David Tuggy
Mösiehuali texts

¿Tli tiniechmojtilili?

(What did you see in me?)

¿Tli tiniechmojtilili?
What did you see in me?

by
Martín N. Méndez Huaxcuatitla
in Mösiehuali, or Tetelcingo Nahuatl
(ISO code nhg)

This poem was written in the Mösiehuali (Tetelcingo Nahuatl or Tetelcingo Aztec) language, by Martín Méndez Huaxcuatitla. It is sung to the tune written below, which seems to have been adapted from a traditional hymn melody. It was included in a Spanish-Mexicano Hymnal, published in 1962 by Tipografía Indígena of Cuernavaca, Morelos.*

To listen to the different verses of the hymn (in .mp3 formatted files of about 150K each), click on the symbol which appears at the end of the translation of each verse.

Hymn-tune music

¿Tli tiniechmojtilili?

1.	¿Tli	tiniechmojtilili				What did you see in me, Beloved and blessed God? For I have nothing good to offer, Oh my Lord Jesus Christ!
	what	you.H.saw.it.in.me
	NotlasomabisTeotzi
	my.beloved.worshipful.God
	Tlö	amo	tlin	cuali	nicpia?
	if	not	that	good	I.have.it
	NotieJesucristo,		notieJesucristo.
	my.lord.Jesus.Christ		my.lord.Jesus.Christ

2.	Nopampa		tomomiquiti	You died for my sake How could I ever pay it? Receive my heart I place it in Your blessed hands
	on.my.account		you.H.died
	¿Quieni	noso	nictlaxtlöhuas?
	how	then	I.will.pay.it
	Xomönili		noyulojtzi
	receive.it.(you.H.)		my.heart.H
	Momöpantzinco		nocontlölia
	in.your.H.hands		I.place.it

3.	Tlö	amo	tlin	cuali	nicpia	Since I have nothing good That I could give to You, Receive my own soul, Most blessed God.
	if	not	what	good	I.have.it
	Para	timitzmomöctilis
	for	I.will.entrust.it.to.you.H
	Xomönili	noölmajtzi
	receive.it.(you.H)	my.soul.H
	NomabisTeotzi,	nomabisTeotzi.
	my.worshipful.God.H	my.worshipful.God.H

4.	Nönca	noso	noyulojtzi		Here, then, is my heart, Here then is my soul, Take it, receive it, It is truly Yours.
	here	then	my.heart.H
	Nönca	noso	noölmajtzi
	here	then	my.soul.H
	Xomönili,		xomocuili
	receive.it.(you.H)		take.it.(you.H)
	Tiel	mohuöxcatzi,	tiel	mohuöxcatzi.
	truly	your.H.possession	truly	your.H.possession

5.	Tomotiemoli		noyulo		You searched for my heart, You searched for my soul, You found it, oh my Father, On the tree, on the cross.
	you.H.looked.for.it		my.heart
	Tomotiemoli		noölma
	you.H.looked.for.it		my.soul
	Tomoniextili		noTajtzi
	you.H.found.it		my.father.H
	Ipan	coruscuabitl,	ipan	coruscuabitl
	on.it	cross.tree	on.it	cross.tree

6.	Sanamo	tietlöocolti			They felt no pity towards You When they left You hanging there; And it was all on my account! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
	just.not	it.caused.sympathy
	Quieni	mitzmotömpilfijqui
	how	they.hung.you.H
	Nochi	inu	por	nopampa
	all	that	for	on.my.account
	Ay	noTeotzi,	ay	noTeotzi.
	oh	my.God.H	oh	my.God.H

Author: Martín N. Méndez Huaxcuatitla
Editing and analysis: Forrest and Jean Brewer
David Tuggy

Note

* The orthography used here is that of the “Himnario Mexicano-Español” (1962), except that cases of “short” i, which were unmarked in the “Himnario”, are here marked with the underline (see the Vowels of Mösiehuali). Following the “Himnario” we have used ö instead of the ā or ä which the author, Ru Marti Méndez, preferred to use. In the glosses H. indicates honorific forms, and ‘it’ is used to gloss 3rd person forms where they do not refer to a person.

The sound files are sung by David Tuggy.

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¿Tli tiniechmojtilili? What did you see in me?

by Martín N. Méndez Huaxcuatitla in Mösiehuali, or Tetelcingo Nahuatl (ISO code nhg)

Note

¿Tli tiniechmojtilili?
What did you see in me?

by
Martín N. Méndez Huaxcuatitla
in Mösiehuali, or Tetelcingo Nahuatl
(ISO code nhg)