rather than the singer's own town. But the
text does not admit this translation. Perhaps we should read
"Huexotzinco and Atzalan," as there are yet two villages of that name
in the state of Puebla (which embraced part of ancient Huexotzinco).

10. _petiatolini_, I have derived from _petlatl_, suspecting an error
in transcription. The reference is to the rushes in the mat on which
the singer stood.

NOTES FOR SONG XXII.

The ordinary sad burden of the Nahuatl poets is repeated with
emphasis in this plaint. It is a variation of the Epicurean advice,
"Eat, drink, and be merry, for to-morrow we die." Both the sentiment
and the reference to Mictlan in verse 7, point it out as a production
uninfluenced by Christian teaching.

7. The word _ahuicaloyan_, place of sweetness, would seem to be
identical with _ohuicaloyan_, place of difficulty, in v. 8; I have
regarded the latter as an error of transcription.

NOTES FOR SONG XXIII.

Although No. V. is probably one of the lost songs of Nezahualcoyotl,
the present is the only one of the collection which is definitely
attributed to him. The language is very archaic, and in the sentiment
there is every mark of antiquity.

The text is apparently a dialogue, which was chanted as strophe and
antistrophe, the one singer speaking for the King, the other for the
bard himself.

The word _teotl_ is used for divinity, and it is doubtless this word
for which the copyists of some of the other songs have substituted
the Spanish _Dios_, thus conveying an impression that the chants
themselves were of late date.

The last verse, however, seems to be by one who lives after the time
of the great poet-prince, and is calling him to memory.

NOTES FOR SONG XXIV.

It will be seen that there is a wearisome sameness in the theme of
most of the short poems. Probably the bards followed conventional
models, and feared for the popularity of their products, did they
seek ori