The appearance of a complete edition of the Cantares mexicanos, a late sixteenth-century Nahuatl manuscript consisting of 91 songs, is a welcome event. The present two-volume edition includes a lengthy introduction, a complete transcription of the original manuscript, translation to English on facing pages with line numbers to allow for comparison, and a section of commentary on each song. Volume II contains a dictionary-concordance, a valuable supplement to the main text. With it, the reader can locate information on individuals mentioned in the Cantares as well as on their polities (altepetl). Somewhat less useful in my view is the inclusion of Bierhorst’s analytic transcription of the Cantares, since the first volume contains a complete transcription from the paleography.
The Cantares mexicanos present major problems in translation and interpretation. Bernardino de Sahagún and Diego Durán, both well steeped in Nahua culture and language, found Aztec songs “obscure. ” Tradition held that the Cantares mexicanos were a collection of poems, some by Aztec kings. Bierhorst has a surprising interpretation of these songs: they are “ghost songs” of a single genre. According to him, the songs were a kind of prayer performed by Aztec warriors to summon their ancestors to join in battle against their enemies. Although he admits the possibility that some of the songs could have pre-Hispanic origins, Bierhorst believes that they are an entirely new type: an integral part of a Nahua revitalization movement, dating from the midsixteenth century. He asserts that the Cantares emphasize “the return of ancestor kings, the glorious revival of the warrior ethic, and the re-creation of a paradisial Mexico” (p. 63). Couched in metaphorical language and their meaning obscure, the Cantares are “passively subversive,” according to Bierhorst, allowing for early expressions of native discontent under Spanish rule. Bierhorst’s previous work on North American Indian texts doubtless influences his ghost song interpretation. I find the interpretation unconvincing for the Mexican songs.
Overall, Bierhorst’s edition of the Cantares mexicanos is an important contribution. The complete transcription from the paleography is a major step. His English translation provides a basis for further refinement and interpretation. While his ghost song interpretation is not entirely persuasive, it will spark new interest and lively debate. And finally, we are reminded that the Cantares are poems of extraordinary elegance and beauty:
I’m to pass away like a ruined flower. My fame will be nothing, my renown here on earth will be nothing. There may be flowers, there may be songs, but what might happen to this heart of mine? Alas, it’s for nothing we’ve come to be born here on earth.. . .
Earth is but a moment. Is the Place Unknown the same? Is there happiness and friendship? Is it not just here on earth that acquaintances are made? (Cantares mexicanos, song 17, f. 10).
