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Re: An Aelya translation

From:Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...>
Date:Sunday, July 29, 2001, 22:53
Well, I'll give it a shot.

Harder then I thought it would be.  What kind of "master" is meant in
the third line?  Is it master like wise man, teacher?  That's what I
assumed.

Lo, I see here my father and mother.
Lo, now I see all my deceased relatives sitting.
Lo, there is my master, who is sitting in Valinor.
Paradise is so beautiful, so green.
With him are his men and boys.
He calls to me, so bring me to him.

Aa!  Plassíuki blív tinnaníkuaili
Aa!  Plassíuki kávi suttainistukkákuaili summitúili suiiauniásaili
     plifili divátanki
Aa!  Launítassi bíuv nataitiákua, divátassi nív Válinul
Saziikuziikúlki, samaisiasiásalki uabiikassá
Launítanki nísnan nallakúsmai ku nattabíni
Pakutákiuki-naka, plastli kui-lufaissí-il nísnas

Key
DO = Dative-Object (voice which turns dative into absolutive)
G# = Gender #
S = Singular
P = Plural
R = Rational (speaking beings)
I = Irrational (non-speaking beings or inanimates)
* = Gramatical gemination
Inst = Instrumental
Gen = Genetive
Dat = Dative
Loc = Locative
NP = Non-Punctual
AdjCl = Adjective Clause
(red) = Reduplication
Com = Commitative
= Indicates a clitic

Aa! P- lassí-u -ki blí -v   ti*-naní  -kua-i-li
Lo! DO-see  -1S-NP here-loc G1P-mother-my -P-Inst
Lit. "I see my mothers", that is, "I see my mother and ancestors", there
is a word for "father", but it is rather technical and would sound out
of place

Aa! P- lassí-u -ki kávi su*-tainistukká-kua-i-li   su*-mitú-i-li
Lo! DO-see  -1S-NP now  G3P-relative   -my -P-inst G3P-all -P-inst
su*-iauniása-i-li   plif -i-li   divá-tan-ki
G3P-dead    -P-inst AdjCl-P-inst sit -3PR-NP
There are 3 words for relative, sutainistukká is the broadest of these,
it means, anyone of a known relationship.  Not knowing the context, I
didn't know which term to use.  Does it refer only to relatively close
relations?  If so, then it would be _suttaizuníisakuaili_.  If it refers
to even more distant relations, like, on a clan level, then it would be
_suttainíisakuaili_.  _Plif_, which indicates that the following clause
modifies another noun, must agree with the noun that is being modified
Egads, that was a long line in translation!  :-)

Aa! Launí     -tas-si bíu  -v   na-taitiá-kua, divá-tas-si
Lo! be.located-3SR-NP there-loc G2-master-my   sit -3SR-NP
ní            -v   Válinul
InhabitedPlace-loc Valinor
Ní indicates the name of an inhabited place or a nation.  It is one of a
class of particles called Name Particles

Sa-ziiku    -ziikú-l  -ki sa-maisias-iása -l  -ki ua-biikassá
Be-beautiful-(red)-3IS-NP be-green  -(red)-3IS-NP G6-paradise
Reduplication of adjectives (adjectives ending in -iása only copy that
ending) usually indicates "excessively", but can also (especially in
poetry or for color terms) be used as a simple intensive.  It's also
very common for one-syllable adjectives, as a result of the general
tendency to avoid root-initial stress.  At any rate, this line *could*
also be translated "Paradise is too beautiful, too green", a potentially
interesting ambiguity.

Launí     -tan-ki n -ísna   -n   na*-lakús-ma -i ku  na*-tabí-n  -i
Be.located-3PR-NP G2-pronoun-Com G2P-man  -his-P and G2P-boy -his-P
-ma becomes -n after vowels.  It is ambiguous between "our" and "his".
Also, natabí, "boy", can also mean "male slave"

Pa-kutáki-u -ki=naka,  plastli kui=lufaissí=il      n -ísna   -s
DO-call  -1S-NP=he.erg so      me =bring   =you.nom G2-pronoun-all

--
Cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon
A nation without a language is a nation without a heart - Welsh proverb
ICQ: 18656696
AIM Screen-Name: NikTaylor42

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Aidan Grey <frterminus@...>