The Winged Serpent: American Indian Prose and Poetry

by Margot Astrov (Editor), Paul Zolbrod (Foreword)

Gathers songs, prayers, myths, and speeches from Indian tribes in North, Central, and South America

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Anthologies, Native American, Mythology

366 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

Reviews

[allyson dunn-worthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

long read with quite sloggy translations, but well worth reading!


“at last a little green shoot sprouted up and grew day by day until it became the tall tree that we call now the pine, and the pine is of the same nature of the stars and holds in itself the same bright light.”

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astrov's anthology is a product of the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, and marks this German emigre's self-introduction to the world of Anglo-American ethnography. It's a masterwork, recognized as such by James Wright, who in an interview (published in a 2001 The Georgia Review) discusses the Sioux, Chippewa, and Papago songs here. The Navaho translations are by Washington Matthews, Pliny Godard, and others; the Matthews translation of "A Prayer of the Night Chant" reflects Matthews' highest effort at marrying American poetics to Dine ethnography. That poem never fails to make me weep.

[Ryan McSwain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has sat on my shelf for years, and I finally got it read. There's a wonderful variety of stories, poems, and songs. Because there are so many sources, the translations feel a bit uneven, and some of the commentary feels of its time. But the selections are surprisingly moving. I feel like this book will haunt me for a long time.