Written by an anonymous playwright, Apu Ollantay tells the story of a warrior of a commoner background who rises to the rank of a general named Ollantay, who loves Princess Cusi Coyllur Nusta. In many ways, the play's plot follows their love but notes the various political power struggles at the heart of their respective positions.

As the play was initially written in the Quechua language, it is considered by some to be of Inca origin. In contrast, others believe that it might also be colonial Hispanic in origin. The “oldest” known manuscript of the play is attributed to priest Antonio Valdés in the 18th century. However, due to more discoveries, part of this work has been contested as certain parts have dated to the 1500s.

There are three different songs in Ollantay: the first one, excerpted in the book, resembles the aravi, an ancient Inca lyrical song that could be not only about intense emotions like love, sadness or joy, but also the various festivities in the time of harvest. This song addresses a small finch (tuya) that damages the corn fields, and “Tuyallay” is currently used in quechua as a name for songs about harvest, accompanied by dancing and feasts.

The other two songs are however, not aravis, but yarahuis, considered by some historians to appear for the first time in this drama.

After listening to the chorus singing Tuyallay, Cusi Coyllur says: “I should better like a sadder song”, and one of the girls sings:

• Two loving little doves are in despair,
• They moan, they weep, they sigh;
• For snow has fallen on the pair,
• To hollow tree they fly.

• But lo! one dove is left alone
• And mourns her cruel fate;
• She makes a sad and piteous moan,
• Alone without a mate.

• She fears her friend is dead and gone—
• Confirmed in her belief,
• Her sorrow finds relief in song,
• And thus she tells her grief.

• ‘Sweet mate! Alas, where art thou now?
• I miss thine eyes so bright,
• Thy feet upon the tender bough,
• Thy breast so pure and bright.’

• She wanders forth from stone to stone,
• She seeks her mate in vain;
• ‘My love! my love!’ she makes her moan,
• She falls, she dies in pain.

Two scenes later, Ollantay hears a yarahui (only the beginning is excerpeted here) after realizing Cusi Coyllur has gone missing:

• In a moment I lost my dove,
• She was gone, and I never knew where;
• I sought her in fields and in woods,
• Asking all if they’d seen the Coyllur.

These two yarahuis compare lovers to doves (“urpis” in quechua), expressing melancholic feelings in eight-syllable lines, accompanied by the music of an Indian flute (quena), with the sole purpose of bringing tears to your eyes. Later, the word evolved into “yaraví”, and it is still used to describe melancholic love songs of the southern Andes.

Source: Anonymous. Apu Ollantay. Project Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/9068/9068-h/9068-h.htm#linknote-5.

Porras Barnechea, R. El legado Quechua. Indagaciones peruanas. UNMSM - Fondo Editorial, 1999. pp.74-77

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