Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 31.djvu/407

Rh ¡Si en una hizo tres muertes,

Madre de la Providencia!

El al cuello se tiraba,

no se podía degollar,

y haló por un puñal,

las tripas afuera se echaba;

todo esto él lo pensaba

y decía con urgencia:

— El fiscal allá en la audiencia

gusto no se da conmigo,

y hablando lo positivo.

¡Ave María, qué conciencia!

11. DECIMAS IN HEXASYLLABIC VERSE.

The décimas in hexasyllabic verse belong with the general subject of décimas in the matter of strophic form, and it seemed best to make the classification of the Porto-Rican poetic material on the basis of poetic forms. While most of the following décimas, which are in hexasyllabic metre, are in the matter of mere strophic form, rhyme-arrangements, the question of the introductory quatrains, etc., in fact entirely alike in matters of versification excepting the metre, the subject-matter is, on the whole, different. We have already stated that the subject-matter of the octosyllabic décimas is love, adventure, narrative. The theme of love is predominant. In the case of the hexasyllabic décimas the themes are love and adventure, but more prominently narratives taken from biblical tradition, mere Christmas carols, etc. Here it is noteworthy to observe that the décimas of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, already discussed in our observations on the octosyllabic décimas, are for the most part in octosyllabic metre, even those that treat of biblical tradition and other religious subjects. In modern tradition it seems — at least, if we judge from the Porto-Rican collection at our disposal — that the hexasyllabic décima is being limited more and more to themes of the Nativity. Even in the case of the décimas where love-themes are introduced, the religious element is the all-important one. In most of these décimas also we find the characteristics of the popular Christmas carol, and in fact many of them are such. For these reasons the people call most of the décimas in hexasyllabic verse aguinaldos, and these are the names given them in the manuscripts. If we use the word aguinaldo in the proper sense of "Christmas carol," this popular Porto-Rican hexasyllabic décima is rightly called by the people aguinaldo. In order to adhere, however, to the classification which we have followed, all aguinaldos in décima form are called and classified here as hexasyllabic décimas; and we have reserved the title of aguinaldo for the Christmas carols in other metres and strophic forms. It is clear, of course, that a definite classification had to be followed, even if arbitrary.

The décimas in hexasyllabic metre (or aguinaldos in the form of décimas), therefore, may be classified on the one hand with the