The nursery rhymes and other compositions, which form the fourth important division of the present publication, are for the most part the same traditional Old-Spanish materials that are preserved in the oral traditions of all Spanish peoples. Many of them have practically identical versions in Chile, Mexico, New Mexico, California, and Spain. Some of the rhymes, however, are of purely local origin; and, indeed, a few of the so-called guarachas, turuletas, and bombas, are somewhat meaningless rhymes or jingles, where we find many local vocables, some of them in all probability of Negro origin.[1]
The poetic materials of Dr. Mason's collection (with the exception of the popular coplas and the learned songs) follow. They are classified under the following important divisions: —
I. Décimas in octosyllabic metre.
A. Of the type cuarteta or redondilla, — four regular décima strophes.
B. Of the type cuarteta or redondilla, — three regular décima strophes.
C. Of the type consisting of regular décima strophes.
D. Long décimas of five or more regular strophes.
E. Varia. Short and fragmentary décimas.
II. Décimas in hexasyllabic metre.
III. Aguinaldos or Christmas carols.
A. Aguinaldos in hexasyllabic quatrains.
B. Aguinaldos in various metres and strophic forms.
IV. Nursery rhymes, children's songs, and other popular rhymes.
A. Nursery rhymes.
B. Children's songs, humorous coplas, recitative and other popular rhymes.
V. Oraciones and Cánticos Espirituales.
AURELIO M. ESPINOSA.
I. DÉCIMAS IN OCTOSYLLABIC VERSE.
The décimas of this class are by far the most numerous. In the five important types they number two hundred and three, whereas the décimas in hexasyllabic verse number only forty-two. As already stated, the Porto-Rican décimas have become a regular, popular, poetic composition, much more so than in any other Spanish country, if one may judge from the collections published. The popular New Mexican décimas published in my "Romancero Nuevomejicano" number some twenty-three. As I have stated many times before, my New-Mexican Spanish folk-lore materials are by no means complete. As for the popular décimas, I believe one could collect in New Mexico
- ↑ We find these meaningless jingles, and also some of the words of unknown origin (probably Negro, as already stated), in a special class of folk-tales called cuentos cantados ("tales that are sung"), where the passages containing these jingles are sung in a weird manner. Dr. Mason has made some records of the music of these passages.
