Page:The Incas of Peru.djvu/383

Piqui Chaqui. If thou shouldst only see his nose,
Thou wouldst not speak as thou dost now.
Ollantay. Now, Piqui Chaqui, speak the truth,
Seek not evasion or deceit.
Dost thou not already know,
Of all the flowers in the field,
Not one can equal my Princess?
Piqui Chaqui. Still, my master, thou dost rave.
I think I never saw thy love.
Stay! was it her who yesterday
Came forth with slow and faltering steps
And sought a solitary^[1] path^[2]?
If so, 'tis true she's like the sun,
The moon less beauteous than her face.^[3]
Ollantay. It surely was my dearest love.
How beautiful, how bright is she!
This very moment thou must go
And take my message to the Star.
Piqui Chaqui. I dare not, master; in the day,
I fear to pass the palace gate.
With all the splendour of the court,
I could not tell her from the rest.
Ollantay. Didst thou not say thou sawest her?
Piqui Chaqui. I said so, but it was not sense.
A star can only shine at night;
Only at night could I be sure.
Ollantay. Begone, thou lazy good-for-nought.
The joyful star that I adore,
If placed in presence of the Sun,
Would shine as brightly as before.

1. Rurun, desert, solitude.
2. Tasquiy, to march; tasquina, promenade, path.
3. Cusi Coyllur, while daylight lasted, was, in the eyes of Piqui Chaqui, like the sun. A change takes place at twilight, and at night she is like the moon.