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Re: Memberlang Pages
On Mon, 18 Jan 1999, John Fisher wrote:
Because of word order differences between the English original and the
translation I can't do an interlinear. What follows is the fragment of
the story in Kernu, in a higher register as the story might be told by a
Bard. All those indented lines would be sung or chanted -- they don't
necessarily continue the story line, but they add some texture to it.
il Defugečs.
Henny cella notte, eo sich com-loccev-mis: "dom-avura la cena ce
notte...?" mays ech alla! il om dalalla a la ndomme la nustra ys weneit:
da la vamečs le arte
da la naltečs le reečn
da il ncabeys le bodde
da la ndoga le Albečn.
e eo la ndogge le omečn al vogge pery secar-se eo poneus in gant ys
munnav-se. ys commy cestyn mbledenne ys comedu e ys cyn ncoupe dela winne
ys bevu:
da la llama la artece
da la fhruta la wenéa
da la sancuečs le savature;
e ys dormi. henny die matenečs le prossem, ys sich nois gavasot: "dil cel
ist logge aur defugit vus! aur en y h-acui:"
da la bana le Noaán
da y dies dawhwygaint
da la mparla le profette;
"y h-acui le logge sa da-h-enoundabont; e aur il tempes le yscapar
rapidment ys pas!" y nus cynck y mharcces nus ducuason; nus en las henny
vestalle le samotempe comprason-als; e nus le omečn nus secuevon; don avu
il pensar: "ystaba fatuú, o fuat profeta?" Que bendtuúes nois! da navu
rhen y dies dew passuús, e whenont y h-acui e sa la nustra ndomme e tot
lor magur ilalla sa rhummuont; ach y multh wecini ce que nus defugiements
ys derhessont:
da la parla infideéz
da seplucres lateé
ys miserablement merguont.
Broken down phrase by phrase:
il Defuges.
the Flight
Henny cella notte, On-the some-or-other night(acc),
eo sich com-loccev-mis: I thus with-myself-parley-me(impf):
"dom-avura la cena ce notte...?" "to me-there-be(fut) the supper(nom) this
night(acc)"
mays ech alla! but lo there!
il om dalalla the man(nom) from-somewhence
a la ndomme la nustra ys weneit:to the house(acc) ours(gen) he came(pret):
da la vames le arte to him the hungre bear's(gen)
da la naltes le regen to him the height king's(gen)
da il ncabeys le bodde to him the lock-of-hair raven's(gen)
da la ndoga le Alben. to him the kilt Albionish(gen) [or
northern].
e eo la ndogge le omen al vogge and I the kilt(acc) man's(gen) at-the
hearth(acc)
pery secar-se eo poneus for to-dry(infin)-itself I put(past)
in gant ys munnav-se. in while he bathe(impf)-himself.
ys commy cestyn mbledenne he like-a some-old wolf(acc)
ys comedu he ate(pret)
e ys cyn ncoupe dela winne and he this-or-other cup(acc) of wine(acc.
of material)
ys bevu: he drank(pret)
da la llama la artece to her (the cup) the hand the
craftsman(gen)
da la fhruta la wenea to her the fruit the vine(gen)
da la sancues le savature; to her the blood the saviour(gen)
e ys dormi. and he slept(pret).
henny die matenes le prossem, in-the day(acc) morning(acc)
next-one's(gen),
ys sich nois gavasot: he thus to-us(dat) warned(perf.):
"dil cel ist logge aur defugit "from-the this-here-very place(acc) now
flee-away(imper)
vus! aur en y h-acui: ye! now for the waters(nom)
da la bana le Noan do them (the waters) the bane Noah's(gen)
da y dies dawhwygaint to them the forty days
da la mparla le profette; to him (the man) the speech prophet's(gen)
y h-acui le logge the waters(nom) the place(acc)
sa da-h-enoundabont; they put-to-the-waves(fut);
e aur il tempes le yscapar and now the time(nom) to-escape's(gen)
rapidment ys pas!" rapidly he passes(pres)!"
y nus cynck the we five
y mharcces nus ducuason; the horses(acc.) we onto-horse(pret);
nus en las henny vestalle le samotempe comprason-als;
we for them during-the fair(acc) summer(gen)
bought(pret)-them(f.pl.);
e nus le omen nus secuevon; and we the man(acc) we follow(impf);
don avu il pensar: to us there was(pret) the to-think(infin):
"ystaba fatu, o fuat profeta?" "he was(impf, temporary condition)
tetched(past ppl.), or he was(perf,
permanent quality) prophet"
Que benditues nois! How blessed(past ppl., acc.pl.)
to-us(dat)!
da navu rhen y dies dew passus, to-us there was(pret) not the days(nom)
two passed(past ppl., nom.pl),
e whenont y h-acui and came(pret.f.) the waters [VS =
emphatic]
e sa la nustra ndomme e tot lor magur ilalla sa rhummuont;
and our house(acc) and all the(gen)
fields(gen)around they destroy(pret);
ach y multh wecini and the many neighbours(nom)
ce que nus defugiements the which(nom) us(acc)
fleeing(pres.mid.ppl., pl.)
ys derhessont: they derided(perf)
da la parla infidez to them speech infidelish/unfaithfull
da seplucres latez; to them graves muddy
ys miserablement merguont. they miserablyly(double adv.) drown(perf)
And a back translation:
On some night or other, I me parleyed thus: "Shall I have supper
tonight...?" but lo! this man from somewhence or other came to our house:
in him the hungre of the bear
in him the stature of the king
in him the locks of the raven
in him the northern dress.
And I put the kilts to the hearth, and he bathed. He ate like some old
wolf, and he drank a cup of wine:
in it the hand of craft
in it the fruit of the wine
in it the blood of the saviour;
and he slept. In the morning of the next day, he spake a warning to us:
"fly from this place! for the waters:"
in them the Bane of Noah
in them the forty days
in him the words of the prophet
"the waters shall put this place to the wave; and even now the time for
pleeing swiftly passes!" We five enhorsed us; for we had boughten horses
at the Summer Fair; and we follwed after the man; but there was this
thought in our minds: "is this man tetched, or is he a prophet?" How
fortunate for us! For not two days were passed, and the waters came; and
they destroyed our house and all the fields beyond. And many of our
neighbours that had laughed at us:
for them faithless speech
for them muddy graves;
they drowned most piteously.
Padraic.
> FLIGHT
> That evening, I was considering whether I would eat my supper when the
> man arrived at our house, hungry and exhausted. He was tall, with hair
> dyed blacker than a crow, after the custom of the North. While he was
> washing I had to dry his clothes for him in front of the fire. He ate
> voraciously and drank a cup of wine which made him sleep. The next
> morning he warned us to leave that place immediately, as the floods
> would soon overwhelm it, and it was almost too late to escape. All five
> of us mounted the horses we had bought at the last festival and followed
> him, but not without wondering fairly seriously whether he was in fact
> insane. How lucky we were! Not two days later, the waters destroyed
> our house and all the fields beyond it, and most of our neighbours, who
> had mocked us fleeing, were pitiably drowned.