Dante translation project

[Padraic Brown <agricola@WAM.UMD.EDU>]

In message <v03007800b1144e6ee1e2@[164.67.21.157]>, Matt Pearson
<mpearson@UCLA.EDU> writes

> >After a long day of working on my dissertation, I decided to unwind with
> >a really brain-teasing translation exercise.  So I broke out Dante's
> >"Purgatorio", turned to my favourite passage (Canto 30, 40-54), and trotted
> >out a Tokana version.  It doesn't scan as well as the Italian original
> >(or the Allen Mandelbaum translation I worked from), but it does have a
> >certain stateliness, if I do say so myself.  And I only had to make up one
> >new word to do it.

The Kernu version with litteral back translation:

pronto ke cel  pother profund  la  mew wisio  daferi
soon   as that power  profound the my  vision to (her) struck
   (il pother ke, cant yo no  ai  ya  rhen la yowenckez essalu,
   the power that when I  not had yet not  the boyhood  left off
   ya      mi perfichot),
   already me transfixed

   yo me wors   dol    lath le     senestoer - tanke
   I  me turned to the side of the left        as
   ym planta becka, da      kei  ay       meth,
   a  child  small  to whom whom there is fear
   da     matre  wadhura -  wechu,
   to the mother will hurry vexed

   do Wergil dicher: "dom   ay       menus
   to Virgil to say   to me there is less
   ke   yen ystels le mew      sang  ke   ne  tremel   rhen:
   then one drop   of (the) my blood that not trembles not
   yo y   signes le     nyckni sen sabi."
   I  the signs  of the flame  old knew

   mays Wergils di si      demprewot,
   but  Virgil  of himself de- me -prived
   il  Wergils, il  patru  il dulsam, il  Wergils,
   the Virgil   the father sweetest   the Virgil
   do kei  yo pela    mew saluts    dedai-me;
   to whom I  for the my  salvation put me

   e thot ke   la  nustra matru  resena       perdu
   & all  that the our    mother most ancient lost
   ne  fu  asset   pel     restrenger  doy    buches  le mi,
   not was enough  for the to restrain to the cheecks of me
   museth', coy      lachrimes redefluent.
   bedewed  with the tears     again down flowing

And a pronounciation guide (as good as I can make it, anyway!), for Kernu
orthography and pronounciation dance a bit of a crippled jig with respect
to one another.

In general, the vowels are pronounced "continentally"; ie, -i is [i] like
Spanish, and not [-ay] like English.  ch is aspirated like Lallans loch.
g's in the following are all 'hard' like go, and not losenge.  h is the
sign of aspiration, so th is a dental, like t, but with a bit of spit, and
not smoothe like thorn.  Aspirates will be given in caps.

prOntoge sel poTEr profUn la mew wisyO dafEri
   il poTErge, kant yO nayyA ren la yOwenkEz essalU,
   yAmi perfiCOt,

   yO m@ wors doylAT l@ s@nEstowr - tAnk@
   imblAnta bEka, dakEy ay meT,
   damAtr@ waDUre - weCU,

   do wErdjil diCEr: " domay menUsge
   yen istEls le mEw sAng ke ne trEmel ren:
   yo i sIgn@ lennIkni sen sAbi. "

   mai swErdjils di sI de~prewOt,
   iy wErdjils, il pAtrowil dUls@m, iy wErdjils,
   do key yO pela mew salUts dedAIme;

   @TOt k@la nUstra mAtru resEna perdU
   ne fu assEt perrEstrengEr doy bUCesle mi,
   mUseT, collACrim@ redeflUent.

Well, that was harder than the translating!  I'm not entirely sure if all
the symbols make clear sense, for I don't really know the phonetic
alphabet all that well.  In any event, I hope it was of some interest.

Padraic.