197. Other poetical licenses are taken, such as the omission of a syllable, the change of accent, the substitution of one vowel for another. The most familiar words are often distorted beyond recognition. For these various reasons the task of noting and translating these songs is one of considerable difficulty. 198. FIRST SONG OF THE FIRST DANCERS. [See Transcriber’s Supplement at the end of the text, between the Index and the Errata, for alternative spelling.] Qaniè qaò yaè, qaniè qaò yaè Qaniè iè oayè oayè. 1. Qadjinäìa qaò yaè, 2. Kaç dsil ¢ilhyíli qaò yaè, 3. ‘Çaltsoï tsèë qaò yaè, 4. Cija cigèlgo qaò yaè. Náhi ìni èhi oayè, náhi ini èhi oöhè. 5. Niqoyastcàdje qaò yaè, 6. Kaç dsil çolíji qaò yaè, 7. Kini bitsèë qaò yaè, 8. Cija cigèlgo qaò yaè. Náhi ìni, etc. 9. Qadjinäìa qaò yaè, 10. Kaç dsil litsòï qaò yaè, 11. Bitselitsòï qaò yaè, 12. Cija cigèlgo qaò yaè. Náhi ìni, etc. 13. Niqoyastcàdje qaò yaè, 14. Kaç dsil lakàie qaò yaè, 15. A‘a‘i tsèe qaò yaè, 16. Cija cigèlgo qaò yaè. Náhi ìni, etc. 199. _Translation._--1, 9. Qadjinàï, “Place-where-they-came-up,” a locality in the San Juan Mountains where, according to their mythology, the Navajo emerged from the lower world to this. 5, 13. Niqoyastcàdje, another name for Qadjinàï. 2, 6, 10, 14. Kaç, now; dsil, mountain; ¢ilhyíli, black; çolíji, blue; litsòï, yellow; lakàie, white. These verses refer to four mountains surrounding Qadjinàï, which are designated by colors only to indicate their topographical positions. 3, 7, 11, 15. ‘Çaltsoï = aça litsòï, “yellow wing,” a large bird of prey; kini, hen hawk; bitselitsòï, “yellow tail,” a bird of undetermined species; a‘a‘i, magpie; tse, a tail; bitse, its tail. 4, 8, 12, 16. Cija, my treasure; cigèl, my desideratum, my ultimatum, the only thing I will accept. When supposed to be said by a god, as in this song, it means the particular sacrifice which is appropriate to him. In this case probably the feathers spoken of are “cigèl” and the mountains “cija.” The refrain “qaò yaè” is a poetic modification of qaa‘, it looms up, or sticks up, said of some lofty object visible in the distance, whose base cannot be seen. 200. _Free translation._ Place-whence-they-came-up looms up, Now the black mountain looms up, The tail of the “yellow wing” looms up, My treasure, my sacrifice, loom up. Land-where-they-moved-out looms up, Now the blue mountain looms up, The tail of the hen-hawk looms up, My treasure, my sacrifice, loom up. Place-whence-they-came-up looms up, Now the yellow mountain looms up, The tail that is yellow looms up, My treasure, my sacrifice, loom up. Land-where-they-moved-out looms up, Now the white mountain looms up, The tail of the magpie looms up, My treasure, my sacrifice, loom up. 201. FIRST SONG OF THE MOUNTAIN SHEEP.