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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
RAIN SONG FROM THE RIO PUEBLOS, by ANONYMOUS - NATIVE AMERICAN
First Line: People of the middle heaven
Last Line: Rain! Rain! Rain!
Subject(s): Rain
First Line: People of the middle heaven
Last Line: Rain! Rain! Rain!
Subject(s): Rain
I
PEOPLE of the middle heaven
Moving happily behind white floating cloud masks,
Moving busily behind rain-straitened cloud masks;
People of the Lightning,
People of the Thunder,
People of the Rainbow,
Rain! Rain! Rain!
II
Cloud priests,
Whose hearts ascend through the spruce tree
On the Mountains of the North,
Pray for us!
Cloud priests,
Whose hearts ascend
Through the pine of the West,
Through the oak of the South,
Through the aspen of the East,
Through the high-branched cedar of the zenith.
Through the low, dark cedar of the nadir,
Pray for us!
III
Archpriests of the six world quarters,
Work with us!
That the waters of the six great springs of the world
May fructify the Earth, our mother,
That she bring forth fruit for us!
We, the ancient ones,
From the four womb-worlds,
From the doorway of the underworld,
From Shipapu,
We, assembling,
Lifting up our thoughts to the clouds,
To the lightning, to the thunder,
Lifting up our hearts,
Make you precious medicine.
People of the Middle World,
Send your thoughts to us!
That our songs go straightly
On the sacred meal road,
The ancient road,
Walking it with power.
Send your thoughts to us!
Send to the cloud priests,
Send to the arch priests;
That their songs may bring the waters
To fructify the Earth;
That the Sun embrace the Earth
That she bring forth fruit.
IV
People of the lightning,
Send your serpent darting arrows!
Hear the thunder beating
With its wings of dark cloud!
Who is this that cometh?
People of the trees on the six world mountains,
Standing up to pray for rain,
All your people and your thoughts
Come to us!
Who is this that cometh?
People of the dark cloud,
Let your thoughts come to us!
People of the lightning,
Let your thoughts come to us!
People of the blue-cloud horizon,
Let your thoughts come to us!
Rain! Rain! Rain!
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