The Road to the Spring: Collected Poems of Mary Austin

Songs the Indians Sing

252 Songs the Indians Sing Rain Song of the Rio Grande Pueblos People of the Middle Heaven Come to us, come to us! People of the rainbow, COME, COME, COME, COME, People of the thunder, COME . . . O COME! People of the lightning, Send your serpent darting arrows! COME, COME, COME, COME, People of the white clouds, White blossom clouds of the Middle Heaven Meadows Come to us, come to us! People of the dark clouds, COME, COME, COME, COME, Level lying clouds of the straight stretched mesas Moving to and fro, to make the earth more fruitful Pour down, pour down RAIN, RAIN, RAIN! Editor’s Notes Compare “Rain Songs for the Rio Grande Pueblos” in American Rhythm (1923). 253 Austin’s note: “This is one of many songs sung by the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico to bring rain. It is a dance song, and should be sung to the rhythm of the big drum saying, Come, Come, Come, Come, without any accent.” 254 Song of Life Renewal The wind stirs the willows, The wind stirs the grasses! The cottonwoods are growing tall They are growing tall and green. From the Paiute. Editor’s Notes Austin’s note: “This song was sung by Paiutes at the Ghost Dance many years ago when they were expecting the buffalo to come back and bring the great day of the Indians again.” 255 The Road-Runner Road-Runner with the crested head Goes crying poi, poi, As he runs around the house, Poi, poi, all around the house. Here is the lonely road-runner Poi, poi, the lonely road-runner, He eats lizards in the morning, He eats solitary lizards. Here is the red-eyed road-runner, Poi, poi, the red-eyed road-runner Who runs about the mistletoe, This is the red-eyed road-runner. I run and hide I run and hide, Now I kill gray lizard, His fat body I eat up. I run and hide, I run and hide In the garramboya bush. From the Pima. Editor’s Notes Austin’s note: “This is a Pima song collected by Frank Russel; it is about a bird, known as ‘Chaparral Cock,’ or, in Spanish, ‘Corridor del Camino,’ which is the same as road-runner, very well known in the desert parts of the Southwest.” The Pima are also known as Akimel O’odham, the River People, and are closely associated with the Tohono O’odham. Traditionally they lived on the Gila River and the Salt River in southern Arizona. 256 Chicken-Hawk’s Song That old owl there, He hates me, he hates me, That old owl, Because I bring home rabbits, White tailed rabbits, Tender, flopping rabbits, When he brings none! From the Navajo. Editor’s Notes Austin’s source for this poem and “Glossy Locks” is Washington Matthews , “Navajo Gambling Songs,” American Anthropologist 2 (January 1889): 1–19; rpt. Washington, D.C.: Judd & Detweiler, 1889. 257 Glossy Locks Glossy Locks picks them up, Glossy Locks picks them up, Little Dove picks them up, The lucky ones, The winning ones. Ai, Little Dove! Red Moccasin picks them up, Red Moccasin picks them up, Little Dove picks them up, He picks them for me The lucky ones, For me, Little Dove! From the Navajo. Editor’s Notes Austin’s note: “These are two Navajo gambling songs sung while the dice are being thrown. ‘Glossy Locks’ and ‘Red Moccasin’ refer to the glossy plumage and red feet of the dove.” 258 Buffalo Songs Behold me, I arise, Mon-non-ti-de, I arise The great chief buffalo Whose tread makes the earth rumble. I arise, Hiu-gthe-ton-ga, In whose thighs there is strength, I arise now, I who am called Tail-curved-back In my anger, I arise. Behold me, I arise, The bull buffalo, In whose humped shoulders there is power, I arise, Pa-he-ga-sho, I who shakes his mane, raging, When I am brought to bay. I arise now. Behold me, I arise, Curved-horns, He-thi-sdu-sha, They are very sharp, With them I make knife wounds, With them I prevail against the foe. Behold me, I who obey the Mysterious One, Commanded to go forth Into the visible world, I the great bull buffalo, I...