Popol Vuh: Sacred Book of the Quiché Maya - Mesoweb

progenitors. The section is then concluded with a parallel enveloping couplet in lines 5157-
5158:
These therefore their names Are' k'ut u b'i'
Their wives. Kixoqil.
Such envelopes may appear at the beginning and end of much larger sections as well. The
account of the second creation begins with lines 275-276, describing the formation of the wild
animals of the earth:
THEN they conceived again TA xkino'jij chik
Its animals mountain, U chikopil juyub',
The account concludes with lines 432-3, which recapitulate the introductory couplet with
a parallel envelope:
The animals that are here Ri chikop k'o waral
On its face earth. Chuwach ulew.
13. Merismus: The expression of a broad concept by a pair of complementary elements
which are narrower in meaning. Thus, in lines 64-65, “sky-earth” represents all creation as a
whole. Lines 240-241 use “mountain-valley” to include the face of the earth as a whole.
Lines 338-339 use “deer-birds” to describe all wild animals, while lines 748-749 use “dogs-
turkeys” to describe all domesticated animals.
14. Emblematic Parallelism: The use of simile to compare elements, often with the use of
words such as “like” or “as.” Example, lines 832-833:
These therefore the spider monkeys, Are' k'u ri k'oy,
Like people they would appear. Keje' ri' winaq chiwachinik.
15. Combination of Parallel Arrangements: The use of two or more types of parallelism
in a single strophe. The following example from lines 4948-4956 is a combination of parallel
couplets arranged into chiastic form (AABBCB'B'A'A'):
MERELY framed, XA tz'aq,
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