﻿Vol.2] 
  INCA 
  CULTURE 
  — 
  ROWE 
  323 
  

  

  lowing 
  the 
  Conquest. 
  The 
  following 
  verses 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  type 
  

   (Poma, 
  1936, 
  p. 
  317. 
  From 
  the 
  Spanish 
  translation 
  of 
  J. 
  M. 
  B. 
  

   Farfan 
  (Basadre, 
  1938, 
  p. 
  85), 
  modified 
  by 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  

   original) 
  : 
  

  

  What 
  evil 
  fortune 
  separates 
  us, 
  queen? 
  

  

  What 
  barriers 
  separate 
  us, 
  princess? 
  

  

  My 
  beautiful 
  one, 
  for 
  you 
  are 
  a 
  chinchircoma 
  flower, 
  

  

  In 
  my 
  head 
  and 
  in 
  my 
  heart 
  I 
  would 
  carry 
  you. 
  

  

  You 
  are 
  like 
  the 
  sparkling 
  water, 
  

  

  You 
  are 
  like 
  a 
  mirror 
  of 
  water. 
  

  

  Why 
  don't 
  I 
  meet 
  my 
  loved 
  one? 
  

  

  Your 
  hypocrite 
  mother 
  causes 
  our 
  unbearable 
  separation; 
  

  

  Your 
  contrary 
  father 
  causes 
  our 
  neglected 
  state. 
  

  

  Perhaps, 
  queen, 
  if 
  the 
  great 
  lord 
  God 
  desires, 
  

  

  We 
  will 
  meet 
  again 
  and 
  God 
  will 
  bring 
  us 
  together. 
  

  

  The 
  memory 
  of 
  your 
  laughing 
  eyes 
  makes 
  me 
  sicken. 
  

  

  A 
  little, 
  noble 
  lord, 
  just 
  a 
  little! 
  

  

  If 
  you 
  condemn 
  me 
  to 
  weeping, 
  have 
  you 
  no 
  compassion? 
  

  

  Weeping 
  rivers, 
  over 
  the 
  cantut 
  lily, 
  in 
  every 
  valley, 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  waiting 
  for 
  you, 
  my 
  little 
  beauty. 
  

  

  Most 
  Quechua 
  poetry, 
  ancient 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  modern, 
  is 
  nostalgic 
  love 
  

   poetry 
  like 
  the 
  last 
  example, 
  filled 
  with 
  allusions 
  to 
  nature. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   the 
  associations 
  sound 
  strange 
  in 
  English, 
  but 
  seem 
  perfectly 
  natural 
  

   to 
  the 
  Indians, 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  plants 
  and 
  the 
  birds, 
  his 
  associates 
  in 
  

   every-day 
  life, 
  have 
  some 
  traditional 
  character 
  perhaps 
  derived 
  from 
  

   their 
  use 
  in 
  medicine 
  and 
  in 
  sorcery. 
  There 
  is 
  much 
  similar 
  verse 
  of 
  

   great 
  beauty 
  and 
  strength 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  easily 
  collected 
  by 
  the 
  student 
  

   of 
  folklore. 
  Additional 
  published 
  texts 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  conveniently 
  

   in 
  d'Harcourt 
  (1925) 
  and 
  Basadre 
  (1938), 
  where 
  further 
  references 
  

   are 
  given. 
  

  

  LORE 
  AND 
  LEARNING 
  

  

  Measurements. 
  — 
  Information 
  on 
  Inca 
  units 
  of 
  measurement 
  is 
  

   relatively 
  abundant, 
  but 
  so 
  scattered 
  and 
  unsystematized 
  as 
  to 
  give 
  

   the 
  impression 
  that 
  the 
  Inca 
  had 
  no 
  very 
  precise 
  standards. 
  Actually, 
  

   Inca 
  skill 
  in 
  engineering 
  works 
  almost 
  required 
  a 
  system 
  of 
  measure- 
  

   ment 
  at 
  least 
  as 
  exact 
  as 
  that 
  in 
  use 
  in 
  16th-century 
  Europe. 
  

  

  Inca 
  measures 
  were 
  based 
  on 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  human 
  body. 
  Measures 
  

   of 
  length 
  probably 
  began 
  with 
  the 
  finger 
  (rok'ana), 
  but 
  this 
  unit 
  is 
  

   not 
  specifically 
  mentioned 
  for 
  Quechua, 
  though 
  Bertonio 
  lists 
  it 
  for 
  

   the 
  Aymara 
  (1879 
  a, 
  pp. 
  174-180). 
  Next 
  came 
  the 
  *yuku, 
  Spanish 
  

   "jeme," 
  the 
  distance 
  between 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  outstretched 
  thumb 
  and 
  

   forefinger; 
  about 
  5 
  or 
  6 
  inches 
  (12-14 
  cm.). 
  The 
  span 
  (k'apa) 
  was 
  

   equivalent 
  to 
  the 
  Spanish 
  "palmo" 
  of 
  8 
  inches 
  (20 
  cm.). 
  The 
  Inca 
  

   also 
  used 
  the 
  cubit 
  (khococ) 
  of 
  about 
  18 
  inches 
  (45 
  cm.). 
  The 
  larg- 
  

   est 
  measurement 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  human 
  body 
  was 
  the 
  fathom 
  (rikra) 
  

   of 
  about 
  64 
  inches 
  (162 
  cm.), 
  which 
  was 
  divided 
  into 
  2 
  yards 
  (1.8 
  m.) 
  

  

  