Quick Iago seized his weapons,
Back to ear he drew his arrow,
Twanged the bowstring, drawn so tightly.
Arrow found the heart of panther.
See him lash the cones and needles,
While his death-scream frights the owlets,
Owlets in the hollow oaktree.
Seizing swift another arrow,
'Twixt his eyeballs then he struck him,
Red with blood the arrow hung there!
Soon the skin Iago fashioned
To a hammock for the maiden,
Fixed it to a sturdy grapewine,
From the grapevine hung the hammock.
Back to ear he drew his arrow,
Twanged the bowstring, drawn so tightly.
Arrow found the heart of panther.
See him lash the cones and needles,
While his death-scream frights the owlets,
Owlets in the hollow oaktree.
Seizing swift another arrow,
'Twixt his eyeballs then he struck him,
Red with blood the arrow hung there!
Soon the skin Iago fashioned
To a hammock for the maiden,
Fixed it to a sturdy grapewine,
From the grapevine hung the hammock.
Of Iago and Nakomis,
Asked we once of old traditions.
"Tell us of the ancient redwoods,
Redwoods high upon the mountain.
Tell us of their hoary ages,
What the legends of your people.
Did they see the tender saplings,
Ere their roots sank deep in mountain,
Ere they split the solid granite?
Did they name Sequoia region,
Where the redwoods still are growing?"
Turned Nakomis to the maiden,
And they reached their dusky fingers,
Till they touched a giant redwood,
Bowing, moving lips in silence.
Then they pointed to the needles.
To the leaves upon the branches,
Backward bowing, soft repeating:
"Gitche Manito, the Maker!"
Asked we once of old traditions.
"Tell us of the ancient redwoods,
Redwoods high upon the mountain.
Tell us of their hoary ages,
What the legends of your people.
Did they see the tender saplings,
Ere their roots sank deep in mountain,
Ere they split the solid granite?
Did they name Sequoia region,
Where the redwoods still are growing?"
Turned Nakomis to the maiden,
And they reached their dusky fingers,
Till they touched a giant redwood,
Bowing, moving lips in silence.
Then they pointed to the needles.
To the leaves upon the branches,
Backward bowing, soft repeating:
"Gitche Manito, the Maker!"
1921
33
