Elet Anta: a text

As people were talking about posting things that reflect their
language's conculture, I thought it would be a holiday from trying to
complete "Teach Youself Elet Anta" chapters to post a few bits from
the Anta text "Incwasu Ivay"="Proclamations of the Lady".

This is the main religious text of the Anta, but all I have of it is a
number of sections (cufac in EA).  Each cufac has a title, usually one
word, and is typically a couple of hundred words long.  Apparently a
complete copy of the Incwasu includes a hundred or more cufac, in
varying order.

The Incwasu is apparently about three hundred years old, but the
language of the cufac I have does not differ radically from modern EA,
for whatever reason.  A few words are no longer commonly used, and the
word order seems to be somewhat freer than is usual in the modern
texts I have.

Traditionally the Incwasu is said to have been written by the Anta's
principal deity, Loarna, who is a goddess.  As I've mentioned before,
EA doesn't have pronouns in the usual sense, but uses a set of
shortened nouns instead.  Loarna's use of these is unusual;  she
refers to herself as "iva" (lady), and to her consort Changcay as "et"
(witness).  "Et" is more usually used in EA to correspond to "you".
When referring to the Anta or humanity general, she uses "ant", which
is more usually used for "we".

This cufac is always placed first.

c=/k/  k=/x/  y=/j/  w=/w/

CAWLSU - Beginnings

Iva Antala Loala.  Crantalorgay oan dur.  Yafgay oan crantal, tali
Iva uraldorgaw luanw' irut ovodalpew crantaal.  Irut mendel-pe-tirocye
candarwa;  tali cu tobertye zeniasu eti rovodye mat, ow col taliet
sarfal mat enu.  Ivay teykwaspay dur erdi, tali tey ced oka ovoda.
Iva yu irut, tali sande frent oc.

The Lady to the Anta and the World.  Before time there was nothing.
Then there was time,  and before the universe I walked the paths of
time alone.  For uncountable ages I walked; and if the life of the
oaktree were a heartbeat a million years of such heartbeats passed.
Nothing existed except my steps, and my steps marked out the paths.
So I walked, as I walk still.


Yafgaw Ivande Eccwa, tali mendel-pe-tirocye sof candarwa tosc Et
teyalpew Ivay;  tali cu cawl-cheshsu coraasht eti rovodye mat, ow col
taliet sarfal mat enu.  Yafgaw Et falon, tali Etye tolonaspay dur
erdi, ro elasu tal narefisu uur.

Then I was joined by the Witness, and for uncountable ages more He
walked in my steps; and if the turning-into-powder of a mountain were
a heartbeat, a million years of such heartbeats passed.  Then He
spoke, and nothing existed except His words, the giving of them and
the receiving of them.


Ent la yolay, tali zicwa urald cawl erdi.  Tali loay' anot orgasuye
lac scrishsu la-cwalye an scrishsu any' az-ziculbaw rent tins tangcye
tal tenengcye.  Tali zicorlaw pe nup lac heptsu, su srinaye tal sarye
tal elenye, su canaye tal vithasye, su tangcye tal lethrie tal alanye;
lof pe nup lac heptsu, cwasurtow Et va falon.

Thus we coupled and with a flash the universe came to exist.  And all
the lightning flashes in all the history of the world combined into
one lightning flash, compared to that first flash would be like a
spark from stone and steel.  And hidden in the flash were all the
particularities, of stars and the sun and moon, of the land and the
sea, of stones, plants and animals; there were hidden all the
particularities, which He had spoken of.


Yafgaw Et parl Ivara, tali marcepsa Ety' andalonva.  Yarkaw and Iva
falon an tolona, tali cawl erdi yenald.  Tali Et copon parl Ivara, Iva
falon, "Et nakte Changcay," changcsurkaw andalonvay Etye.  Tali kafa
Eccwa.

Then He looked at me, and pride was in his face.  So then I spoke one
word, and humanity came into existence.  And he looked at me again,
and I said, "You are Changcay," because of the fierceness of his face.
And the Witness laughed.
---


Dreaded Interlinear:

ATR=attributive ADV=adverbial ACC=accusative N=nominaliser
DEF=definitive ANT=antecedent particle  EMB=embedding particle

Iva  Antala  Loala.    Crantalorgay    oan      dur.
lady Anta-to world-to  time-before-ATR there.is nothing

Yafgay        oan      crantal, tali Iva  uraldorgaw
EMB-after-ATR there.is time     and  lady universe-before-ADV

luanw'    irut ovodalpew         crantaal. Irut mendel-pe-tirocye
alone-ADV walk path-along+TO-ADV time+DEF  walk can't-passive-count-ATR

candarwa; tali cu tobertye zeniasu eti rovodye   mat, ow      col
age-ADV   and  if oak-ATR  live-N  is  heart-ATR beat ANT+ADV happen

taliet  sarfal mat  enu.      Ivay     teykwaspay      dur     erdi,
million year   beat that.kind lady-ATR step-except-ATR nothing exist

tali tey  ced        oka  ovoda.   Iva  yu      irut, tali sande
and  step sketch.out some path-ACC lady EMB+ADV walk  and  now-TO

frent       oc.
same-manner do.same

Note: The postposition verb -ela is used to translate "to" in things
like "I gave it to you" and "I spoke to you", but in "Iva Antala
Loala" it's used as the main verb, which isn't easily translated to
English: perhaps "The Lady addresses the Anta and the World" or "This
is the Lady's gift to the Anta and the World".

Note: sande "until now" is not used in the modern language
---

Yafgaw        Ivande       Eccwa,  tali mendel-pe-tirocye       sof
EMB-after-ADV lady-with-TO witness and  can't-passive-count-ATR more

candarwa tosc  Et      teyalpew          Ivay;    tali cu cawl-cheshsu
age-ADV  trace witness step-along+TO-ADV lady-ATR and  if become-dust-N

coraasht     eti rovodye   mat, ow      col    taliet  sarfal mat
mountain+DEF is  heart-ATR beat ANT+ADV happen million year   beat

enu.      Yafgaw        Et      falon, tali Etye        tolonaspay
that.kind EMB-after-ADV witness speak  and  witness-ATR word-except-ATR

dur     erdi, ro         elasu tal narefisu  uur.
nothing exist APPOSITION to-N  and receive-N it+DEF

Note: elasu, deriving from ela (see above), meaning something like
"giving", is not used in the modern language

Note: for the modern language "ro" in the last sentence is too far
away from its head, presumably tolon.
---

Ent         la         yolay,   tali zicwa     urald    cawl  erdi.
that.manner PERFECTIVE copulate and  flash-ADV universe start exist

Tali loay'     anot  orgasuye     lac scrishsu    la-cwalye
and  world-ATR whole before-N-ATR all lightning-N PERFECTIVE-become-ATR

an  scrishsu    any'  az-ziculbaw           rent    tins  tangcye
one lightning-N first the-flash-compare-ADV be.like spark stone-ATR

tal tenengcye. Tali zicorlaw         pe      nup  lac heptsu,
and steel-ATR  and  flash-inside-ADV passive hide all particular-N

su srinaye  tal sarye   tal elenye,  su canaye     tal vithasye,
it star-ATR and sun-ATR and moon-ATR it ground-ATR and sea-ATR

su tangcye   tal lethrie   tal alanye;    lof   pe      nup
it stone-ATR and plant-ATR and animal-ATR there passive hide

lac heptsu,      cwasurtow               Et      va   falon.
all particular-N which-it-concerning-ADV witness PAST speak

Note: Heptsu means something like "particular characteristics"
Note: Use of "elen" to mean "moon" is not modern; "elencwa" is used.
Note: "su" in the last sentence is being used like a pronoun to refer
back to "heptsu"; also in cwasurtow (cwa-su-irto-w)
---

Yafgaw        Et      parl    Ivara,   tali marcepsa   Ety'
EMB-after-ADV witness look.at lady-ACC and  proud-ness witness-ATR

andalonva. Yarkaw             and  Iva  falon an  tolona,  tali cawl
face-in.   EMB-because.of-ADV then lady speak one word-ACC and  start

erdi  yenald.  Tali Et      copon parl    Ivara,   Iva  falon,
exist humanity and  witness again look.at lady-ACC lady say

"Et     nakte    Changcay," changcsurkaw            andalonvay
witness be.named Changcay   fierce-N-because.of-ADV face-in-ATR

Etye.       Tali kafa  Eccwa.
witness-ATR and  laugh witness

--
John Fisher   john@drummond.demon.co.uk   johnf@epcc.ed.ac.uk