Alice Dixon Le Plongeon

“ Móo's heart oppressed by much that she had learned.
This mood the Sage rebuked and bade her hear
His words: "Dear child, thy path lies straight and clear;
Whate'er may hap, no thought of wrath outsend;
This breedeth ill and nothing doth amend.
In spite of many wrongs thou may'st endure,
Of fame this oracle doth thee assure.
'Twould seem a jest to bid thee do aright,
For man, alas! is in a woful plight!
He gropes along in quest of Wisdom's ray
And, ever seeking, often goes astray.
In noble deeds exert thy human might;
Let acts of kindness be thy best delight. ”

“ Aac boldly stood, the Pontiffs word to hear.
"Thou shalt live on; hast made thyself accurst!
Not thus will we—let fools for vengeance thirst.
From Chicħen, go! thy face we would not see.
An edict from our hand shall safeguard thee;
For, mark this well, the people soon must know
Prince Aac alone hath dared to deal the blow.
I see that war upon us thou wilt bring,
And finally, thyself proclaim as king.
Afflicted Móo will feel thy cruel ire;
Thus wilt thou weave for thee a fate most dire.
Myself, thy elder brother, thou'lt degrade;
Cans' dynasty shall fall, by thee betrayed." ”

“ But come what may, thy soul must nothing dread.
Hate's sting fear not; if thou no hatred give,
Its venom reacheth not what shall outlive
All trivial griefs and wrongs, thyself divine,
Bring what life will, let not thy soul repine.
Aid those who seek thy help; there is no joy
Surpassing this, unmingled with alloy.
We know that conflict is a law of life,
For matter feeds itself by constant strife ”

“ And stars reflected seemed where firefly played,
Each leaflet murmured lover's tenderness;
Soul's ecstasy was pure and fathomless.
O mystic Love! to every trivial thing
A new and holy charm dost ever bring,
With light and joy, to all touched by thy ray
Creation glows for him who feels thy sway.
Of one we love Perfection is the name,
For love is breath of God, all potent flame! ”

“ A sacred right none could dispute, nay more!—
Her duty 'twas as true and loving wife,
To light the wood, speeding the soul to life
Or dreamless sleep, the Will Supreme to bide.
The multitude, when Móo the torch applied,
Upon their knees, their brows to earth, were bowed
Until the priests, "Arise! All's well!" cried loud.
The priests and mourners now, each one in place,
Around the pyre, with sad and measured pace,
Unto the right, three times the way must tread ”

“ At times disconsolate, men yet aspire,
Labor and sigh for bauble they desire;
For riches, joys and honors, they contend;
But on the funeral pyre these all must end.
Let thy wish be to find the highest gift,
The Light Divine, 't will ever thee uplift.
When grief shall rend thy heart, seek thine own soul ”

“ Deep passion broods pent up, in matter dark;
Death comes, and there upon his gliding bark
Reality appears; soul finds its own—
Pure Love released, unmasked, stands forth alone.
By man has time been made the gauge of Earth. ”

“ Coh's heart, concealed within a close shut urn,
Was near the corpse, to char while that should burn.
That flames might higher leap and quick consume,
Fine scented oils, the hot air to perfume,
By priestly hand were lavishly out-poured
Upon the shroud of him whom all deplored.
Around the pyre, with measured step and slow,
His comrades, arms reversed, must three times go
Unto the left, anear the funeral bed,
That evil spirits might not reach the dead. ”

“ Alone with Móo he groaned, "'Tis Aac I see!
His life is ours to take; but this would be
With crime as infamous ourselves to brand—
Let not two fratricides accurse the land!
Our impulse to avenge must be suppressed;
Nor may our soul by anger be possessed. ”

“ Let Aac himself convict. Do thou, I pray,
Request his presence here—he'll quick obey."
Aac's handsome face wore mask of grief until
The High Priest sternly thus expressed his will:
"Our dauntless Coh is slain by one unknown;
The coward's blood for this crime should atone.
The Maya nation mourns—be thine the task
To see the culprit found—'tis all we ask."
Aac's features changed, with ardor he exclaimed—
"Not so! no blameless man shall be defamed
For what my passion wrought—all mine the guilt!
No clemency beg I—do as thou wilt."
There spake Aac's better self ”

“ Great Sun! from whom all life and light outflow.
Here crouches Aac, alone from age to age—
Absorb me now, my wretchedness assuage!
Remorse, to thee I said, 'Return no more'—
Thou shalt not stay to goad me as before!
O Light Eternal! bid this mem'ry die
While penitent upon the ground I lie.
Tho' long the years of anguish I have spent,
The worm gnaws on as if 'twould ne'er relent."
He prayed and wept. Response came from above—
A woman's voice replied with pitying love.
Up started he—"Hush! hush! thou knowest not,
But I know who thou art. O bitter lot! ”

“ The May Queen is a personification of the goddess Maya, the feminine forces of nature; possibly too of that Maya country whence it came. In Yucatan there is no queen connected with the dance; there it is and was sun worship pure and simple.
In Yucatan, as in the British Isles and elsewhere, the pole is planted before the residences of leading citizens, and the dance is performed for a recompense. In Ireland the dancers wore over their other dress white shirts, a detail which becomes interesting in view of the fact that the Maya people always dress exclusively in white. ”

“ That chief desire of his unyielding will:
This bitter thought his mind would ever fill.
Defied and baffled in his hour of might,
He hated all who had contrived Móo's flight.
Each one suspected quickly met dark fate ”

“ The melody and strange accompaniment are impressive and stirring, the rattles being particularly effective, now imitating the scattering of grain, then by a brisk motion of every arm sending forth a sound like a sudden rainfall on parched leaves, or a thunder clap in the distance, uniting with a shout raised by the dancers at the conclusion of each chorus. The fans, kept in motion, are emblematic of refreshing breezes. ”

“ Thy safety we desire and not thy life,
Tho' thou hast filled our land with grief and strife."
With one fell blow Aac struck the speaker dead,
Then shook the dripping axe above his head.
But scarce the deed was done when from the crowd
An elder man leaped forth and wailed aloud—
"My son! my son! avenged thou now shalt be;
Thy life destroyed, no Prince is there for me!"
This said, he sprang upon the stalwart Aac
Like maddened brute and roared—"Thy soul is black!
Defend thy life; strike swift or breathe thy last!" ”

“ The road thro' many lives each one must tread,
And by experience be onward led.
Man's creed saves not, but effort for the right;
Each his own savior is, thro' valiant fight:
Endeavor, not success, makes his account. ”

“ Le Plongeon has shown that in Yucatan and in Egypt the radical MA, of the word Maya, meant earth and place. This word was used by Hindoo sages to indicate matter, the earth, as it is found in their cosmogonic diagram. All matter being regarded as illusion, the word maya, in India, has that meaning. The mother of Buddha was Maya Devi (Beautiful Illusion) . Maya is matter, the feminine energy of Brahma. ”

“ One man carries a white flag on which is painted an image of the sun, and a man and woman on their knees worshiping it. Three men, apart from the dancers, play a clarionet, a sacatan, and a big turtle-shell beaten with deer-horns. The Master marks time with a rattle, and in his other hand has a three-thonged whip like the flagellum of Osiris in Egypt ”

“ In this poem are represented as nearly as possible, the religious ideas of the Mayas, their belief in KU, the Supreme Intelligence; in the immortality of the soul, and in successive lives on earth before returning to the great Source whence all emanate; also their rites and ceremonies as gathered from traditions of the natives of Yucatan, the fresco paintings found at Chicħen, and the books of ancient Maya authors. ”

“ By messenger himself would thus demean:
"To Móo, Aac yields, if she will be his queen."
Could mortal strive to rouse with greater zeal
Fierce hate and pity kill? Her fall, his weal,
He'd thus make one. His queen! O hateful thought! ”

“ The Master of the dance wears a stiff circular cap, surrounded by upright peacock feathers that sway with every movement, towering above all the dancers, and about his shoulders is a string of big sea-shells. ”

“ When the crops ripen, the finest ears are carried to the grimy divinity by men, women, and children, who within the cavern dance and pray all day long, some of their quaint instruments serving as accompaniment to the Latin litanies which they chant, without having even the vaguest idea of their meaning. ”

“ The lifeless babe no dread to his mind brought;
To mother's arms he bore the drooping form—
"Poor baby cold! make pretty sister warm."
The lustrums sped. A girl of lightsome heart
Was told, "He comes! with him thou must depart." ”

“ Aac, frustrated even in his hour of triumph, becomes a tyrant, oppresses those under his sway, turns a deaf ear to better promptings, and at last is killed in a contest with some of his own subjects, who would restrain him. ”

“ Such foes can plunge the soul of man in mire.
The arrogance of Mu roused Heaven's ire;
At her debauchery shocked, the gods forth fled;
Deserted thus, in agony she bled.
Simplicity and virtue stern, Can taught ”

“ The sun-dance mentioned in the Preface, is occasionally performed by Indians in Yucatan at the time of the vernal equinox. Twenty men take part corresponding to the number of days in the ancient Maya month—but ten dress as women, whence it may be inferred that in olden times the dancers were of both sexes. ”

“ The herald was forbidden to withhold
The worst. Then fiercely battled in Móo's breast
Wild rage and grief, while he obeyed her hest.
Scarce gone the man, when doubt brought some relief—
He must be mad! ”

“ In connection with the song to the rain-gods it may be said that although the natives of Yucatan are to-day Catholic in name, they really prefer to render homage to some statue of their forefathers, and cling tenaciously to a few of their old divinities. Among these may be mentioned Balam (tiger) , guardian of the crops, likewise appealed to as a rain-god. In a subterranean cavern a few miles from Chicħen, there is an old image of a man with long beard ”

“ With carvings red and gold upon their face.
The lofty stronghold in their midst, appeared
Like pyramid of human beings reared;
From base to summit on each side were seen
Brave men who for tljeir chief felt sorrow keen. ”

“ I.
soul returns to earth to live again in mortal form as daughter of a potentate who rules over the Maya Empire. When the Princess reaches womanhood, the High Priest Cay, her father's brother, describes to her the destruction of the great land whence her people came ”

“ In connection with the statue it must be observed that the ancient Mayas held a belief similar to that entertained by the Egyptians, regarding the condition of the soul after death, and in the same way made a statue of the deceased, with the idea that this would give the individual a hold upon life. ”

“ She builds a monument over his mortal remains and a statue made to his likeness, and erects a memorial hall, upon whose exterior walls she inscribes an invocation to the manes of her consort.
V.
Notwithstanding his crime, Aac ventures to renew his entreaties. Failing in his desire, he brings about a war that causes the ruin of the country and people. Finally the Queen is captured and imprisoned by Aac; but she is rescued by loyal subjects and with them flees to foreign lands. ”

“ They wear their usual spotless white garments, and sandals. Those clad as women are ornamented with large bead necklaces, principally red, in imitation of old Maya coin, and all the dancers have ear-rings. ”