Folio 1 recto
Translations and Transcriptions
Spanish Translation
[Translation of the Nahuatl into Spanish by Fr. Bernardino de Sahagún; transcription of the Spanish (left-hand column) by James Lockhart:] [f. 1r.] Libro doze de la conquista de la nueua españa, que es la ciudad de Mexico. Capitulo primero de las señales y pronosticos que aparecieron antes que los Españoles viniesen a esta tierra ni vuiese noticia dellos. Diez años que vienesē los españoles desta* tierra: parecio en el cielo, vna cosa marauillosa, y espantosa: y es que parecio vna llama de fuego, muy grande y muy resplandeciento: parecia que estaua tendida en el mismo cielo, era ancha de la parte de abaxo, y de la parte de arriba aguda, como quando el fuego arde parecia que la punta della llegaua hasta el medio del cielo, leuātauase ---------- *DESTA. For "a esta."
English Translation
[Translation of the Nahuatl (right-hand column) by James Lockhart:] Twelfth book, which speaks of how war was waged here in the altepetl of Mexico. First chapter, where it is said that before the Spaniards came here to this land, and before the people who live here were known, there appeared and were seen signs and omens. Ten years before the arrival of the Spaniards an omen first appeared in the sky, like a flame or tongue of fire, like the light of dawn. It appeared to be throwing off [sparks] and seemed to pierce the sky. It was wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. It looked as though it reached the very middle [Translation of the Spanish (left-hand column) by James Lockhart:] Book Twelve, of the conquest of New Spain, that is, of the City of Mexico. First Chapter, of the signs and omens that appeared before the Spaniards came to this land or had been heard of. Ten years before the Spaniards came to this land there appeared in the sky something marvelous and frightful. It was that a tongue of flame appeared, very large and resplendent; it seemed to be suspended in the very sky. It was wide below and pointed above; when the fire burned it seemed that the tip of it reached the middle of the sky. It would rise
Analytic Transcription
[Transcription of the Nahuatl (right-hand column) by James Lockhart:] [f. 1r.] Inic matlactetl omume amoxtli, itechpa tlatoa inquenin muchiuh iauiotl in nican ipan altepetl Mexico. Inic ce capitulo vncā mitoa in nez, in mottac in machiotl yoā in tetzavitl, in aiamo valhui españoles, in nican tlalli ipan, in aiamo no iximachoa in nicā chaneque.* In aiamo vallaci españoles, oc matlacxivitl, centlamātli tetzavitl achto nez, ilhuicatitech, iuhqui in tlemiiaoatl, iuhqui in tlecueçalutl, iuhquin tlavizcalli, pipixauhticaca inic necia; iuhq’n ilhuicatl quiçoticac: tzimpatlaoac, quapitzaoac: vel inepantla in ilhuicatl; vel yiollo ---------- *NICĀ CHANEQUE. Possibly the intention here, as in the Spanish version, is that the Spaniards were not known by the local people. My translation is guided by the fact that nonactive verbs in Nahuatl do not specify an agent. Perhaps, however, the phrase “in nicā chaneque” is an implicit dative: “[the Spaniards] were not known [to] the people who live here.”
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Spanish Translation
[Translation of the Nahuatl into Spanish by Fr. Bernardino de Sahagún; transcription of the Spanish (left-hand column) by James Lockhart:] [f. 1r.] Libro doze de la conquista de la nueua españa, que es la ciudad de Mexico. Capitulo primero de las señales y pronosticos que aparecieron antes que los Españoles viniesen a esta tierra ni vuiese noticia dellos. Diez años que vienesē los españoles desta* tierra: parecio en el cielo, vna cosa marauillosa, y espantosa: y es que parecio vna llama de fuego, muy grande y muy resplandeciento: parecia que estaua tendida en el mismo cielo, era ancha de la parte de abaxo, y de la parte de arriba aguda, como quando el fuego arde parecia que la punta della llegaua hasta el medio del cielo, leuātauase ---------- *DESTA. For "a esta."
English Translation
[Translation of the Nahuatl (right-hand column) by James Lockhart:] Twelfth book, which speaks of how war was waged here in the altepetl of Mexico. First chapter, where it is said that before the Spaniards came here to this land, and before the people who live here were known, there appeared and were seen signs and omens. Ten years before the arrival of the Spaniards an omen first appeared in the sky, like a flame or tongue of fire, like the light of dawn. It appeared to be throwing off [sparks] and seemed to pierce the sky. It was wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. It looked as though it reached the very middle [Translation of the Spanish (left-hand column) by James Lockhart:] Book Twelve, of the conquest of New Spain, that is, of the City of Mexico. First Chapter, of the signs and omens that appeared before the Spaniards came to this land or had been heard of. Ten years before the Spaniards came to this land there appeared in the sky something marvelous and frightful. It was that a tongue of flame appeared, very large and resplendent; it seemed to be suspended in the very sky. It was wide below and pointed above; when the fire burned it seemed that the tip of it reached the middle of the sky. It would rise
Analytic Transcription
[Transcription of the Nahuatl (right-hand column) by James Lockhart:] [f. 1r.] Inic matlactetl omume amoxtli, itechpa tlatoa inquenin muchiuh iauiotl in nican ipan altepetl Mexico. Inic ce capitulo vncā mitoa in nez, in mottac in machiotl yoā in tetzavitl, in aiamo valhui españoles, in nican tlalli ipan, in aiamo no iximachoa in nicā chaneque.* In aiamo vallaci españoles, oc matlacxivitl, centlamātli tetzavitl achto nez, ilhuicatitech, iuhqui in tlemiiaoatl, iuhqui in tlecueçalutl, iuhquin tlavizcalli, pipixauhticaca inic necia; iuhq’n ilhuicatl quiçoticac: tzimpatlaoac, quapitzaoac: vel inepantla in ilhuicatl; vel yiollo ---------- *NICĀ CHANEQUE. Possibly the intention here, as in the Spanish version, is that the Spaniards were not known by the local people. My translation is guided by the fact that nonactive verbs in Nahuatl do not specify an agent. Perhaps, however, the phrase “in nicā chaneque” is an implicit dative: “[the Spaniards] were not known [to] the people who live here.”
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