﻿322 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A, 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  has 
  a 
  weak 
  plot, 
  unconvincing 
  characters, 
  and 
  a 
  stilted 
  dialogue. 
  

   Middendorf, 
  Means, 
  and 
  Rojas 
  have 
  shown 
  very 
  convincingly 
  that 
  

   the 
  play 
  in 
  its 
  present 
  form 
  is 
  not 
  older 
  than 
  the 
  17th 
  century 
  and 
  may 
  

   be 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  18th. 
  Parts 
  of 
  it, 
  especially 
  the 
  songs, 
  

   may, 
  however, 
  be 
  very 
  much 
  older, 
  and 
  the 
  story 
  may 
  be 
  derived 
  

   from 
  an 
  ancient 
  legend 
  (Rojas, 
  1939; 
  Means, 
  1931, 
  pp. 
  440-441 
  and 
  

   references). 
  

  

  Garcilaso 
  describes 
  Inca 
  " 
  comedies" 
  and 
  "tragedies" 
  in 
  a 
  way 
  that 
  

   sounds 
  just 
  a 
  little 
  too 
  European 
  to 
  be 
  plausible, 
  but 
  Cieza 
  and 
  

   Acosta 
  explain 
  that 
  Inca 
  dramatic 
  pieces 
  were 
  parts 
  of 
  public 
  dances, 
  

   and 
  probably 
  derived 
  from 
  them. 
  At 
  most, 
  they 
  consisted 
  of 
  a 
  nar- 
  

   rative 
  or 
  a 
  dialog 
  to 
  be 
  sung 
  by 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  actors, 
  with 
  a 
  chorus 
  to 
  

   answer 
  them. 
  (Acosta, 
  1940, 
  bk. 
  6, 
  ch. 
  28; 
  Cieza, 
  1880, 
  bk. 
  2, 
  ch. 
  12; 
  

   Garcilaso, 
  1723, 
  pt. 
  1, 
  bk. 
  2, 
  ch. 
  27.) 
  The 
  missionaries 
  took 
  advantage 
  

   of 
  the 
  Indians' 
  interest 
  in 
  drama 
  and, 
  even 
  before 
  1560, 
  wrote 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  Spanish-type 
  plays 
  in 
  Quechua, 
  which 
  were 
  performed 
  by 
  

   Indian 
  actors. 
  They 
  were 
  "autos," 
  plays 
  whose 
  purpose 
  was 
  first 
  to 
  

   point 
  a 
  moral 
  and 
  only 
  second 
  to 
  amuse. 
  The 
  best-known 
  example 
  is 
  

   probably 
  "El 
  Pobre 
  mas 
  Rico" 
  (Garcilaso, 
  1723, 
  pt. 
  1, 
  bk. 
  2, 
  ch. 
  28; 
  

   Basadre, 
  1938, 
  pp. 
  135-141). 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  types 
  of 
  Inca 
  literature 
  so 
  far 
  considered 
  suffered 
  heavily 
  from 
  

   Spanish 
  influence 
  or 
  repression 
  since 
  the 
  Conquest, 
  but 
  not 
  so 
  Quechua 
  

   song. 
  Indeed, 
  the 
  influence 
  has 
  been 
  so 
  heavily 
  the 
  other 
  way 
  that 
  

   nearly 
  all 
  popular 
  poetry 
  (as 
  distinguished 
  from 
  conscious 
  literary 
  

   effort) 
  in 
  the 
  Andean 
  countries 
  today 
  is 
  heavily 
  Indianized 
  in 
  feeling 
  

   and 
  expression, 
  whatever 
  the 
  language 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  sung. 
  Some 
  

   beautiful 
  examples 
  of 
  Spanish 
  poetry 
  in 
  Quechua 
  style 
  are 
  given 
  by 
  

   d'Harcourt 
  (1925). 
  

  

  Quechua 
  examples 
  of 
  proved 
  antiquity 
  are 
  very 
  scanty. 
  The 
  

   oldest 
  is 
  a 
  well-known 
  verse 
  remembered 
  by 
  Garcilaso 
  (1723, 
  pt. 
  1, 
  

   bk. 
  2, 
  ch. 
  27) 
  from 
  before 
  1560: 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  place 
  

   Thou 
  shalt 
  sleep 
  

   Midnight 
  

   I 
  will 
  come. 
  

  

  Sarmiento 
  (1906, 
  ch. 
  47) 
  translates 
  a 
  verse 
  of 
  a 
  song 
  from 
  a 
  dramatic 
  

   or 
  narrative 
  piece 
  on 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  Pachacuti, 
  which 
  is 
  almost 
  certainly 
  

   pre-Conquest: 
  

  

  I 
  was 
  born 
  like 
  a 
  lily 
  in 
  the 
  garden, 
  

  

  And 
  so 
  also 
  was 
  I 
  brought 
  up. 
  

  

  As 
  my 
  age 
  came, 
  I 
  have 
  grown 
  up, 
  

  

  And, 
  as 
  I 
  had 
  to 
  die, 
  so 
  I 
  dried 
  up 
  

  

  And 
  I 
  died. 
  

  

  Much 
  of 
  the 
  poetry 
  scattered 
  through 
  the 
  pages 
  of 
  Guaman 
  Poma 
  

   is 
  either 
  ancient 
  or 
  composed 
  in 
  the 
  ancient 
  style 
  in 
  the 
  century 
  fol- 
  

  

  