Re: Memberlang Pages

On Mon, 18 Jan 1999, John Fisher wrote:

Because of word order differences between the English original and the
translation I can't do an interlinear.  What follows is the fragment of
the story in Kernu, in a higher register as the story might be told by a
Bard.  All those indented lines would be sung or chanted -- they don't
necessarily continue the story line, but they add some texture to it.

il Defuge=E8s.
Henny cella notte, eo sich com-loccev-mis: "dom-avura la cena ce
notte...?" mays ech alla! il om dalalla a la ndomme la nustra ys weneit:=20
=09da la vame=E8s le arte=20
=09da la nalte=E8s le ree=E8n=20
=09da il ncabeys le bodde=20
=09da la ndoga le Albe=E8n.
e eo la ndogge le ome=E8n al vogge pery secar-se eo poneus in gant ys
munnav-se.  ys commy cestyn mbledenne ys comedu e ys cyn ncoupe dela winne
ys bevu:=20
=09da la llama la artece=20
=09da la fhruta la wen=E9a=20
=09da la sancue=E8s le savature;
e ys dormi.  henny die matene=E8s le prossem, ys sich nois gavasot: "dil ce=
l
ist logge aur defugit vus! aur en y h-acui:"
=09da la bana le Noa=E1n=20
=09da y dies dawhwygaint=20
=09da la mparla le profette;
"y h-acui le logge sa da-h-enoundabont; e aur il tempes le yscapar
rapidment ys pas!"  y nus cynck y mharcces nus ducuason; nus en las henny
vestalle le samotempe comprason-als; e nus le ome=E8n nus secuevon; don avu
il pensar: "ystaba fatu=FA, o fuat profeta?"  Que bendtu=FAes nois!  da nav=
u
rhen y dies dew passu=FAs, e whenont y h-acui e sa la nustra ndomme e tot
lor magur ilalla sa rhummuont; ach y multh wecini ce que nus defugiements
ys derhessont:=20
=09da la parla infide=E9z=20
=09da seplucres late=E9
ys miserablement merguont.

Broken down phrase by phrase:

il Defuges.
the Flight

Henny cella notte, =09=09On-the some-or-other night(acc),=20
eo sich com-loccev-mis: =09I thus with-myself-parley-me(impf):=20
"dom-avura la cena ce notte...?" "to me-there-be(fut) the supper(nom) this
=09=09=09=09night(acc)"=20
mays ech alla!=09=09=09but lo there!=20
il om dalalla =09=09=09the man(nom) from-somewhence
a la ndomme la nustra ys weneit:to the house(acc) ours(gen) he came(pret):

da la vames le arte =09=09to him the hungre bear's(gen)
da la naltes le regen =09=09to him the height king's(gen)
da il ncabeys le bodde =09=09to him the lock-of-hair raven's(gen)
da la ndoga le Alben.=09=09to him the kilt Albionish(gen) [or=20
=09=09=09=09northern].

e eo la ndogge le omen al vogge and I the kilt(acc) man's(gen) at-the
=09=09=09=09hearth(acc)
pery secar-se eo poneus =09for to-dry(infin)-itself I put(past)=20
in gant ys munnav-se.=09=09in while he bathe(impf)-himself. =20
ys commy cestyn mbledenne =09he like-a some-old wolf(acc)=20
ys comedu =09=09=09he ate(pret)=20

e ys cyn ncoupe dela winne=09and he this-or-other cup(acc) of wine(acc.
=09=09=09=09of material)
ys bevu:=09=09=09he drank(pret)

da la llama la artece =09=09to her (the cup) the hand the=20
=09=09=09=09craftsman(gen)
da la fhruta la wenea =09=09to her the fruit the vine(gen)
da la sancues le savature;=09to her the blood the saviour(gen)

e ys dormi.  =09=09=09and he slept(pret). =20
henny die matenes le prossem,=09in-the day(acc) morning(acc)=20
=09=09=09=09next-one's(gen),=20
ys sich nois gavasot: =09=09he thus to-us(dat) warned(perf.):=20
"dil cel ist logge aur defugit =09"from-the this-here-very place(acc) now
=09=09=09=09flee-away(imper)
vus! aur en y h-acui: =09=09ye!  now for the waters(nom)

da la bana le Noan =09=09do them (the waters) the bane Noah's(gen)
da y dies dawhwygaint =09=09to them the forty days
da la mparla le profette;=09to him (the man) the speech prophet's(gen)

y h-acui le logge =09=09the waters(nom) the place(acc)=20
sa da-h-enoundabont; =09=09they put-to-the-waves(fut);=20
e aur il tempes le yscapar =09and now the time(nom) to-escape's(gen)=20
rapidment ys pas!"  =09=09rapidly he passes(pres)!"=20
y nus cynck=09=09=09the we five

y mharcces nus ducuason; =09the horses(acc.) we onto-horse(pret);=20
nus en las henny vestalle le samotempe comprason-als;=20
=09=09we for them during-the fair(acc) summer(gen)=20
=09=09bought(pret)-them(f.pl.);=20
e nus le omen nus secuevon; =09and we the man(acc) we follow(impf);=20
don avu il pensar: =09=09to us there was(pret) the to-think(infin):=20
"ystaba fatu, o fuat profeta?"  "he was(impf, temporary condition)
=09=09=09=09tetched(past ppl.), or he was(perf,
=09=09=09=09permanent quality) prophet"
Que benditues nois!  =09=09How blessed(past ppl., acc.pl.)=20
=09=09=09=09to-us(dat)! =20
da navu rhen y dies dew passus, to-us there was(pret) not the days(nom)
=09=09=09=09two passed(past ppl., nom.pl),=20
e whenont y h-acui =09=09and came(pret.f.) the waters [VS =3D=20
=09=09=09=09emphatic]=20
e sa la nustra ndomme e tot lor magur ilalla sa rhummuont;
=09=09=09=09and our house(acc) and all the(gen)
=09=09=09=09fields(gen)around they destroy(pret);

ach y multh wecini =09=09and the many neighbours(nom)=20
ce que nus defugiements =09the which(nom) us(acc)=20
=09=09=09=09fleeing(pres.mid.ppl., pl.)=20
ys derhessont: =09=09=09they derided(perf)

da la parla infidez =09=09to them speech infidelish/unfaithfull
da seplucres latez; =09=09to them graves muddy

ys miserablement merguont.=09they miserablyly(double adv.) drown(perf)

And a back translation:

On some night or other, I me parleyed thus: "Shall I have supper
tonight...?" but lo!  this man from somewhence or other came to our house:
=09in him the hungre of the bear
=09in him the stature of the king
=09in him the locks of the raven
=09in him the northern dress.
And I put the kilts to the hearth, and he bathed.  He ate like some old
wolf, and he drank a cup of wine:
=09in it the hand of craft
=09in it the fruit of the wine
=09in it the blood of the saviour;
and he slept.  In the morning of the next day, he spake a warning to us:
"fly from this place! for the waters:"
=09in them the Bane of Noah
=09in them the forty days
=09in him the words of the prophet
"the waters shall put this place to the wave; and even now the time for
pleeing swiftly passes!"  We five enhorsed us; for we had boughten horses
at the Summer Fair; and we follwed after the man; but there was this
thought in our minds: "is this man tetched, or is he a prophet?"  How
fortunate for us!  For not two days were passed, and the waters came; and
they destroyed our house and all the fields beyond.  And many of our
neighbours that had laughed at us:
=09for them faithless speech
=09for them muddy graves;
they drowned most piteously.

Padraic.

> FLIGHT
> That evening, I was considering whether I would eat my supper when the
> man arrived at our house, hungry and exhausted.  He was tall, with hair
> dyed blacker than a crow, after the custom of the North.  While he was
> washing I had to dry his clothes for him in front of the fire.  He ate
> voraciously and drank a cup of wine which made him sleep.  The next
> morning he warned us to leave that place immediately, as the floods
> would soon overwhelm it, and it was almost too late to escape.  All five
> of us mounted the horses we had bought at the last festival and followed
> him, but not without wondering fairly seriously whether he was in fact
> insane.  How lucky we were!  Not two days later, the waters destroyed
> our house and all the fields beyond it, and most of our neighbours, who
> had mocked us fleeing, were pitiably drowned.