Now every moment gave their doubts new force,
And every wondering eye disclosed the fear
Which on the tongue was trembling, when to the King,
Emaciate like some bare anatomy,
And deadly pale, Tezozomoc was led,
By two supporting Priests. Ten painful months,
Immured amid the forest had he dwelt,
In abstinence and solitary prayer
Passing his nights and days: thus did the Gods
From their High Priest exact, when they enforced,
By danger or distress, the penance due
For public sins; and he had dwelt ten months,
Praying and fasting, and in solitude,
Till now might every bone of his lean limbs
Be told, and in his starved and bony face
The living eye appeared unnatural, —
A ghostly sight.
In breathless eagerness
The multitude drew round as he began, —
O King, the Gods of Aztlan are not come;
They will not come before the Strangers' blood
Smoke on their altars; but they have beheld
My days of prayer, and nights of watchfulness,
And fasts austere, and bloody disciplines,
And have reveal'd their pleasure. Who is here,
Who to the White King's dwelling-place dare go,
And execute their will?
Scarce had he said,
When Tlalala exclaim'd, I am the man.

Hear then! Tezozomoc replied. — Ye know
That self-denial and long penance purge
The film and foulness of mortality,
For more immediate intercourse with Heaven
Preparing the pure spirit; and all eyes
May witness that with no relaxing zeal
I have perform'd my duty. Much I fear'd
For Aztlan's sins, and oft, in bitterness,
Have groan'd and bled for her iniquity;
But chiefly for this solemn day the fear
Was strong upon me, lest her Deities,
Estranged, should turn away, and we be left
A spiritless and God-abandoned race,
A warning to the earth. Ten weary months
Have the raw maize and running water been
My only food; but not a grain of maize
Hath stay'd the gnawing appetite, nor drop
Of water cool'd my parch'd and painful tongue,
Since yester-morn arose. Fasting I pray'd,
And, praying, gash'd myself; and all night long,
I watch'd, and wept, and supplicated Heaven,
Till the weak flesh, its life-blood almost drain'd,
Sunk with the long austerity: a dread
Of death came over me; a deathy chill
Ran through my veins, and loosen'd every limb;
Dim grew mine eyes; and I could feel my heart,
Dying away within me, intermit
Its slow and feeble throbs, then suddenly
Start, as it seem'd exerting all its force
In one last effort. On the ground I fell,
I know not if entranced, or dead indeed,
But without motion, hearing, sight, or sense,
Feeling, or breath, or life. From that strange state,
Even in such blessed freedom from all pain
That sure I thought myself in very Heaven,
I woke, and raised my eyelids, and beheld
A light which seemed to penetrate my bones
With life and health. Before me, visible,
Stood Coatlantona; a wreath of flowers
Circled her hair, and from their odorous leaves
Arose a lambent flame; not fitfully,
Nor with faint flash or spark of earthly flowers;
From these, forever flowing forth, there play'd,
In one perpetual dance of pointed light,
The azure radiance of innocuous fire.
She spake — Hear, Aztlan! and give ear, O King
She said. Not yet the offended Gods relax
Their anger; they require the Strangers' blood,
The foretaste of their banquet. Let their will
Be known to Aztlan, and the brave perform
Their bidding; I, meantime, will seek to soothe,
With all a mother's power, Mexitli's wrath
So let the maidens daily with fresh flowers
Garland my temple! — Daily with fresh flowers
Garland her temple, Aztlan! and revere
The gentle mother of thy guardian God!
And let the brave, exclaim'd young Tlalala,
Perform her bidding! Servant of the Gods,
Declare their will! — Is it, that I should seek
The strangers, in the first who meets my way
To plunge the holy weapon? Say thou to me,
Do this! — and I depart to do the deed,
Though my life-blood should mingle with the foe's.

O brave young Chief! Tezozomoc replied,
With better fortune may the grateful Gods
Reward thy valor! deed so hazardous
They ask not. Couldst thou from the mountain holds
Tempt one of these rash foemen to pursue
Thine artful flight, an ambush'd band might rise
Upon the unsuspcting enemy,
And intercept his way; then hitherward
The captive should be led, and Aztlan's Gods
On their own altars see the sacrifice,
Well pleased, and Aztlan's sons, inspirited,
Behold the omen of assured success.
Thou know'st that Tlaloc's annual festival
Is close at hand. A stranger's child would prove
A victim, whose rare value would deserve
His certain favor. More I need not say.
Choose thou the force for ambush; and thyself
Alone, or with a chosen comrade, seek
The mountain dwellers.
Instant as he ceased,
Ocellopan began: I go with thee,
O Tlalala! My friend! — If one alone
Could have the honor of this enterprise,
My love might yield it thee; — but thou wilt need
A comrade. — Tlalala, I go with thee!
Whom, the Chief answer'd, should my heart select,
Its tried companion else, but thee, so oft
My brother in the battle? We will go,
Shedder of blood! together will we go,
Now, ere the midnight!
Nay! the Priest replied,
A little while delay; and ere ye go,
Devote yourselves to Heaven! Feebly he spake,
Like one exhausted; gathering then new force,
As with laborious effort, he pursued, —
Bedew Mexitli's altar with your blood,
And go beneath his guidage. I have yet
Strength to officiate, and to bless your zeal.

So saying, to the Temple of the God
He led the way. The warriors follow'd him;
And with his chiefs, Coanocotzin went,
To grace with all solemnity the rite.
They pass the Wall of Serpents, and ascend
The massive fabric; four times they surround
Its ample square; the fifth, they reach the height.
There, on the level top, two temple-towers
Were rear'd; the one Tezcalipoca's fane,
Supreme of Heaven, where now the wily Priest
Stood, watchful for his presence, and observed
The maize-strown threshold. His the other pile,
By whose peculiar power and patronage
Aztlan was blest, Mexitli, woman-born.
Before the entrance, the eternal fire
Was burning; bare of foot they enter'd there.

On a blue throne, with four huge silver snake
As if the keepers of the sanctuary,
Circled, with stretching neck and fangs display
Mexitli sat; another graven snake
Belted with scales of gold his monster bulk
Around the neck a loathsome collar hung,
Of human hearts; the face was mask'd with
His specular eyes seem'd fire; one hand uprear
A club; the other, as in battle, held
The shield; and over all suspended hung
The banner of the nation. They beheld
In awe, and knelt before the Terrible God.

Guardian of Aztlan! cried Tezozomoc,
Who to thy mortal mother hast assign'd
The kingdom o'er all trees, and arborets,
And herbs, and flowers, giving her endless life
A Deity among the Deities;
While Coatlantona implores thy love
To thine own people, they in fear approach
Thy awful fane, who know no fear beside,
And offer up the worthiest sacrifice,
The blood of heroes!
To the ready Chiefs
He turn'd, and said, Now stretch your arms, make
The offering to the God. They their bare arms
Stretched forth, and stabbed them with the aloe
Then in a golden vase Tezozomoc
Received the mingled streams, and held it up point
Toward the giant Idol, and exclaim'd,
Terrible God! Protector of our realm!
Receive thine incense! Let the steam of blood
Ascend to thee, delightful! So mayst thou
Still to thy chosen people lend thine aid;
And these blaspheming stranger from the earth
Be swept away; as erst the monster race
Of Mammuth, Heaven's fierce ministers of wrath
Who drain'd the lakes in thirst, and for their food
Exterminated nations. And as when,
Their dreadful ministry of death fulfill'd,
Ipalnemoani, by whom we live,
Bade thee go forth, and with thy lightnings fill
The vault of Heaven, and with thy thunders rock
The rooted earth, till of the monster race
Only their monumental bones remain'd, —
So arm thy favor'd people with thy might,
Terrible God! and purify the land
From these blaspheming foes!
He said, and gare
Ocellopan the vase. — Chiefs, ye have pour'd
Your strength and courage to the Terrible God
Devoted to his service; take ye now
The beverage he hath hallow'd. In your youth
Ye have quaff'd manly blood, that manly thought
Might ripen in your hearts; so now with this
Which mingling from such noble veins hath flowed
Increase of valor drink, and added force.
Ocellopan received the bloody vase,
And drank, and gave in silence to his friend
The consecrated draught; then Tlalala
Drain'd off the offering. Braver blood than this
My lips can never taste! quoth he; but soon
Grant me, Mexitli, a more grateful cup, —
The Stranger's life!
Are all the rites perform'd?
Ocellopan inquired. Yea, all is done,
Answer'd the Priest. Go! and the guardian God
Of Aztlan be your guide!
They left the fane.
Lo! as Tezozomoc was passing by
The eternal fire, the eternal fire shot up
A long blue flame. He started; he exclaim'd,
The God! the God! Tezcalipoca's Priest
Echoed the welcome cry, The God! the God!
For lo! his footsteps mark the maize-strown floor.
A mighty shout from all the multitudes
Of Aztlan rose; they cast into the fire
The victims, whose last shrieks of agony
Mingled unheeded with the cries of joy.
Then louder from the spiral sea-shell's depth
Swell'd the full roar, and from the hollow wood
Peal'd deeper thunders. Round the choral band,
The circling nobles, gay with gorgeous plumes,
And gems which sparkled to the midnight fire,
Moved in the solemn dance; each in his hand,
In measured movements lifts the feathery shield,
And shakes a rattling ball to measured sounds.
With quicker steps, the inferior chiefs without,
Equal in number, but in just array,
The spreading radii of the mystic wheel,
Revolve; and, outermost, the youths roll round,
In motions rapid as their quicken'd blood.
So thus with song and harmony the night
Past on in Aztlan, and all hearts rejoiced.