Buffalo Father

Buffalo Father


1.
Song

Listen
the song of the aged father

The song
of the aged beloved

Our father
the buffalo heavy with age

Heavy with age
endlessly walking

Too heavy
to rise again if he should fall

Walking forever
walking forever

Humped high with age
head bent with age

Heavy with age,
aged buffalo,
my aged father.

Pawnee Song

2.
Myth

Oh grandfather come to us,
come down to us;
Oh grandfather give us a suitable
symbol for peace

and the red god had with him his red plume
the red of dawn and peace
which he swiftly took from its sacred cover
and shot it into the mouth of the angry bull
where it lodged
to the left of his tongue,
lengthwise
to the left of his tongue

and then no longer
the buffalo
pawed the earth in anger

no longer thunder rolled
from the ridge pole overhead

no longer
grandfather the buffalo
threw dust with his foot in anger

but he, the buffalo,
lowered his tail,
which he had lifted in anger
and stood subdued
by the magic of peace.

Osage Myth