This poem is in honor of National Poetry Day.
Theme is environment—while this is an Aztec love poem, it is about people more in tune with their environment than modern people
Stand! Beat Your Drum!
Give your all!
Be a friend! Aya!
Your heart will be adorned
with many hues. Yehuaya!
Good-hearted Noblewoman,
Perhaps only ours to borrow,
our pipes, our blossoms.
Ohuaya Ohuaya.
Rise, my friend, be joyful,
Take your blooms to the drum, your rancor takes wing!
Beautify yourself with the flowers that stand tall,
cocoa flowers of beaten gold. Aya!
They fly into the wind. Ohuaya Ohuaya.
Raise your voice in song,
the turquoise quetzal, that male cock,
the macaw’s cry rules,
every shaking rattle and beating drum replies. Aya!
I down cocoa, I am happy.
My heart partakes of happiness.
Ohuaya Ohuaya.
Bang the drum, pass by,
Turquoise quetzal, mountain bird.
Hey, pink flamingo, go away,
Just leave, thank you,
Gourd rattle, deerskin drum,
Ohuaya Ohuaya
I’m eating chocolate
As I leaf-wrap, Aya!
Aya! Be happy, Value peace,
Ohuaya Ohuaya. Not a literal translation, but my attempt to invoke the spirit of the original poetry: Nezahualcoyotl Fasting Coyote (1402-1472 ruler of Texcoco)
C. T. Suddeth 
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