From the Nahuatl

1: Ahuízotl: The Dog of Water

I am hairless. I am the dog
that eats the bodies after slaughter.

I am the dog
that waits beneath the water.

At the end of my tail
I have a human hand.

I give no quarter.
I am the dog

who lives beneath the water.
You will not hear me bark.

You will feel my bite.
I will take you in the night.

I am the dog
that waits beneath the water.


2: Tlaltecatzin’s Song to his Mistress

You’ve undressed in front of the princes
and are lying, invitingly,
on a pillow bed of blue and yellow feathers,
your eyes like toasted maize,

knowing full well you will be left
abandoned, and you will leave yourself
...