Short Poems

'Tis folly to rejoice and boast
How small a price my Bible cost;
The day of judgment will make clear
'Twas very cheap — or very dear.

Love plumes his wings to fly away,
And laughs to scorn our idle pain:
Ah, vain it is to laugh and pray!
Love plumes his wings to fly away:
What prayer of ours his flight can stay
When, mocking us with high disdain,
Love plumes his wings to fly away,
And laughs to scorn our idle pain?

So blithely rose the happy day
When you and I began to kiss,
The birds believed December May,
So blithely rose the happy day,
And blossoms bloomed along our way,
Though it was time for snow, I wis, —
So blithely rose the happy day
When you and I began to kiss.

ON A MOTHER AN THREE INFANTS .

From God they came, to God they went again,
No sin they knew, and knew but little pain,
And here they lie, by their fond mother's side,
Who lived to love and lose them, then she died.

Come forth to the dance, ye lords, let there be abundance of turquoise and feathers; our dwelling on earth is not for long; only let the gods give me flowers to my hand, give me abundance of turquoises.
Come let us move in the dance in honor of the one only god, the Giver of Life, while my soul lives by the waters ( or , in Anahuac).
The Giver of Life made known a new song after the lord Nezahualpilli entered the strongholds of Nonoalco and sped his arrows within the walls of Atlixco.

The sweet voiced quechol there, ruling the earth, has intoxicated my soul.
I am like the quetzal bird, I am created in the house of the one only God; I sing sweet songs among the flowers; I chant songs and rejoice in my heart
The fuming dew-drops from the flowers in the field intoxicate my soul.
I grieve to myself that ever this dwelling on earth should end.
I foresaw, being a Mexican, that our rule began to be destroyed, I went forth weeping that it was to bow down and be destroyed.
Let me not be angry that the grandeur of Mexico is to be destroyed.

Let me pluck flowers, let me see them, let me gather the really intoxicating flowers; the flowers are ready, many colored, varied in hue, for our enjoyment.
The flowers are ready here in this retired spot, this spot of fragrant flowers, many sorts of flowers are poured down and scattered about; let the drum be ready for the dance.
I the singer take and pour down before you from my soul the beautiful poyomatl, not to be painted, and other flowers; let us rejoice, while I alone within my soul disclose the songs of flowers, and scatter them abroad in the place of flowers.

I bring forth our drum that I may show the power and the grandeur in which thou standest, decked with flowers of song: I seek a song wherewith to drape thee, ah! oh!
Thou, my Lord, O thou Nezahualcoyotl, thou goest to Mictlan in some manner and at a fixed time, ere long.
For this, for this, I weep, I Nezahualcoyotl, inasmuch as I am to go, I am to be lost in death, I must leave thee; my God, the Giver of Life, thou commandest me, that I go forth, that I be lost, alas.

In the place of tears I the singer watch my flowers; they are in my hand; they intoxicate my soul and my song, as I walk alone with them, with my sad soul among them
In this spot, where the herbage is like sweet ointment and green as the turquoise and emerald, I think upon my song, holding the beauteous flowers in my hand, etc (as in v. I)
In this spot of turquoise and emerald, I think upon beauteous songs, beauteous flowers; let us rejoice now, dear friends and children, for life is not long upon earth.

Why stand ye idle, blossoms bright,
The livelong summer day?
" Alas! we labor all the night
For what thou takest away! "