Elet Anta text

This is another bit from the "Incwasu Ivay"="Proclamations of the
Lady. This is the main religious text of the Anta, but all I have of
it is a number of sections (cufac in EA).  Each cufac has a title,
usually one word, and is typically a couple of hundred words long.
Apparently a complete copy of the Incwasu includes a hundred or more
cufac, in varying order.  I posted one before.

The Incwasu is apparently about three hundred years old, but the
language of the cufac I have does not differ radically from modern EA,
for whatever reason.  A few words are no longer commonly used, and the
word order seems to be somewhat freer than is usual in the modern
texts I have.

Traditionally the Incwasu is said to have been written by the Anta's
principal deity, Loarna, who is a goddess.  As I've mentioned before,
EA doesn't have pronouns in the usual sense, but uses a set of
shortened nouns instead.  Loarna's use of these is unusual;  she
refers to herself as "iva" (lady), and to her consort Changcay as "et"
(witness).  "Et" is more usually used in EA to correspond to "you".
When referring to the Anta or humanity general, she uses "ant", which
I have transalted as "you", although it's more usually used for "we".

This cufac gives quite a good insight into the way the Anta seem to
look at things.  The last para refers to the cays, which seem to be
the basic unit of the Anta.  A cay seems to include about ten to
fifteen people, who are not blood relatives.  I don't much more about
how they operate, except that an Antayar identifies very closely with
his or her cay.

c=/k/  k=/x/  y=/j/  sh=/S/  th=/T/  ch=/tS/

AMAREC
Contemplate

So falon, "Anel ish parl antorlaw, tali anel trampi antorlay Ivara."
Cisua yeti torvasye plectusu.  Iva lalof, meti ant mendel celtis Ivara
antorlay yarkaw, ant tik ish shart toruien ovodaplew antye hathaan.
Lyu menel i, avicwa ish murvay, loci arecwa ish finak?  Lyu col i,
syath ish focosh, loci sar ish shil?  Lyu sok i, loa ish parl, loci
core oc?  Lyu do front i, mendayen ish menda, loci amarecyen ish
amarec?

They say, "Look inside yourself and find the Lady within you." On the
contrary, that is a serious stupidity.  I am everywhere, but you
cannot see me within yourself, because you would lose yourself going
along the twisting paths of your own soul.  Can a woman give birth to
herself, or a man beget himself?  Does the rain wash itself or the sun
shine on itself?  Does even the earth look at itself or the heaven?
Is it not to the same extent [ie, not at all] that the knower knows
itself, or the contemplater contemplates itself?
 -----

So lui falon suma, i do ish cos menel avar yarkaw, sok elet antaye do
cesper tassaye.  Cwu Iva falon, "arnsa eti amsa", sok Iva ya ow mendel
cos avar. Cwen crofol enye zeniasuma ish amarecwa, o lui pe claytac
tolonvaw.

Simply saying a sentence does not make itself able to be true, for
even the language of the Anta is not a child of reality.  If I say
"bigness is smallness", even I cannot make it true.  Those who waste
their life in contemplation of themselves are just deceived by words.
 -----

Meti loa core afat parl, tali yipsaw afat menda.  Cwu ant tris trampi
Ivara, ow anel parl uralda.  Et tal Iva anetic aldye luur.  Cwen
aprilipsa parlwa sik ta-bua, o sof la menda ivara cwenvaw, litocye
tar-i o orvald, o zeniasupsa pe-alorien amarecsua penna hathaan.  Oan
o, cwasuma falon Iva, tali su Ivavaw pe-falonye na avar.  Yarkaw anel
amarec, meti anel amarec amarecnasyura.

But the earth and the heaven look at each other, and each knows the
other thereby. If you want to find me, look at the universe.  The
Witness and I are the source of everything in it.  A person who spends
a morning looking at even a cow comes to know me more than a person,
thinking himself to be wise, who passes a lifetime in the imaginary
contemplation of his own soul.  This is the Lady who speaks, and what
I say is true.  Therefore contemplate, but  contemplate things that
are fit for contemplation.
 -----

Yarkaw Iva la cos cayonve Antaa yordaw, ant menel tard tridawn tocena.
Cwu ant tris tridawn, ow anel rorel frocayarlaw ya, tridawn anta.
Yordaw Iva la barant mayshie cay' anata cwent, ow na col yordaw, ant
menel afat amarec trampi ent Ivara.  Andel takat Ivara yu, do-cawdw'
eplayt Ivara penna antye crolvarlew.

So I have placed you, Anta, into cays, so that you can try to
understand other people.  If you want to understand, allow your fellow
cay members to understand you.  This is why I have founded the customs
of the various cays as they indeed take place, so that you can
contemplate each other, and thus find me.  Do not insult me by
endlessly searching for me into your own intestines.
 -----


Dreaded interlinear:
ACC=accusative  ATR=attributive  ADV=adverbial  IMP=imperative
REFL=reflexive  ANTC=antecedent  REL=relative

So                falon, "Anel ish  parl    antorlaw,  tali anel trampi
people.in.general say     IMP  REFL look.at you-in-ADV and  IMP  find

antorlay   Ivara."  Cisua        yeti    torvasye      plectusu.  Iva
you-in-ATR lady-ACC OPPOSITE-ADV that.is important-ATR stupid-N   lady

lalof,     meti ant mendel celtis Ivara    antorlay   yarkaw,
everywhere but  you cannot see    lady-ACC you-in-ATR this-because-ADV

ant tik          ish  shart toruien   ovodaplew           antye
you HYPOTHETICAL REFL lose  twist-ATR road-along+MOVE-ADV you-ATR

hathaan.  Lyu    menel i,   avicwa ish  murvay,    loci arecwa ish
soul+DEF  INTERR can   this woman  REFL give.birth or   man    REFL

finak?  Lyu    col    i,   syath ish  focosh, loci sar ish  shil?
beget   INTERR happen this rain  REFL wash    or   sun REFL shine.on

Lyu    sok  i,   loa   ish  parl,   loci core   oc?     Lyu    do
INTERR even this earth REFL look.at or   heaven do.same INTERR not

front       i,   mendayen    ish  menda, loci amarecyen
same-extent this know-person REFL know   or   contemplate-person

ish  amarec?
REFL contemplate
 -----
Lyu sok i: "Is it even this...?" _sok_ is not used as a
 verb in this way in the modern language
Toruien ovodaplew antye hathaan: the modern language would
 prefer: _antye hathanye toruien ovodaplew_
 -----

So                lui  falon suma, i    do  ish  cos  menel avar
people.in.general only say   N-ACC this not REFL make can   be.true

yarkaw,          sok  elet     antaye   do  cesper tassaye.
this-because-ADV even language Anta-ATR not child  fact-ness-ATR

Cwu Iva  falon, "arnsa    eti amsa",     sok  Iva  ya       ow
if  lady say     big-ness is  small-ness even lady that-ACC then

mendel cos  avar.   Cwen crofol enye       zeniasuma  ish
cannot make be.true who  waste  person-ATR live-N-ACC REFL

amarecwa,       o    lui  pe      claytac tolonvaw.
contemplate-ADV ANTC only PASSIVE deceive word-by-ADV
 -----
Elet antaye: probably the modern language would prefer _antay'
 eleccwa_ here
 -----

Meti loa   core   afat       parl,   tali yipsaw       afat
but  earth heaven each.other look.at and  that-use-ADV each.other

menda.  Cwu ant tris trampi Ivara,   ow   anel parl    uralda.
know    if  you want find   lady-ACC then IMP  look.at thing-whole-ACC

Et      tal Iva  anetic aldye     luur.         Cwen aprilipsa
witness and lady source whole-ATR all-thing+DEF who  morning-use

parlwa      sik  ta-bua, o    sof  la        menda ivara    cwenvaw,
look.at-ADV even ACC-cow ANTC more PEFECTIVE know  lady-ACC who-than-ADV

litocye   tar-i    o    orvald, o    zeniasupsa pe-alorien
opine-ATR ACC-this ANTC be.wise ANTC live-N-use PASSIVE-imagine-ATR

amarecsua       penna hathaan.  Oan     o,   cwasuma   falon Iva
contemplate-ADV own   soul+DEF  this.is ANTC REL-N-ACC say   lady

tali su Ivavaw      pe-falonye      na       avar.   Yarkaw
and  N  lady-by-ADV PASSIVE-say-ATR EMPHATIC be.true that-because-ADV

anel amarec,     meti anel amarec      amarecnasyura.
IMP  contemplate but  IMP  contemplate contemplate-worthy-thing-ACC
 -----
Et: usually means "you", here means the god Changcay
Urald: "the totality of things", ie, the universe.
Aldye luur: _ald_ is used pronominally to refer to _urald_.  But
 the modern language would prefer _aldye lurye_ here.
 -----

Yarkaw           Iva  la         cos  cayonve   Antaa
that-because-ADV lady PERFECTIVE make cay-in-TO Anta+DEF

yordaw,                     ant menel tard tridawn    tocena.
this-for.the.purpose.of-ADV you can   try  understand other-person-ACC

Cwu ant tris tridawn,   ow   anel       rorel frocayarlaw
if  you want understand then IMPERATIVE allow same-cay-member-to-ADV

ya,      tridawn    anta.   Yordaw                      Iva
this-ACC understand you+ACC that-for.the.purpose.of-ADV lady

la         barant mayshie     cay'    anata      cwent,     ow
PERFECTIVE found  various-ATR cay-ATR custom-ACC REL-manner ANTC-ADV

na       col    yordaw,                     ant menel afat
EMPHASIS happen this-for.the.purpose.of-ADV you can   each.other

amarec      trampi ent  Ivara.   Andel takat  Ivara    yu,
contemplate find   thus lady-ACC don't insult lady-ACC this-ADV

do-cawdw'         eplayt     Ivara    penna antye   crolvarlew.
not-leave.off-ADV search.for lady.ACC own   you-ATR intestine-in-ADV
 -----

cos cayonve Antaa: "make the Anta to go into cays": modern speakers
 would say _cos cayonve Antara_ although some would insist on _cosu
 ya, Anta cayonve_
tocen: "other people": the modern language would prefer _to-en_
frocayar: "member of the same cay": today we would say _caytov_ or
 _cayliv_: cay brother or sister, or just _cayar_.
 -----

--
John Fisher   john@drummond.demon.co.uk   johnf@epcc.ed.ac.uk
Elet Anta website: http://www.drummond.demon.co.uk/anta/
Drummond ro cleshfan merec; fanye litoc, inye litoc