Re: translation exercise

In message <000201be7c67$00fcdd40$1f77d4d4@myth>, Fabian
<rhialto@...> writes
>Father, what are those lights?
>
>That is the city of the Goyanim. They are a strange people. They light their
>cities at night, as if the stars weren't sufficient for their needs. They
>fight and kill eachother, not realising the greater danger beyond their
>small world. And they do not hunt eachother with bows and arrows. No, they
>have strange devices that kill from far away without arrows. And take care
>near their strange iron horses they use to travel. They travel faster than
>any natural beast ought to, and ignore the strength of the bow and arrow.
>Best if you avoid their cities, my son.
>
>Father, whats a city?
Ha pani, ish-shilsu lyur?

Oan combad Goyanaye.  Aha washt.  Laymua cos shil ahaye combada rentwa
i, srinayas do lema ahaye shildasuvaw.  Afat escath tal chark yu, do
amari sofora tanassuma amy' ormasucray ahaye.  Tali do afat tsaris coy
tal coytalhipsaw.  Do, washty' arnacelva, cwac do-coytalhipsaw chark
urfow.  Tali 'nel menec ahaye washtye loedye bratheldaw, cwacipsaw aha
evarn.  Aha evarn sof raktwa yuvaw, shey aralie alan nasel oc, tali
ovonda coyasye varadsuma.  Loy yonel atyawn ahaye combada, ha loyandi.

Ha pani, "combad" ro tolon venia lyura?


...And here are the dread interlinear hoojums:

Ha  pani,  ish-shilsu  lyur?
Oh! father the-shine-N what-thing?

Oan     combad Goyanaye.        Aha    washt.     Laymua    cos  shil
That.is city   Goyan-people-ATR people be.strange night-ADV make shine

ahaye      combada  rentwa      i,  srinayas  do  lema      ahaye
people-ATR city-ACC be.like-ATR EMB star-mass not be.enough people-ATR

shildasuvaw.     Afat       escath tal chark yu,     do  amari
need-N-be.of-ADV each.other fight  and slay  EMB-ADV not be.aware.of

sofora  tanassuma      amy'          ormasucray           ahaye.
more.of be.dangerous-N be.little-ATR around.N-outside+ATR people-ATR

Tali do  afat       tsaris coy tal coytalhipsaw.  Do, washty'
And  not each.other hunt   bow-and-arrow-use-ADV  no  be.strange-ATR

arnacelva,   cwac        do-coytalhipsaw   chark urfow.       Tali
machine-have REL-machine not-arrow-use-ADV slay  far+FROM+ADV and

'nel       menec      ahaye      washtye        loedye   bratheldaw,
IMPERATIVE be.careful people-ATR be.strange-ATR iron-ATR horse-near-ADV

cwacipsaw   aha    evarn.  Aha    evarn  sof  raktwa      yuvaw,
REL-use-ADV people travel  people travel more be.fast-ADV EMB-be.of-ADV

shey aralie         alan   nasel oc,     tali ovonda coyasye
any  be.natural-ATR animal ought do.that and  ignore bow-mass-ATR

varadsuma.      Loy yonel atyawn ahaye      combada, ha  loyandi.
be.strong-N-ACC boy ought avoid  people-ATR city     oh! son

Ha  pani,  "combad" ro         tolon venia lyura?
oh! father "city"   APPOSITION word  mean  what-thing-ACC


Some notes:

** For "they", the EA version uses "aha" throughout.  This means a
   people or a nation.
** The relative "cwac" means "which machine".  There are relatives for
   all of EA's short nouns, so you could have "cwen"="which person",
   "cwaha"="which people", etc. In "cwacipsaw aha evarn" the relative is
   governing postpositioned verb, so that it means "using which machines
   the people travel"
** The postpositioned verb -uva translates a number of things, two of
   which are here: enough FOR something, and, more x THAN something
** "World" here doesn't seem to mean the planet, so I have used "ormasu"
   ="situation, circumstances"
** The two questions come out differently: What is that light? and What
   does "city" mean?
** "Bow and arrow" I translated as "coy tal coytalh" the first time, but
   the second time it seems to be speaking of the power of archery in
   general, so I have used "coyas"="bows in general, collectively"
--
John Fisher   john@drummond.demon.co.uk   johnf@epcc.ed.ac.uk
Elet Anta website: http://www.drummond.demon.co.uk/anta/
Drummond ro cleshfan merec; fanye litoc, inye litoc