Rabinal Achi / ZapatistaPortAction

Quichí-Achí dances a round-dance in the midst of the Court and goes to each angle in turn to shout his war-cry.

Hey! Chief Five-Rains!
Now hear this
to the sky-face here
to the earth-face here
If it's true that you're so rich here
if you don't know what to do with all you've got
in the great walls
in the great fortress
then just for a minute let me have

     U Chuch Gug    Mother of Feathers
     U Chuch Raxon  Mother of Hummingbirds
     Yamanim Xtekoh the Brilliant Emerald
come from Tzam-Gam-Carchag
whose mouth hasn't ever been touched
whose face hasn't ever been seen

so I can graze her mouth
so I can glimpse her face
so I can dance with her
so I can show her off
in the great walls
in the great fortress
in the four corners
along the four walls
as a sort of signal of my death
to mark my disappearance
under sky here
on the earth.
May sky
and earth
be with you
Chief Five-Rains!

Hobtoh Rabinal-Rahaual, Chief Five-Rains, speaks for the third time:

Valiant   Warlike!       Cavek iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii kiiiiiiiii
kikikikikikikiki

Quichí Vinak:

Man do you know what you're asking?

OK   OK
OK nevertheless here's what I'll do
Because she's cloistered here
Our Feather-Mother
Mother of Hummingbirds
the Brilliant Emerald
come from Tzam-Gam-Carchag
whose mouth hasn't ever been touched
whose face hasn't ever been seen
I'll grant her to you
as a supreme signal of your death
and of your disappearance
under the sky here
and on the earth.

Men  girls bring us that Lady
Mother of Feathers
Mother of Hummingbirds
Give her to this Valiant this Achí
since he asked for her
as a supreme signal of his dying
and his disappearance
under the sky here
and on the earth.

Ixok-mum, a servant girl, speaks for the Third time:

Very well my Chief  my Governor
I give her to this Valiant    this Achí

They bring the Mother of Feathers and present her to Quichí- Achí

Here she is Valiant Achi      Cavek Quichí Vinak:
I'm giving you what you wished for what you asked for
the Feather Mother
Mother of Hummingbirds
Don't offend her
don't wound her
But show her off
merely by dancing with her
in the great walls
in the great fortress

Quichí-Achí salutes the young Lady who keeps her distance, dancing in front of him, turning away her face. He follows her in the same fashion, weaving before her, like a length of cloth-they dance round the Court to the sound of trumpets and then return before Chief Five-Rains.