Page:Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore Society V.djvu/46

28 Here the great voice of the thunder above is contrasted with the feeble voice of the grasshopper below, yet both are voices that make the world beautiful.

52. Many instances of climax have been noted. One here presented is from the mountain chant. It has but two steps to the ladder:— Maid Who Becomes a Bear Sought the gods and found them, On the summits of the mountains Sought the gods and found them, Truly with my sacrifice Sought the gods and found them. Somebody doubts it, so I have heard.

Holy Young Woman Sought the gods and found them, On the summits of the clouds Sought the gods and found them, Truly with my sacrifice Sought the gods and found them. Somebody doubts it, so I have heard.

Maid Who Becomes a Bear (Ts'ĭké Sas Nátlehi)90 is an important character in Navaho mythology. The last line in each stanza is an instance of irony.

53. It will be seen from the instances given that they understand the value of repetition in poetry. The refrain is a favorite form of expression; but they know of other means of giving verbal melody to their songs, as may be seen in the following original text of the Bluebird (Sialia arctica) Song:— Tsihayilkáe dóla aní, Ayas dotlĭzi bĭza holó, Bĭza hozónigo, bĭza holó, Bĭza holónigo hwíhe ĭnlí Dóla aní. Dóla aní.

To appreciate this a translation is not necessary, but it is given, as the reader may wish to know it:— Just at daylight Sialia calls. The bluebird has a voice, He has a voice, his voice melodious, His voice melodious that flows in gladness. Sialia calls. Sialia calls. The regular Navaho name for the bluebird "dóli" (changed here to "dóla" for poetic reasons) is translated Sialia, to distinguish it from the descriptive term "áyas dotlĭ´zi," which means literally bluebird.

54. Rhyme.—They are not ignorant of the value of rhyme in poetry, but they more often produce this by the repetition of