Page:Life in Mexico vol 1.djvu/273

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VERSES.
253

"Quien a esta casa da luz? Jesus.
"Quien la Ilena de alegria? Maria.
"Y quien la abraza en la fé? José.
"Luego bien claro se vé
"Que siempre habrá contricion,
"Teniendo en la corazon,
"A Jesus, Maria y José.



"Who gives light to this house? Jesus.
"Who fills it with joy? Mary.
"Who kindles faith in it? Joseph.
"Then we see very clearly
"That there will always be contrition,
"Keeping in our hearts,
"Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

These are written in verse, and below: "The most Illustrious Bishop of Monte-Rey, Don Fray José de Jesus Maria Balaunzaran, hereby ordains and grants, along with the Bishops of Puebla, Durango, Valledolid and Guadalajara, two hundred days of Indulgence to all those who devoutly repeat the above ejaculation, and invoke the sweet names of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.". . . The people here have certainly a poetical vein in their composition. Everything is put into verse—sometimes doggerel, like the above, (in which luz rhyming with Jesus shows that the z is pronounced here like an s) occasionally a little better, but always in rhyme.

We went this evening to visit the Countess del ——, who has a house in the village. Found her in bed, feverish, and making use of simple remedies,