- (Turning to Urco Huaranca.)
Ne'er let thine enemies take thee in rear;
Man of the Puna,[1] it ne'er can be said
You fled or trembled as a reed.
Urco Huaranca. Hear me, warriors of the Andes!
Already we have a valiant king,
It might be he will be attacked;
'Tis said th' old Inca sends a force,
The men of Cuzco now advance.
We have not a single day to lose;
Call from the heights our Puna men,
Prepare their arms without delay,
Make Tampu strong with rampart walls,
No outlet leave without a guard;
On hill slopes gather pois'nous herbs
To shoot our arrows, carrying death.
Ollantay (to Urco Huaranca). Select the chiefs!
Fix all the posts for different tribes;
Our foes keep marching without sleep—
Contrive to check them by surprise.
The compi[2] ruse may cause their flight.
Urco Huaranca. Thirty thousand brave Antis are here.
Amongst them no weakling is found;
Apu Maruti[3], the mighty in war,
From high Uilcapampa[4] will come,
On steep Tinquiqueru[5] he'll stand
- ↑ Puna, the loftier parts of the Andes.
- ↑ Compi, cloth or a cloak. This was an expression of the ancient Peruvians, perhaps equivalent to our 'hoodwinking.'
- ↑ Apu Maruti was the head of the ayllu of the Inca Yahuar Huaccac, grandfather of Pachacuti. It was called the ayllu Aucaylli Panaca.—Mesa, Anales del Cuzco, quoted by Zegarra.
- ↑ Uilcapampa, mass of mountains between the Uilcamayu and Apurimac.
- ↑ Tinqui Queru, between Urupampa and Tampu. The word means 'two vases coupled.' Here are two rounded hills connected by a saddle, three and a half miles from Tampu.
