Re: CHAT: Strange Powers

I don't know if you meant this to be a translation exercise, but it is now!

Redleidi K'ru hag tai pölu tobvios'. Doronduadve dramen dvaduis'na Sairava
deg'ios'. Vunec' Utvoc'ikdada c'avun as'e, nap palz'as aruc'im ki palz'as
moskum gomz'umadve. Fkivada mukure rasnem mirek rios'na *dirkuin* i pivam
glamais'.

"Adis dirkure diz'ena ba," zduais', "berzo herabzigir. C'atirma ai ya.
C'atirma z'e, a fkivad. Diz'enoc', yan paz'boc'. Ki adis berzon c'atirma
ba, c'avun gzacidve pitvadve agsvabirma. Yak'em eyet rekyoki, a fkivad.
Tian mas'aku yan mu primya. Tian wontreku bile mu primya." I pivam
kankmirvud maru gyokios'.


-MEZ'DEMLINYATNIK-

Redleidi(1) K'ru hag tai pölu tobvios'.
Redlady lord middle his floor-DAT leap-3sg.PAST.

Doronduadve dramen dvaduis'na(2) Sairava deg'ios'.
prance-GER show-ACC perform-3sg.PRES-REL Earthman not-be-3sg.PAST.

Vunec' Utvoc'ikdada c'avun as'e,
Old Instrumentality-GEN self be-3sg.PAST,

nap palz'as aruc'im ki palz'as moskum gomz'umadve.
by "raw"(3) weapon-pl-INST and "raw" brain-INST survive-GER.

Fkivada mukure rasnem mirek rios'na *dirkuin* i pivam glamais'.
crowd-GEN nobody clear-ADV see-INF can-3sg.PAST-REL *something-ACC* in hand-
INST hold-3sg.PAST.

"Adis dirkure diz'ena ba," zduais', "berzo herabzigir. C'atirma ai ya.(4)
"IF someone move-3sg -IF," say-3sg.PAST, "murder do-PASS-be-3sg.FUT. Commit-
1sg.FUT SUBJ I.

C'atirma z'e, a fkivad. Diz'enoc', yan paz'boc'.(5)
Commit-2sg.FUT EMPH, VOC crowd. Move-2sg.HYP, me-ACC test-2sg.HYP.

Ki adis berzon c'atirma ba, c'avun gzacidve pitvadve agsvabirma.
And IF murder-ACC commit-1sg.FUT -IF, self arrest-GER try-GER acquit-
1sg.FUT.

Yak'em eyet rekyoki(6), a fkivad. Tian mas'aku yan mu primya.
me-INST strange powers, VOC crowd. Them-ACC use-INF-DAT me-ACC NEG force-
2sg.IMP.

Tian wontreku bile mu primya."
them-ACC show-INF-DAT even NEG force-2sg. IMP."

I pivam kankmirvud maru gyokios'.
in hand-INST mirage-LOOK(7) thing vanish-3sg.PAST.


-S'IPER-

(1) Kariz' c'eno.
(2) Enough alliteration here to make a Rhean poem! "DoronDuadve Dramen
DvaDuis'na..."
(3) Closest meaning for "raw" in that sense. I'd use the same adjective
|palz'as| for bare fists or feet.
(4) Putting the subject at the end and marking it with |ai| makes it
emphatic: "*I* will commit it."
(5) "Move, and try me." They sound like imperatives, but I couldn't use the
imperative here!
(6) Verb |anc'e| "exist" ommited in this "have" equivalent.
(7) "shimmering" as in "insubstantial", "unreal-appearing"...


M


John Cowan wrote:

>Apologies for the self-indulgent crosspost.
>
>I finally nailed down the correct text of the Strange Powers quotation
>I've been mangling all these years.  Kudos to ibooks.net for reprinting
>Cordwainer Smith's _Norstrilia_.
>
>The Lord Redlady leaped to the middle of his own floor.  He was no
>prancing Earthman putting on a show.  He was the old Instrumentality
itself,
>surviving with raw weapons and raw brains.  In his hand he held a
>*something* which none of them could see clearly.
>
>"Murder," he said, "will be done this moment if anybody moves.  I will
>commit it.  I will, people.  Move, and try me.  And if I do commit murder,
>I will arrest myself, hold a trial, and acquit myself.  I have strange
>powers, people.  Don't make me use them.  Don't even make me show them."
>The shimmering thing in his hand disappeared.