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From “Along the South Star Trail”
Tribal Songs from the South-west
DRUM-BEAT, beat of drums, | |
| Pebble-rattle in the gourd, | |
| Pebble feet on drifting sand … | |
| Drum-beat, beat of drums— | |
| I have lost the wife-made robe of bear-skin … | 5 |
| Take the prize—mine the loss. | |
| Have I lost too the courage of the black bear— | |
| His power, his thunder? | |
| Lul-la-by, | |
| Games’ queer lullaby … | 10 |
| O robe of mine!— | |
| O luck of mine! | |
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| Drum-beat, beat of drums, | |
| Pebble-rattle in the gourd, | |
| Coyote feet upon the plain … | 15 |
| Drum-beat, beat of drums— | |
| Coyotes crushed the tender ham-string and the bone … | |
| A bull-calf bawls, dies alone. | |
| Where are the herds of buffalo and the hides, | |
| The meat, the tepees? | 20 |
| Lul-la-by, | |
| Man’s dread lullaby … | |
| O home of mine! | |
| O life of mine! | |
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| Drum-beat, beat of drums, | 25 |
| Pebble-rattle in the gourd, | |
| Horse-hoof beat upon the ground … | |
| Drum-beat, beat of drums— | |
| By Wounded Knee ye buried them, buried them— | |
| Red men’s flesh, their bones … | 30 |
| By Wounded Knee we buried them, buried them. | |
| The songs we sung, the dreams…. | |
| Lul-la-by, | |
| The white man’s lullaby … | |
| O race of mine! | 35 |
| O brothers mine! | |
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| Drum-beat, beat of drums, | |
| Pebble-rattle in the gourd, | |
| Pulse-beat in the fever … | |
| Drum-beat, beat of drums— | 40 |
| Famine drank from the gourd bottle, ate the gourd; | |
| Left the skin, the bone. | |
| She walked the pathway from the east, of the departed— | |
| Left me forsaken, alone…. | |
| Lul-la-by, | 45 |
| Tirawa’s long lullaby … | |
| O blood of mine! | |
| O child of mine! | |
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| Drum-beat, beat of drums, | |
| Pebble-rattle in the gourd. | 50 |
| Still feet in the grave-mound … | |
| Drum-beat, beat of drums— | |
| The gourd-rattle handle leads to the sun and life; | |
| Leaves clay, leaves cold. | |
| A purple smoke arises from bowl to float on winds; | 55 |
| Leaves ashes—my ash…. | |
| Lul-la-by, | |
| Death’s sweet lullaby … | |
| O flesh of mine! | |
| O hands of mine! | 60 |
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| Drum-beat, beat of drums, | |
| Pebble-rattle in the gourd, | |
| Dream-feet in the yellow line … | |
| Drum-beat, beat of drums— | |
| One half the feather of Tirawa’s bird is white; | 65 |
| The other black—’tis night; | |
| Tirawa’s song at night is morning star of dawn | |
| Where dance dreams, in light…. | |
| Lul-la-by, | |
| The spirit’s lullaby … | 70 |
| O soul of mine! | |
| O breath of mine! | |
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| Drum-beat, beat of drums, | |
| Pebble-rattle in the gourd, | |
| Calves’ feet in starry plains … | 75 |
| Drum-beat, beat of drums— | |
| A sacred herd graze on tips of fair fresh flowers | |
| In garden—Star of Evening’s. | |
| A bison drinks mixed all-waters, pure | |
| From Spring; ’tis hers…. | 80 |
| Lul-la-by, | |
| All-Life’s lullaby … | |
| O land of mine! | |
| O plains of mine! | |
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| Drum-beat, beat of drums, | 85 |
| Pebble-rattle in the gourd, | |
| Dance-feet ’round the sun … | |
| Drum-beat, beat of drums— | |
| By the sun see the dancing white men with the red— | |
| By Wounded Knee, a post! | 90 |
| There they blend their songs together, brother-wise; | |
| Here the post, the paint…. | |
| Lul-la-by, | |
| The Nation’s lullaby … | |
| O race of mine! | 95 |
| O brothers mine! | |
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| Drum-beat, beat of drums, | |
| Pebble-rattle in the gourd, | |
| Child feet in the hogan … | |
| Drum-beat, beat of drums— | 100 |
| A child has taught her little spider pet to weave | |
| Bead-work at my door; | |
| A child has taught these dimming eyes to see | |
| Thread-work, star-lit lodge … | |
| Lul-la-by, | 105 |
| Love’s own lullaby … | |
| O hogan mine! | |
| O hogan thine! | |
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| Drum-beat, beat of drums, | |
| Pebble-rattle in the gourd, | 110 |
| Soul-feet in trail of wind…. | |
| Drum-beat, beat of drums— | |
| Hear the great sea-feet, beating on the flint-rock! | |
| Drum-beat, beat of drum— | |
| Hear the beat of distant feet on South Star Trail! | 115 |
| Drum-beat, beat of drum— | |
| Ti-ra-wa! | |
| Earth’s great Ti-ra-wa. | |
| O heart-beat thine! | |
| O drum-beat thine! | 120 |
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