Manco Cápac:
And the Sickle of Death
(1)
Manco Capac lived a long, long life,
If measured, longer than any man alive
But even to him came the cup of death
The Master of the Sun, the Sun God
Called to ‘The son of no race,?bright
As the sun and most, most handsome:
“Commander, go down and tell
Manco Capac about his death to be,
So he may arrange for deposition?br />
A declaration of his possessions
For I have made him a rich man?br>The wealth of servants and plenty?br />
Thus, the commander left his abode
Earth bound, and went down to
Manco Capac at the foot of the Andes
There he found this righteous man
In the nearby fields with his servants:
“Hail, hail, hail, Father of the Incas!
“I come from the Golden City of the
Sun, sent by the Great King of Heaven,
To provide for your successor (departure)
Manco Capac and the Commander
Walked by a huge rock, it talked, said,
In a human soft spoken voice:
“Holy, holy, is the God of the Sun,
For He summons you, and loves you?br>Loves and wants you to come home!?br />
Manco Capac pretended not to hear
To hear, as he and the Commander
Walked, and talked, in the courtyard?br />
(2)
Manco Capac’s servant said (with awe),
To Mama Ocllo (his devoted wife):
“The Commander who is with your husband
…is not of our race, nor lives on this earth.?br>Manco Capac then washed the feet of
The Commander; after that, saw a wonder:
The tears of the Commander turned
Into drops of silver and gold—mixed.
Pure silver and pure gold—mixed.
(3)
Then the Commander rose in a clap of an
…eye, and stood in front of God and said:
“Master, Lord, I cannot bring death
…upon the house of Manco Capac;
For he is the mot gracious, truthful
And merciful man alive on earth—”
The Lord said to the Commander:
“Go down and keep him company;
Eat with him, and do as he asks?br />
I will give you an all devouring spirit
—and I will send the Holy Spirit of God
And a dream unto his servant (to interpret)?br />
(4)
And so it was, the Commander sat
With Manco Capac, at his table and
Prayed and ate with him according
…to custom; and they rested the same.
And so it was, the servant wished to
Remain with Manco Capac, but could not
…he was told to go rest, it was his wish.
In the middle of the night the servant
Woke up on the fourth hour, in fright
…he had had a vision, heard Death talking;
Thus, he run to Manco Capac, and cried:
“Death has come!?and Manco cried?br />
and so did the Commander cry?
Mama Ocllo then left her room,
Found everyone in tears, and she cried,
but asked: “Why is everyone crying??br>When Mama Ocllo heard the Commander
Speak she knew he was set apart, holy.
(5)
Said Mama, to her much-loved husband:
“Do you not know who this man is??br>Then Manco Capac thought and spoke:
“I have lied; I know he is very sacred?br>A Holy Messenger, from the Sun?br>I see his brightness, of all things.?br />
And Mama Ocllo knelt down and cried:
“Glory be to God, who is bright?br>With wonders? and husband,?she asked,
“Let us now look at the revelation
Before us; be it for good or evil? and
Glory be to God, who is like the sun—”
(6)
Then Manco Capac left his wife to talk
…to his servant about his vision;
Said the servant with fear and wonder:
“I saw all the stars turn into the sun;
I saw the sun turn into a man;
And he was, descending to earth.?br />
And Manco Capac, knew all the stars being one
Was his God, and the sun was the light
The Commander was bringing to him?br />
from the Almighty. And the Commander
Said, “It is time for you to leave earth?br>Journey to God in the form of your soul?
Said Manco Capac: “Is it you then
Who desires to take my soul from me??br>Said the Commander with estrangement:
“I am God’s messenger, announcing
…God’s intentions.?Then the Commander
Disappeared; went back into the heavens!...
(7)
The Commander told the Almighty Master
All that took place, and all that was said.
God then told the Commander, “Ask him
Why he is resisting Me; and not one of my
Prophets have escaped the mystery of death.
All have been gathered by the Sickle of Death (?)?br />
(8)
And with the Commander God sent Death
And it came to pass, soon after Manco Capac
Seen Death dressed up in Great Beauty?
And Death greeted him, as if to seduce
Him with beautiful words; but Manco Capac
Call Death, “Liar, Death is not beautiful.?br />
But Death said, “To the righteous
I am beautiful, to the sinner—decay?
Do not be deceived, to the sinner
…I bring much fear, destruction, dismay;
And to you, blessed man, a crown of honor!...?br>And Death showed him two heads; one called
…decay, it had a dragon’s face. The other
Like a golden Tumi, bright as the sun.
And Death said, “Go with the Commander.?br />
(9)
And Manco Capac, said to Death, “Show
Me now your hands,?and Death did. In
One hand he had a Golden Tumi, and
…in the other was the keys to the gates
Of the Sun; then the Inca prophet knelt
Prayed to the Almighty, closing his eyes;
And Death called to God, clutching the
Moment? as God looked down, He snatched
His soul, and drew him up to his kingdom.
∆
Notes by the Author [note #1]: “In l993, I had two heart attacks—one bad one, and bad stroke, the stroke I had during surgery that doctors said, “You were a fruitcake,?meaning, I was destroyed by the stroke on the operating table, at that time, and afterwards, my left side paralyzed and much more. Each day for three days, I saw a huge man standing at the end of my bed, thinking it was the doctor, only to find out, it was not; he was there early in the mornings, about 5:00 AM., by himself; I was able on the third day to read again, prior to this, words and letters were distorted, nor could I figure out the numbers on a telephone. It took me three months to learn how to play the guitar again, and at the time, I had played the guitar for 35-years; the point being here, is that Death perhaps was waiting in a white gown? There are 72-deaths, so it has been written. And as we all know, it has been appointed to man to die, be he a believer in God or not; somebody has made this decision, or something. And so in writing this poetic story, I knew how death would knock on Manco Capac’s door; and perhaps this was how it happened.?br />
Note #2: It should be noted also that, Manco Capac ordered the construction of a structure, consisting of three windows, at his birth site, so legend would have it; such as one might see at the archeological site of Machu Picchu; thus, it had been pointed out, he most likely came from there.
#784 8/6/2005
Partly Written in Bayfield, Wisconsin 8/2005
While resting, otherwise in St. Paul, MN
By Dennis L. Siluk
Versión en Español
Manco Cápac:
Y la hoz de la muerte
(1)
Manco Cápac vivi?una vida larga, larga,
De ser medida, más larga que cualquier hombre
vivo. Pero aún para él lleg?la copa de la muerte.
El Amo del sol, el dios Sol,
Llam?a “El hijo de ninguna raza?brillante
Como el sol y más, más hermoso:
“Comendador, baja y dile a
Manco Cápac acerca de su muerte que ser?
As?él puede organizar su relevo.
Una declaración de sus bienes
Ya que lo he hecho un hombre rico?br>El más rico en sirvientes y abundancia.
As?el Comendador dej?su morada
Y se dirigi?a la tierra, y fue hacia
Manco Cápac a los pies de Los Andes.
All? el encontr?a este hombre honrado
En los campos cercanos con sus criados:
“¡te saludo, te saludo, te saludo, Padre de los Incas!?br />
“Vengo, desde la Ciudad Dorada del Sol,
Enviado por el Gran Rey del Cielo
Para proveerte de tu sucesor (por tu partida)
Manco Cápac y el Comendador
Caminaron por una enorme roca, ésta habl? dijo
En una voz suavemente humana:
?¡Santo, santo, es el Dios del sol, por
Emplazarte, y amarte- Amarte
Y querer que t?vengas a casa!?br />
Manco Cápac, pretendi?no oír
oír, mientras él y el Comendador
Caminaban, y hablaban, en el patio?br />
(2)
Los sirvientes de Manco Cápac dijeron (con temor)
A Mama Ocllo (su esposa fiel)
“…el Comendador quien est?con tu esposo
…no es de nuestra raza, ni vive en esta tierra.?br>Manco Cápac luego lav?los pies
Del Comendador; después de esto, vio un milagro:
Las lágrimas del comendador se volvieron
En gotas de plata y oro—mezclados.
Pura plata y puro oro—mezclados.
(3)
Luego el Comendador se elev?en un guiño de ojo?br>Y estuvo enfrente de Dios y dijo:
“Amo y Señor, no puedo traer la muerte
..sobre la casa de Manco Cápac;
Por que él es el más amable, honesto
Y misericordioso hombre vivo sobre la tierra—“
El Señor le dijo al Comendador:
“Ve abajo y mantén compañía con él,
Come con él, y haz lo que él te pida?br />
Yo te dar?todo un espíritu devorador
—y enviar?al Espíritu Santo de Dios
Y sobre sus servidores un sueño (para interpretar)?br />
(4)
Y as? esto fue, el Comendador se sent?br>Con Manco Cápac, en su mesa
y rez?y comi?con él según
…sus costumbres, y ellos descansaron igual.
Y fue as? que el sirviente dese?
Permanecer con Manco Cápac, pero no pudo
…él fue dicho ir a descansar, éste era su deseo?br>En el medio de la noche, el criado
Se despert? en la cuarta hora, en temor
…él había tenido una visión, oy?a la muerte hablando;
As? el corri?hacia Manco Cápac, y grit?
“La muerte ha venido? y Manco Cápac, lloró…
y as?también el Comendador lloró—.
Mama Ocllo luego dej?su cuarto,
Encontrando a todos en lágrimas, y ella llor?
pero pregunt? “¿Por qu?todos están llorando??br>Cuando Mama Ocllo oy?al comendador
Hablar, ella supo que él era santificado, santo.
(5)
Dijo, Mama, a su esposo muy amado:
“¿T?no sabes quién es este hombre??br>Luego Manco Cápac pens? y habl?
“he mentido; yo s?que el es muy sagrado?br>Un mensajero santo, del Sol?br>Veo resplandor, de todas las cosas?
Y Mama Ocllo se arrodill?y llor?
“Gloria sea a Dios, que es radiante?br>Con maravillas? y esposo? ella pregunto,
“Déjanos, ahora mirar la revelación
Ante nosotros; sea eso para ¡bien o mal! y
Gloria sea a Dios, Quien es como el sol—”
(6)
Luego Manco Cápac, dejo a su esposa hablar
—con su sirviente acerca de su visión;
Dijo el sirviente con temor y maravillado:
“Vi todas las estrellas convertirse en sol;
Vi al sol convertirse en hombre;
Y él estaba, descendiendo a la tierra?
Y Manco Cápac, supo que todas las estrellas siendo uno
Era su Dios, y el sol era la luz que el
Comendador estaba trayendo para él?br />
del todopoderoso. Y el Comendador
Dijo, “Este es tiempo para ti, de dejar la tierra?br>Viajar hacia Dios en forma de tu alma?
Dijo Manco Cápac, “Entonces eres t?quien desea
tomar mi alma?br>Dijo el comendador con extrañeza;
“Yo soy el mensajero de Dios, anunciando
..las intenciones de Dios? Luego el Comendador
Desapareci? ¡Regreso al cielo!...
(7)
El Comendador dijo al Dios todopoderoso
Todo lo que ocurri? y todo lo que fue dicho.
Dios entonces dijo al Comendador, ?pregúntale a él
Porqu?esta resistiéndose a Mi; y ninguno de mis
Profetas ha escapado del misterio de la muerte.
Todos han sido atrapados por la Hoz de la Muerte (?)?br />
(8)
Y con el Comendador, Dios envi?la muerte
Y ésta vino a pasar, pronto después que Manco Cápac
Vio la muerte vestida en Gran Belleza?
Y la muerte lo salud? como si lo sedujera
Con palabras bellas; pero Manco Cápac
Llam?a la muerte “Mentirosa, la muerte no es bella?
Pero la muerte dijo; “para el honrado
soy bella, para el pecador—podredumbre..,
No seas engañado, por el pecador
…Yo traigo mucho miedo, destrucción, consternación;
Y para ti, hombre bendito, ¡una corona de honor!...
Y la muerte le mostr?dos cabezas, una llamada
.. putrefacción, ésta tenia la cara de dragón. El otro
Como un Tumi de oro, brillante como el sol.
Y la muerte dijo, “Ve con el Comendador?br />
(9)
Y Manco Cápac, dijo a la muerte “Muéstrame
Ahora tus manos? y la muerte lo hizo. En
Una mano él tenia un Tumi de oro, en la
?Otra mano estaban las llaves de las puertas del sol;
entonces el inca profeta se arrodill?br>Rez?al Todopoderoso, cerrando sus ojos;
Y la muerte llam?a Dios, agarrando el
Momento? mientras Dios miraba abajo, El
arrebat?su alma y lo elev?hacia su Reino.
Dennis Siluk, Poet http://dennissiluk.tripod.com [you are welcom to visit my website, I made it for you]