Circumcision (bit o' length here)

I, the Kou, wrote:

>A Körülmetélés
>
>    Az ötezer-hétszáztizenhatodik esztendo" Tevet havának végén Singer
>Robi gondterhelten igyekezett hazafelé a Sztálin hídon, a
>harminchármas villamoson szorongó tömegben. A Sábesz már véget ért,
>ahogy az árvaházban szokták mondani, kiment, s így o" lelkifurdalás
>nélkül ülhetett villamosra. Mégis jobb szerette volna, ha történesen
>tavasz van, Íjár vagy legalább Niszán hónapja, mert akkor öt óra tájt
>világos, azaz még Sábesz lévén, mindenképpen gyalog kelt volna át a
>Sztálin hídon, s gyalog ment volna tovább a Váci úton, egészen a Marx
>térig.
>    Tavasz közeledten Balla nevelo" úr lelkére kötötte növendékeiknek,
>pontosabban a félárváknak és azoknak az egészárváknak, akiket
>nagyszülo" várt otthon, hogy tartsák tiszteletben a szombatot. Nem
>mintha olyan nagy bu"n volna az, ha valaki tizenkét éves korában
>tilos ido"ben villamosra száll, csakhogy a kis bu"nökbo"l lesznek a
>nagy bu"nök, a bocsánatosakból a megbocsáthatatlanok. "A Sábeszt
>zsidó embernek még egy lakatlan szigeten is tisztelnie kell",
>mondogatta. Igen, szo"tte tovább ezt a gondolatát, ha Robinson
>történesen unsereiner lett volna, akkor pénteken holdkeltéto"l talán
>még a melléje szego"döt derék vadembert is Szombatnak szólította, és
>okvetlenül sábeszgójként alkamazta volna, tekintettel arra, hogy az
>ember sehol sincs teljesen egyedül, azaz jótékony isteni felügyelet
>nélkül.
I haven't seen Ferenc's name around recently and I don't know if
there are any other Hungarian speakers to keep me in check. Which
means, gentle readers, that you'll have to cope with my loosey-goosey
English translation. Here's what I came up with:

    In the year 5716 ([Kou note] roughly from the 4th quarter of 1955
to the 3rd quarter of 1956) at the end of the snows of Tevet ([Kou
note] 5th month of the Jewish calendar, I think), Robi Singer was
anxiously hurrying home on the Stalin bridge, in a packed crowd on
the #33 streetcar. The Sabbath had already reached its end, as they
used to say in the ophanage, "went away", and he was able to get on
the streetcar without a pang of guilt/conscience. He would have
preferred it, if it happened to be spring, the month of Íjár or at
least Niszán ([Kou note] 8th and 9th months respectively; don't know
but assume they're spelled a little differently in English), because
then it's light at around five o'clock, that is to say it's still the
Sabbath, and he would have by all means crossed the Stalin bridge on
foot and have gone further on foot on Vaci Street, even as far as
Marx Square.
    At the arrival of spring, the teacher, Mr. Balla, impressed on his
students, more precisely the half-orphans and those whole-orphans for
whom a grandparent was waiting at home, to hold Saturday in respect.
It's not that it would have been such a big sin if someone at the age
of twelve had taken a streetcar during the prohibited time, but from
small sins came big sins, and from the forgiveable the unforgiveable.
"Jewish people have to respect the Sabbath even on a deserted
island," he used to say over and over. Indeed, he took the thought
further, if Robinson had happened to be an "unsereiner" ([Kou note]
"a one of ours-er" [ie: Jewish]), then perhaps at sundown (moonrise?)
on Friday he would have even called the noble savage who tagged along
with him "Saturday" and would surely have used him as a "Sabbath goy"
([Kou note] ie: a non-Jew who will do work for Jews on the Sabbath;
is this the correct term in English/Yiddish?), as man is not
completely alone anywhere, that is to say, without God's beneficent
overseeing/care/supervision.

>The Géarthnuns translation:
>
>Chöi Aithechafats
>
>    Che sömöthsev palavpér zhöshekashad mnörhalfíthev che vangkathsev
>cha knönsas Tevetsöis, Singer Robibauths lé cha Stalinhagensav che
>içtöthsen toumnö toufíthen sü tsönöksüb sthírhözalöküb bö chö béöbsöv
>öthalala-u semeferhakekh. Cha líns löi che vangkathsev stévü thlefez,
>arsfen seth lév chö gbaulíbéöbsöv ba ngamath tsobal, dínakadiz, kfö
>hengeveçö seth lé, arzhö vau kföshemsaut fö sírakhsön venala-u, che
>içtöthset lomashöth. Seth lé öblé helkeveçö vürhí hehasheth, aim seth
>lé hauthnövesteben, che fastöthsev Ííarsaub thfau hetaum pézçada
>Nisansab thfau, vaçte helkeftö seth la cha thrönsav palavfínav ilkeu
>dínamöl, arthfaié cha líns la sfa-u nöi. Jröçai seth lé cha
>Stalinhagensat chaul sförsaug vürhí hesföngez, kfö lé chaul sförsaug
>chau Vatsígersauv klepa-u íe, chí Marksfteríölsíb rho, vürhí hekadiz.
>    Chau stefalörsauv Bala abs, öinörs chau, lé chek frömarethsel,
>zhrüköi chauk ömgbaulsíl zhö chauk gbaulsíl ersfanelíl helkelíl,
>chílích sau gazhbéörs lé chö béöbsöv ösef sho, gü rheth lé dalroksüt
>hüdhvigön sho, aptavön. Ve helkegs la, gü chü helkeks la sü
>zhagölengeks zharíök vdanak vürhí henöi, aim shahöcheths che
>sömöthsev mnö pungefíthev la che içtöthset se jdaiöthsev seuglöthev
>haurhöisaf sho, jnéal, arkfö chük zhagölengeksüd küvaküd íau chük
>zhagölengeksüp zharíöküp lü, chük ngílönkalokhalöksüd íau chük
>tushngílönkalokhalöksüp lü zçenöi. "Vauk íalömsaup íehudamaup la va
>lípsat fö ngefakhsöv fsaineçökhöv tsétekhöv ba dhvigön ten." söb lé
>baudangé ngamath. Erhí, seth lé che tlethset hengethet znölön; Kruso
>Raubinsöns lé sau "unserainers" haunöi sho, chí rhíanapwalsív
>dalinsas san lé chau íalörsaut zçíöveraut höi sanat bözçélathélöraut
>"Dalroksüb" sfen petü vürhí hedaz, kfö sauraut se línagoibauthseb
>sfen zverü vürhí hehin.
chöi  the [3rd declension, affirmative, singular]
aithechafats  circumcision [3rd decl., aff., nominative, sing.]
che the  [7th declension, affirmative, singular]
sömöthsev year [7th decl., aff., locative, sing.]
palavpér 5000
zhöshekashad  700
mnörhalfíthev  16th [7th decl., aff., loc., sing.]
vangkathsev end [7th decl., aff., loc., sing.]
cha  the [4th decl., aff., sing.]
knönsas  snow [4th decl., aff., genitive, sing.]
Tevetsöis Tevet [3rd decl., aff., gen., sing.]
Singer Robibauths  Robi Singer  [7th decl., aff., nom., sing.]
("-bauths" is a suffix for people with names of foreign origin that
don't fit into the Géarthnuns declension system)
lé  past tense
hagensav bridge [4th decl., aff., loc., sing.]
içtöthsen  streetcar, tram [7th decl., aff., instrumental, sing.]
toumnö  30
toufíthen  3rd  [7th decl., aff., instrumental, sing.]
sü a, an [5th decl., aff., sing.]
tsönöksüb  crowd [5th decl., aff., postpositional, sing.]
sthírhözalöküb  pressing [5th decl., aff., postpositional, sing.]
bö  in
chö  the [1st decl., aff., sing.]
béöbsöv  house [1st decl., aff., loc., sing.] (locative has locative,
allative, and ablative functions when context is clear)
öthalala-u  worryingly
semeferhakekh  rush back
líns Sabbath [4th decl., aff., nom., sing.] (yes, I already had this word)
löi  pluperfect tense
stévü  already
thlefez  reach, arrive
arsfen  as
seth  he/she/it [7th decl., aff., nom., sing.]
lév  past tense [impersonal voice] (with "seth", translates like
French "on" or German "man")
gbaulíbéöbsöv  orphanage  [1st decl., aff., loc., sing.]
ba  verbal linker (like "to", "zu", "te", "att", etc.)
ngamath  say
tsobal  be accustomed to/used to
dínakadiz  go out
kfö and (links verbs or clauses)
hengeveçö  thus, in this way
seth  he/she/it [7th decl., aff., nom., sing.] (refers back to "Robibauths")
arzhö  but  (links nouns, adjectives, postpositional phrases, etc.)
(since we're changing polarity mid-clause (ie: from affirmative to
negative), this is required here in Géarthnuns)
vau the [2nd decl., neg., sing.]
kföshemsaut conscience [2nd decl., neg., accusative, sing.]
fö  a, an [1st decl., neg., sing.]
sírakhsön  moment  [1st decl., neg., instr., sing.] (partitive
constructions are formed with the instrumental case; here, a moment
of conscience/a pang of guilt)
venala-u  having
içtöthsen  streetcar, tram [7th decl., aff., acc., sing.]
lomashöth  get on
öblé  but, however (must immediately follow the auxiliary)
helkeveçö  thus, in that way
vürhí  (adverb marking a contrary-to-fact statement; with the
conclusive mood, it's like "would" or "would have", depending on
tense)
hehasheth  prefer [concl. mood]
aim  if
hauthnövesteben  happen to be spring [speculative mood] (thnöve- is a
prefix meaning "by happenstance")
fastöthsev  month  [7th decl., aff., loc., sing.]
Ííarsaub  Ijar/Iyar? [2nd decl., aff., post., sing.] (double letters
are not normally allowed but two íí's were needed here to get the
/ijar/ sound)
thfau  namely, that is (a postposition in Géarthnuns; you can
translate it as "of" in constructions like "the month of May")
hetaum or
pézçada  at least
Nisansab  Nisan/Nissan? [4th decl., aff., post., sing.]
vaçte because
helkeftö  then, at that time
thrönsav  hour  [4th decl., aff., loc., sing.]
palavfínav  fifth  [4th decl., aff., loc., sing.]
ilkeu  about, approximately, around (adverb used with numerical adjs.)
dínamöl  be light (weather expressions take "seth" as their dummy
subject with the auxiliary in the active voice)
arthfaié  that is to say
sfa-u  still
nöi  be
jröçai  by all means
hagensat bridge [4th decl., aff., acc., sing.]
chaul  the [2nd decl., aff., dual]
sförsaug  shoes [2nd decl., aff., instr., dual] ("chaul sförsaug"; "on foot")
hesföngez  cross  [concl. mood]
gersauv  street  [2nd decl., aff., loc., sing.]
klepla-u  far
íe  more
chí the [6th decl., aff., sing.]
fteríölsíb  public square [6th decl., aff., post., sing.]
rho  as far as, up to
hekadiz  go [concl. mood]

Well, that's the first paragraph at least.  Real life is rapping,
rapping at my chamber door.

Bis morgen y'all

Kou

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