Hun Caquix Buys the Farm.

Once there was a farmer who had two sons,
Hun Caquix and Vucub Caquix:
One Macaw and Seven Macaw.

The time came when the father died,
For his mortal legacy to divide.

The older brother was the heir;
He wished to still remain a pair.
And so he said to Seven Macaw:
We must be two, it is the way:
One the first and one the second,
One the elder, one the younger,
One the greater, one the lesser.
With me in my house you must stay.

But Seven Macaw thought to himself:
I can stay with Hun Caquix
Forever on my brother's leash;
Or I can go off on my own,
To see what fortune may have sown.

So Seven Macaw left the farm behind
A destiny of his own to find.

The Bird Is Caught in the Snare.

[This section explains something rather puzzling in the Popol Vuh story: when Seven Macaw is shot in the jaw by the Hero Twins, instead of getting the wound treated immediately by someone he trusts, he just lies around for several days letting it fester, until he is so weakened that he easily falls prey to the Twins' ruse in the final episode. What is the reason for his self-destructive behavior? A simplistic explanation would be that the character is just stupid. But I really don't think Seven is stupid.

Here, I've put together a plausible dramatic scenario. I'm rather proud of having come up with this plot device -- no, not THAT proud. Don't shoot me! =)]

Xbalanque:
What shall we do about Seven Macaw?
So far we have only broken his jaw.

Hunahpu:
Seven Macaw's pride will destroy him.
He won't seek help until it's too late.
Then we will offer him help, indeed --
When he is sick, we'll take his riches.
We'll beguile him with friendship,
We will kill him with kindness.

The two brothers laughed at their sport;
And it happened as Hunahpu said.

For thus said Seven Macaw:
Hunahpu claims I am not divine;
He knows not the glory that is mine.
Because of the metal in my eyes
I am immortal; I cannot die.
I need no aid to mend my bone;
I'll heal this ill by will alone.
They all the world will know and see
Seven Macaw's divinity.

But the wound made by Hunahpu
Rankled and festered.

And worms came to Seven Macaw's jaw,
And the worms crawled in his teeth,
They climbed into his nose and eyes;
And in Seven Macaw's unyielding pride
The worms grew thick and multiplied.

And the Lords of Xibalba sent their demons,
With powers to sicken and weaken,
With powers to torment and stricken:

Flying Scab and Gathered Blood,
Master of Pus,  Master of Jaundice,
Bone Scepter and Skull Scepter,
Sweepings Demon, Stabbings Demon,
Wing and Packstrap --

The demons danced around Seven Macaw,
To poison his blood, to swell up his jaw,
To fill his bones and veins with putrescence.

And so the magnificent Seven Macaw,
Stubbornest of the stubborn People of Wood,
Was caught in the hunters' snare.

But while Seven Macaw sickened with pride,
His wife Chimalmat stayed by his side.

At sunset, Seven Macaw sank down in relief
And sighed, too weary even to speak,
Worn and drained, torn with pain,
Seven Macaw lay weary but awake,
Deprived of sleep by his jaw's unending ache.

And Chimalmat spoke to him softly:
Now you must rest from making light,
Let me hold you through the night.

She embraced him in her arms,
She folded him in her wings,
And Seven Macaw closed his shining eyes
Enclosed in her soft green wings.

And he who would be Moon & Sun
Surrendered to her, who surrendered to none.

Then Chimalmat sang to him in the night,
To soothe his pain, to bring respite.

And here is one song she sang:

"Remember, my dearest, how we flew through the trees
In the green forest shadows, aloft on the breeze.
Remember, my dear one, those days long ago,
When we met in the darkness, your eyes all aglow.

And I tell thee true, my dearest one,
You have always been my Moon and Sun.

In days long ago, before you were the Sun,
We sang in the treetops, our souls became one.
Even before you had lit up the Moon,
We danced in the branches, we both to one tune.

BuI I tell thee true, my dearest one,
You have always been my Moon and Sun."

And Seven Macaw said to Chimalmat,
Fortunate I am before all others,
Happy I am beyond others,
Not because I am the Sun,
Not because I am the Moon,
But because thou art my love.

And Chimalmat wept.

When the time of dawn came to the skies,
Seven Macaw opened up his eyes;
With terrible effort, he brought forth the light;
Screaming in anguish, like one giving birth
He brought the sunrise back to the Earth.

Meanwhile, the Hero Twins stood watching
For signs of Seven Macaw's downfall
.
Hunahpu:
See how the sunlight flashes and fades,
How it flutters and flares
Like a flickering flame;
Seven Macaw is crying in pain,
Now he is sobbing, now he is weeping.
Now he is weakened,
Now we will kill him.

Xbalanque,:
I see it, Brother. He's ripe for the killing.
He'll fall into our hands like the fruit of his nance tree,
He'll fall to the ground like that fruit he's so fond of.

Crash.

[A stream-of-consciousness piece, written from the alternating viewpoints of Seven Macaw and an anonymous wooden dummy.]

he is sitting in the car seat
sitting there waiting for the car to start

The sky is clear, before him and beneath him;
There is only the blue, beneath and around him.

his hands don't reach the steering wheel
he wishes he could take the steering wheel
but his arms aren't made to move

Something hits him. He is hurled sideways
Before he knows what happened.

the car is starting

The blue sky is falling away from him,
Rushing away upward.

the car is accelerating
the force of motion pushes him back in the seat

It is happening too fast, he can't control his motion;
He flaps his wings, but he can't stop falling.

and it is happening too fast too fast
there is no way to hit the brakes
because his feet can't move

He is going to crash.

the car is going to crash

The ground rushes up against him from beneath
Like an earthquake;
Like a great tidal wave it strikes him from below,
The ground itself like a great hand striking a blow.

he is pitched forward into the windshield
his face goes into the windshield in a spiderweb of cracks
the car turns over

He is struck by the ground from beneath
With overwhelming force, unbearable pain..
He sees the sky rushing away upward,
He hears the wind rushing and roaring
Like a hurricane.

the car turns over rolling and burning
he can't move can't get out
the car is breaking apart

He is lying there broken.

he is lying there broken

The Fall of Seven Macaw (or, Hunahpu Flips the Bird).

[This is one of the most famous scenes in Mayan mythology. I think it's where the phrase "flipping the bird" originally came from. I've followed the PV account in general outline, with a few changes.]


But Seven Macaw still could not see past the horizon.
He knew not Hurucan's plans, he knew not Hurucan's secrets.

And one day again he flew to the nance tree,
And one day again he spoke to the wind:
I will see you, Hurucan!
You will not conceal yourself in clouds.

And Seven Macaw arose on high:
He stood, he rose, he raised his wings,
Balanced upon the highest branch
In the form of a luminous bird
Perched upon the swaying branch,

And from his eyes he shone the light
To pierce the clouds of Hurucan;
And from his face he shone the light
To the horizon's furthest plane,

Searching, seeking, piercing --
All his will, all his mind on the horizon alone,
All his sight drawn to the horizon alone.

And as Seven Macaw stood all alone,
High off the ground, on the uppermost branch,
Alone and up high on that thin, swaying branch --

There, down below, under the nance tree,
Were the two sons of One-Hunahpu,
Hunahpu and Xbalanque.

Hunahpu whispered to his brother
He does not see us. He does not notice.
He sees us not as we hide in the bushes.
Let's get him now -- he won't know what hit him!

Xbalanque:
Shoot, Brother, while I stand watch;
We will destroy him and no one will save him.

So he loaded his blow-gun, the son of the Sun:
He aimed in the stillness at Seven Macaw;
Silent and deadly his aim did he draw;
He shot at the jawbone, he shot with his gun.

So silent his dart, so deadly his aim,
Seven Macaw did not know when it came.
Out of the blue he was struck on the jaw,
Hurled from the sky was Seven Macaw,
Shrieking in agony, struck, stunned, surprised,
Not knowing what happened, he fell from the skies.

Down through the branches he tumbled and crashed,
Down from the treetop he helplessly fell,
Down from the heavens, down from the clouds,
Down to the ground where he crashed and lay still.

Now, said Hunahpu, We'll finish him off,
We'll wring the neck of that bird.

The brothers approached, one on each side
Of Seven Macaw, where he lay stricken.
"Now!" cried Hunahpu; he pulled out his knife --
Up sprang Seven Macaw, and fought for his life.

Seven Macaw:
Who are you two, and why do you attack me?

Hunahpu:
We are Hunahpu and Xbalanque;
The sons of One-Hunahpu,
The One and True Sun --
The one you have wronged,
The one you offend.

Xbalanque:
Expect no mercy from us, Macaw --
We're here to take what's ours.

Seven Macaw:
You claim the Sun by right of birth,
But it is I who light the Earth.
My actions are my only claim,
I need no other source of fame.
What you were given, I have learned;
My own divinity I have earned.
I was not born above the sky,
Yet still no less a god am I.

Hunahpu:
Then let a show of strength decide
Which of us is deified.

We will restore our father's right,
We will regain our rightful claim,
By snuffing out your stolen light
In the name of Hurucan!

Seven Macaw:
Then against the name of Hurucan
And whatever heralds bear it
I will fight.

So they rolled on the ground, they wrestled and fought,
The sons of One-Hunahpu and the bird that they caught.

And Seven Macaw changed as he fought,
From bird to man, from man to bird --
Now here, now there, a rapid blur.
Though he stood alone against the pair
Without a friend, he felt no fear.
Like feral lightning, wild and fierce
Was the flashing of his metal eyes.

They grappled and struggled, dust flew from the ground,
And on went the contest, round after round,

Until Seven Macaw caught the arm of Hunahpu,
And he tore and pulled off the arm of Hunahpu.

The Son of the Sun gave a terrible cry;
Off went the Macaw, away did he fly
Bearing the arm of his enemy's son.
He took it away -- the trophy he'd won.

Never fear, said Hunahpu, I'll get back my arm.
Then that bird will regret doing me harm.

The Hero Twins' Challenge (or, "Xbalanque, Hunahpu, Have I Got a Deal For You!")

[Hurucan and the Sky Gods conspire against Seven Macaw. The Hero Twins, the Popol Vuh's most important protagonists, are introduced.]

Hurucan:
Seven Macaw holds back my rains.
No flood can come while he remains.

And one of the gods asked:
Who is this Seven Macaw?
He was not with us at the Creation;
No one has seen him up here in the Sky.

And some of the other gods said:

Some say he is a man who became a bird,
Or a bird who became a man.

He fancies himself a god.

He says that he is the Sun.

Then Hunahpu and Xbalanque,
The sons of One-Hunahpu,
Spoke forth in anger:
He is not the Sun!
Our father, One-Hunahpu, is the Sun,
Our father, and he alone!

Hurucan:
Why does your father not claim his throne?

Hunahpu:
He cannot rise while the false sun reigns.
Our father dwells in Xibalba's gloom,
Locked within its darkest room,
Where he lies in deepest shame
Without a way to clear his name
From his defeat before the Lords
Of dark Xibalba, who over him scored.
He cannot rise 'til the sky is cleared
Of that usurping, upstart bird!

Hurucan:
Xbalanque, Hunahpu,
This promise I now make to you:
Should you slay that man, that bird,
I, Heart-of-the-Sky, swear on my word,
Your father's place shall be restored;
He shall again be Solar Lord.

Hunahpu and Xbalanque:
Then off we go, to hunt Macaw,
And thus restore the Cosmic Law!

The Death of Seven Macaw.

[This is based closely on the PV version, with some extra details added. I've tried to make it even more gruesome than in the original, and also to imitate the folk-tale quality and ironic, macabre humor.]

On the next day, Seven Macaw
Was sitting in front of his house.

Down the road came two old people
Accompanied by two teenage boys.

Seven Macaw:
Good day, old grandparents.
Where are you going?

Grandparents:
We're going to town, my lord, to look for work.

Seven Macaw:
Why do you have to work, old ones?
Aren't your sons old enough to help?

Grandparents:
They are not our sons, my lord,
They are only our grandchildren,
Just two poor orphans.
We care for them and give them a bit of food.

When Seven Macaw looked again,
The boys seemed only children.
And Seven Macaw's heart was softened
By the two old people's kindness.

Seven Macaw:
Well, what do you do, then, old ones?
Maybe I can offer you hire.

Grandparents:
We are but two old healers;
We only cure teeth, my lord,
We only cure teeth and eyes.

And Seven Macaw held out his hand,
Humbled, at last, like a mortal man.

Seven Macaw:
You have helped those who have none.
Now help me, I beg you --
I who am the Sun.
For I can neither sleep nor eat
Due to the torment of my teeth.
Take pity on me; I am the lord
Upon whom Hurucan's wrath is poured.

The grandparents bowed to him and said:
O lord who drives off the deadly rain,
We will end your dreadful pain.

So they went inside and made him lie down on a table.

Grandparents:
Now we will have to take out all your teeth.
It's the only way to get the worms out.

Seven Macaw:
Perhaps that's not such a good idea.
I am only a lord because of my teeth and eyes.

Grandparents:
Don't worry, we'll put in replacements.
They'll be as good as new.
Now just lie as still as you can,
It's best if you don't move at all.
It'll hurt less if you don't squirm and wriggle.
You must let us tie you down.

Seven Macaw:
O grandparents,
I am desperate for rest;
I will do as you think best.

So Seven Macaw let himself be bound.

The grandparents took out the sacred items of sacrifice
And laid them on the table around Seven Macaw.

Seven Macaw:
What are those for, grandparents?

Grandparents:
Oh, they are just instruments for the curing.

One by one, they pulled out Seven Macaw's teeth.
As each came out, the sky grew dimmer.
So they lit candles, and placed them around him,
Arranged for ritual like on an altar.

In place of his glorious jade and turquoise teeth
They put in soft kernels of maize.

Seven Macaw:
Grandparents, these teeth don't feel right --
I don't think they fit.

Grandparents:
Don't worry, my lord, you'll get used to them.
Now we are going to cure your eyes.
It will all be over soon;
Soon, you won't feel a thing.

The grandparents called the two boys to bring the tools.

"Here they are," the boys said.
Then they stepped forward, and dropped their disguises.
And there stood the two sons of One-Hunahpu,
Hunahpu and Xbalanque.

Hunahpu:
Look upon our faces, Seven Macaw;
It is the last thing you will ever see.

Then Seven Macaw knew he was undone,
Betrayed by the tricksters, the sons of the Sun.

Hunahpu and Xbalanque took their knives,
They gouged out Seven Macaw's golden eyes,
They carved the silver from his nose
And flayed the metal from his face
'Til it was gone without a trace.

Seven Macaw cried out in utter despair,
In absolute loss. His screams shook the air,
And all in the city shuddered in terror.

And as the last of his greatness left him,
He who once had been the Sun
Became again a mortal man.

And Seven Macaw fell dead.

The sun went out, the sky turned black,
His power vanished from the skies,
No more did he hold back the storm
And so the Wooden People died.

And that was the slaying of Seven Macaw:
A sacrifice to bring the rain,
A sacrifice to Hurucan.

In the Nance Tree.

Seven Macaw, sitting in the nance tree:
This is the nance tree, highest tree on Earth.
This is the place where I see all the world.

But what is that, far away, at the world's rim?

Dark clouds are coming over the horizon;
Dark clouds, black clouds low on the horizon.
Something is gathering beyond my sight;
Some dread power that evades my light.

I must climb higher, I must look farther --


What does Seven Macaw see from his tree,
At the edge of the world, on the waves of the sea?
What does he see by the dim, fading light,
Beyond the horizon, at the end of his sight?

A storm is gathering over the ocean;
It is Hurucan turning and churning;
High in the heavens his wrath is burning,
Bringing the storm-winds, curling and twirling,
Heart-of-the-Sky in anger whirling.

Seven Macaw shouts into the wind:
Hear me, Hurucan!
I see your dark stormcloud, I know of your plans.
Hide no more from me past the horizon.
What is your purpose? Why do you threaten?

The voice of Hurucan roars on the wind:
The time is coming of storm and strife;
An end I am bringing to this age of Earth --
The end of the people unworthy of life.

Seven Macaw:
 It is life that decides its own worth.

Hurucan:
But it was my power that gave them birth
And that power can take back what it gave.

Seven Macaw:
 Never, Hurucan, as long as I live!

Heart-of-the-Sky, my challenge I call:
As long as I stand, this world shall not fall.
Not one shall die while I still remain;
Not one shall you slay until I am slain.

I swear by my life, my will shall not bend,
As long as I live, the world will not end.

Huracan:
 So you have spoken, Seven Macaw;
By your own words you have sealed your own fall.

Seven Macaw:
We'll see, Heart-of-Sky, who will win in the end.
I am the Sun. All the world is my friend.
The People of Wood do not follow your ways.
It is I who bring them their nights & their days.

The wind howls, and shakes the tree.

Hurucan:
You are not the Sun; you are only a bird.
No more shall you speak arrogant words.
Here is the doom I pronounce:
Your teeth shall be torn from your mouth,
Your eyes shall be gouged from your head;
You shall go to Xibalba, to dwell with the dead.

Seven Macaw:
O great Hurucan, I fear not your rage.
I will hold back the end of the age.
Bring on your wrath, bring on your storm,
I stand between you and the world that you scorn.

Hurucan:
So let it be done.
You shall live to regret
Every word you have spoken,
And more bitterly yet
Shall you be broken.

Seven Macaw:
I care not for your threat.
I am the Light, the Moon and the Sun.
I sit in the sky, this world is my home;
I'll rescue the people that you have disowned.
Not one shall perish, not one shall you slay
While Seven Macaw is the maker of Day.

Hurucan:
Days you may make, Seven Macaw --
False days only, and false nights;
But I am the Maker of All
And what I made, I can destroy.

The wind shook the tree, and the leaves trembled --
But Seven Macaw trembled not.

Verse Introduction.

[This poem should have come first. See, I told you I'd suck as a daykeeper.]

This is the story of Seven Macaw,
First of the shamans, bird, god and man;
Seven Macaw who challenged the Sky.

Of the lost people,
A world washed to ruin,
An age of the world before time.

This is the story of sorrow and wonder,
Seven Macaw in yearning and anguish,
Of light and transcendence,
Of death and despair.

Seven Macaw, the Lord of Xibalba,
Vucub-Caquix, the Victor of Death,
Who guards the dark gateway
At the heart of the galaxy,
At the end and beginning,
The black hole's horizon.

Among the Sky Gods.

[Hurucan announces his plans before the other Sky Gods. In the Popol Vuh's official version, these are supposed to be the good guys. Some good guys, huh?]

Heart-of-the-Sky looked down upon the world.
He was displeased at the people he had made,
The people he called the Wooden Mannikins.

Hurucan:
I regret that I have made them:
The Wooden People, less than human,
Inferior, flawed, impure, imperfect.
Wooden Mannikins, unworthy of life.

I regret them, I reject them,
I condemn them -- I will kill them!
I who made them will destroy them.
Hurucan will sweep the world,
Hurucan will raise the waves,
A flood upon the Earth I'll bring
To send these people to their graves.

And all the Gods of the Sky agreed:
Truly they are nothing more than a failure,
Truly they do not deserve to live.

The Earth must be made pure again,
Pure as the garden of the gods,
That we may plant a new race more to our liking,
Frame a new plan to establish our glory.

And so Hurucan went down from the sky,
He set down his foot on the sea,
He lowered his foot to the sea
And the winds began to turn.

The Rise of Seven Macaw in the Third Age.

[This introduces the overall setting and the main character.]


Long ago, in the age before the great flood,
The world was dark, for there was no sun nor moon,
Only a trace of early dawn on the face of the Earth.
And that was when the Wooden People lived.

Their flesh was made of wood,
But they were much like us.

They spoke and thought,
They loved and fought,
They worked and played,
They sang and danced,
They laughed and cried,
They lived and died.

But they did not remember the gods,
And they walked wherever they wanted.
So the gods thought them worthless,
And plotted to destroy them.

But there was one among them who magnified himself,
Who sought only transcendence.
He was like a sign to the people who were flooded,
Like an enchanted being in his essence.

And this is the transcendence of Seven Macaw,
How he became like one of the gods.

In metal he placed the rays of the Sun,
In metal he placed the light of the Moon,
Of all precious metals he made his ornaments,
And with turquoise and jade he made the arch of the sky.

He placed the power of the Sun within his eyes
And the magic of the Moon upon his nose,
And the blue vault of the sky upon his teeth.

And he turned to the horizon, and the first sunlight shone.
And when he turned again, there came the moonlight.
And the world began to be bright with a new day.

And the Wooden People rejoiced,
But the gods were jealous and angry.