Re: [Translation] The Litany Against Fear

On Wed, 2005-08-24 at 18:21, Shreyas Sampat wrote:
> So, as a translation exercise, I did the Bene Gesserit "Litany
> Against Fear" from Frank Herbert's Dune.
Shreyas Sampat suggests doing the Litany Against Fear--awesome notion,
with which I am belatedly :) going to catch up, at least for Veldan.
(Doubled vowels are long.  The letters generally have Latin values
with some extensions.  More information is available at
http://crlh.org/~cian/CR/conlang/veldan.html and via the link to the
lexicon from there.)


I must not fear.
Atsam naa foobain meesu.

Fear is the mind-killer.
At foobaamen i saipasi thaasiitiis.

Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.
At foobaamen i poocas thaamen sa iliceepat seelan telwoomena.

I will face my fear.
Iisantaplecaneem meean foobaamena.

I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
Iicaurom sa arot ceeveem meessu ce per meessu.

And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Ce cascau iisooeito, iiplecam i intrasantim suulim sa swidein teesava
wiam.

Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Caloc ereit i foobaamen iisat ganimen.

Only I will remain.
Gandlyeswim iiliiveim.


This was quite an interesting exercise: it brought me to realize that
Veldan was lacking a category sufficient to translate the future-perfect
sense (as I read it) of "when it has gone past."  I have introduced the
-to series of personal endings that denote a perfective aspect that has
that meaning in the future tenses.


CKR
cian@cox-internet.com
http://crlh.tzo.org/~cian/

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