Re: Translation

Pavic, preliminary notes from the Dictionary of the Khazars (or so I am
informed):

Imagine two men holding a captured puma on a rope. If they want to approach
each other, the puma will attack, because the rope will slacken; only if they
both pull simultaneously on the rope is the puma equidistant from the two of
them. That is why it is so hard for him who reads and him who writes to reach
each other: between them lies a mutual thought captured on ropes that they
pull in opposite directions. If we were now to ask that puma - in other
words, that thought - how it perceived these two men, it might answer that at
the ends of the rope, those to be eaten are holding someone they cannot eat.

Yem drasu loif ïsel see pazgal zhekteh ye kaptizhe luedzjarh ta'naskuubzim
righismizhuum tebrosye. Mig giejasye gruugan mek ta'melt man luedzjarhe
yoicane miy retas naskuum sekasyuu ûelasutluum. Mik cisa'lhotes shise les
fwhaenasye mek yuu nask man dezde'mebz haz lez vihblanhe ye luedzjarh mek!
Pletuush telaa ye ékiñist skik ye trespist se juabrhanti: úlgaarh yuu
pazgizdhrugel fuust ye luedzjarh âl yuu nazg dezde'mebz vihblasye mek cozheh
dezde'ghaluuksim fwhaenasye mek. Mik ïsel ye luedzjarh tuzaa tuum dhoetrhasee
keeb yem drasu loif telaa pazgise ke, mane sek straacose: "Balem tuzaa cat
áfosuu ta'naskuubzim suatismizhuum yo shonaa bal brasye cozheh na has fosasye
mek."

 Yem drasu loif ïsel see pazgal
 >>> pat - ag - verb
 Yem drasu loif: two men
 ïsel: we
 see pazgal: let [us] imagine
 let us imagine two men

 zhekteh ye kaptizhe luedzjarh ta'naskuubzim righismizhuum tebrosye
 >>> conj(rel) - pat - obl(spatial) - verb
 zhekteh: who
 ye kaptizhe luedzjarh: captured large cat
 ta'naskuubzim righismizhuum: at the centre of [two] ropes
 tebrosye: holds
 who hold a captured puma on a rope

 Mig giejasye gruugan mek ta'melt
 >>> conj(switch) - verb - sec.verb - ag - pat
 Mig (mik): if
 giejasye: move
 gruugan: want, would like
 mek: they
 ta'melt: towards each other
 if they want to approach each other

 man luedzjarhe yoicane miy
 >>> conj(switch) - ag - verb - pat
 man: then
 luedzjarhe: big cat
 yoicane: will attack
 miy: them
 then the puma will attack them

 retas naskuum sekasyuu ûelasutluum
 >>> conj(temp) - ag - cop.verb - modifier
 retas: as a consequence of
 naskuum: ropes
 sekasyuu: become
 ûelasutluum; slack
 as the ropes slacken

 Mik cisa'lhotes shise les fwhaenasye mek yuu nask
 >>> conj(switch) - obl(systemic) - verb - ag - pat
 mik: if
 cisa'lhotes: as a team
 shise les fwhaenasye: emphatically and continuously pull
 mek: they
 yuu nask: rope
 only if they pull as a team on the rope

 man dezde'mebz haz lez vihblanhe ye luedzjarh mek!
 >>> conj(switch) - obl(spatial) - verb - pat - ag(emphasised)
 man: then
 dezde'mebz: between them
 haz lez vihblanhe: can continue to place
 ye luedzjarh: puma
 mek: they
 then can they keep the puma between them

 Pletuush telaa ye ékiñist skik ye trespist se juabrhanti:
 >>> ag - pat - verb
 pletuush telaa: these actions
 ye ékiñist: reader
 skik: and [apart from]
 ye trespist: writer
 se juabrhanti: separate
 It is this idea which separates the reader and the writer

 úlgaarh yuu pazgizdhrugel fuust ye luedzjarh âl yuu nazg dezde'mebz vihblasye
mek
 >>> conj(dependent) - pat - verb - ag
 úlgaarh: because (observation)
 yuu pazgizdhrugel: shared idea
 fuust: like
 ye luedzjarh: puma
 âl: and
 yuu nazg (nask): rope
 dezde'mebz: between them
 vihblasye: place
 mek: they
 because between them lies a shared thought just like the puma and the rope

 cozheh dezde'ghaluuksim fwhaenasye mek.
 >>> conj(rel) - obl(motive) - verb - ag
 cozheh: which
 dezde'ghaluuksim: in different directions
 fwhaenasye: pull
 mek: they
 which they pull in opposite directions

 Mik ïsel ye luedzjarh tuzaa tuum dhoetrhasee
 >>> conj(switch) - ag - pat - verb
 Mik: if
 ïsel: we
 ye luedzjarh tuzaa: that puma
 tuum dhoetrhasee: were to ask
 If we were to ask that puma

 keeb yem drasu loif telaa pazgise ke
 >>> conj(pred) - pat - verb - ag
 keeb: how
 yem drasu loif telaa: these two men
 pazgise: imagines
 ke: it
 how it percieves these two men

 mane sek straacose:
 >>> conj(subj switch) - verb
 mane: then it
 sek (seg) straacose: might answer
 then it might answer:

 Balem tuzaa cat áfosuu ta'naskuubzim suatismizhuum yo shonaa bal brasye
 >>> ag - obl(spatial) - pat - verb
 balem tuzaa cat áfosuu: those things for the eating
 ta'naskuubzim suatismizhuum: at the end of the rope
 yo shonaa bal: something
 brasye: hold
 those to be eaten at the end of the rope are holding something

 cozheh na has fosasye mek
 >>> conj(rel) - verb - ag
 cozheh: that
 na has (haz) fosasye: cannot eat
 mek: they
 they cannot eat

More info than you're ever likely to want on the Gevey language can be found
at http://www.kalieda.org/gevey

Rik

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