Re: Translation challenge: Would you go out with me?

Sally Caves wrote:

> Okay, here's what I've come up with while I should have been grading.
> I'm getting dizzy again. ;)  The Teonim are not a prudish people, but a
> people surrounded by custom; indirection, chaperoned blind dates,
> invites of eligible bachelors to eligible women's parties, etc.  Very
> Victorian.  But unlike the Victorians, not terribly shocked by the vast
> amount of "illicit" sex that goes on.  And certainly not ignorant!
> Cunning women around the corner to help the "virgins" (niffylim) in
> need.  Meanwhile, notes and "billydoos" and formal language exist for
> "asking a woman for her sexual or romantic attentions."  As with a lot
> of verbal exchanges, the T. go in for frilly circumlocution and
> metaphor.  Here are some in order of degree (from more formal to more
> casual).  I haven't gotten around to the invitations given men by women
> yet, and all the women's responses are cautious.  And sometimes a book
> is just a book. Context is all, and libraries are dangerous places for
> the earnest man!
Very interesting. Sad to say, as much as I've thought about the Zireen,
and as important as sexual relationships (of various kinds) are to them,
I haven't given much thought to the whole subject. I'll have to see if I
can find an informant who's familiar with the subject to explain it to
me. :-) I'm sure they must be starting to wonder why I have such an
interest in their music when there are other important things in life.

Even beyond that, there's so many combinations to consider. I haven't
even begun to speculate how, e.g. a Zireen would signify an interest in
having a relationship with a Neyasai, or a Mizarian with a Nelya ... The
possibilities are limited only by geography or extreme mismatches in
size... Less common than same-species relationships, but they do happen...

In any case, the Mizarians have a culture very much centered on
tradition and ritual, so they probably have phrases of their own a bit
similar to these. I was convinced there was a Mizarian expression having
to do with "catching on fire" -- very similar to your "Fyl lembarem
ryddihs", but as far as the Chispa vocabulary is concerned, fire seems
to be connected with anger. Now I'm not sure what language I was
thinking of...