Dragonborn

On a whim I translated the first stanza of Bethesda's Skyrim song, "Dragonborn".

Ba trakém, ba trakém,
bal ân ker wwian kaxmî
ân wwiab dé lena kafadic
Ta siadlenain kamiarcé
malëî ka galëni
lëé trakém, wwiab olëétiad!

The dragon-man, the dragon-man,
Truly he has promised to us
that he'll protect us from evil
he conquers the worse (foes)
with his winning voice
O dragonborn, help us!

`Méugan "ba"'

Nearly done translating a song I started two days ago (or so).  This one's from "The Prince of Egypt", a movie my sister and I loved as children.  I still need to add two stanzas or so to the bottom of this.

Seriously, the most difficult thing (for me) is matching the words to the syllable numbers that the song requires.  Sandic word order being as free as it is does a lot of the work for me, but sometimes I have to really, really struggle with a thing to make it "fit".

That part about the shepherd and the sheep, for example, took me about half a day to fit.  I kept wanting to follow the original wording of the song

"and to one lost sheep a shepherd boy
is greater than the richest king"

I'll find the original way I worded it and add it here later.  For now, though, translation!

EDIT: added the missing stanzas.

Song here.
Lyrics here.

Méugan "ba"

Ialth tiami ba da tiaktai
jjiave ralëe wenai
frn kia baahl baneot sa
faé mée kriani ba da...

A piece of string in a weaving
despite its bright color
does not know what it is
in relation to the whole appearance of the thing (the weaving)

ta pelan pal toâ ta markan
ta jjujjan bal odéva
ân siaderinin oahl faé
ta pal uvén ta jjujjan?

the stones at the top of the faces
of the mountains- do they believe
that they are more important than
the stones at the bottom of the mountains?

wwhé baahl ân pésa ra
frn kia jjew pé baahl?
gator jjew pé biab pétesa,
balra pétjere ân...
raug jjewab pé méugan "ba"

How do you really know
what your life is?
You will never know this via your own life-
you must 
look at your life with the eyes of "ba"

réjil albai pa hijja baahl
neot faé lé kaevo
raugém erini kaahl faé mî
bren uxtofei

A sea of gold in the desert
is nothing compared to any water at all
a shepherd is important in the opinion
of a lost sheep

fî ân ivi kaket kémania
bal siad neot kaahl?
ú balnia ân ejj jewab
ka biab katema?

If a man loses everything
is he then nothing?
Or may he yet make
himself a life?

bal pésa fî ân erini kémâ kaahl
skra lëlét ú paelact?
skra lëlét frn dinú ú ma ân ora?
biab katesa
biab katesa ba kamai ân
raug jjewab ka méugan "ba"!

Do you know if a person is important
because of posessions or strength?
because of the money they have or their tendency to be generous?
he will know
he will know who
looks at his life with the eyes of "ba"


ynné awwtora ivi biab awwlëlét
jjiave ân erin baneot ahl
fî ân neotab pélëlét
noaglëti ba baahl ra


Behold, we give everything we have
though it is not much
if you have nothing
it is still enough


balra ân ototoka talëlan
mér fac ba jjew lëé
gator ba katokai pétesa
a jjewab opéma!


Truly, changes must happen
in the span of your life
you will never know what is to happen
and yet still you must make a life!


bal pésa ân erini kémâ kaahl
skra alé ú skra ma?
gator pétesa méugan pé,
pétjere ân...
"
raug jjewab méugan "ba"!


Can you tell if a man is important
because of what he buys or makes?
you will never know this via your own life
you must...
look at your life via the eyes of "ba"!

Ba kajkaj

I've decided after listening to this song that "kajkaj" is going to be the word for "boogey man" in my conlang. The name is too perfect.  "kashkash" sounds a lot like "kaja" ("kasha", to thank), and a large part of my personal culture is reinforcing thankfulness in my life.  The name is a reminder to be thankful as well as an onomatopoeia for teeth gnashing/biting/etc.


And to honor the creator/originator of this word (and also because it's so dang catchy), I translated the song.

---

Karaugi dru ba hel
akéb kamai
ba kajkaj pian baraug
piab bafadic

hel kabrelëi
dan ujinin
parobin pé kamerin
otian bama ân obrelë

amab pé opébra
pa mitannian
ba kajkaj badam
ivin ta lenain

hel kazefai
dan ujinin
ân ta paron ototoka
ba kajkaj bataen

gator opémahae
frn da lenai
ba kajkaj badam
ivin ta lenain

---

Looking through the fire
making a storm
kaj kaj is watching you
it protects you

fire shining
imaginary things
reading your dreams
the kajkaj makes them shine

listen to your mother
in any village/town
kajkaj eats
all the bad people

fire growing
imaginary things
that your dreams may happen
the kajkaj is laughing

never make a wish
for anything bad
the kajkaj eats
all the bad people

Ân jalon

Ân jalon

--

Olëéma jtenin méugabin lëé. 

..

 Olëéské.

Ara batara. Jjew batoka.

Foniab lëé bian olëézeb, tauian, tauiannia.

Olëétrékâ.

Méugabin olëéma mantin. Ivi olëéraug- ta jjewún kajjewain, ské biab kazebin, mlî kataeni, malël katokai.

Opétaen.

Daniab olëérec. Kia baahl? Ara ba erini baneot ahl, a pa imprîâ lëé batoka. Frn ba olëémac. Dé ba ébian olëéféd.

Olëébra. Neot batoka, a baahlra ân ivi batoka. Bal kémania kajilër? Bal kataen? Bal neokéma pal lëé kaahl? Olëébra.

Pal meadnia olëékep. Ivi olëéraug. Opétara.

---

To jalon

--

Close your eyes.

...

Breathe.

Existing exists.  Life is happening.

Move one of your feet forward, forward.

Walk.

Make your eyes open.  See everything- the creatures living, the air moving itself, the sun smiling, death happening.

Smile.

Touch something.  What is it?  Its existence is not important, but it is occurring in your world.  Enjoy it.  Move yourself away.

Listen.  Nothing is happening, but truly everything is happening.  Is someone crying?  Is someone laughing?  Is no one near you?  Listen.

Sit down somewhere.  See everything.  Be.

-----

[16:38:12] <bornfor> What should I translate next?

[16:38:18] <bornfor> Or do next?  Or something.

[16:38:21] <bornfor> I want to do something.

[16:38:24] <bornfor> But don't know what.

[16:38:24] <Ranahe> what do you mean?

[16:38:29] <bornfor> And you're the creative sort.

[16:38:30] <Ranahe> are there options?

[16:38:47] <bornfor> Sure?  Suggest anything.

[16:38:51] <Ranahe> >.<

[16:39:01] <Ranahe> are there options that you can provide?

[16:40:50] <bornfor> >.<

[16:40:55] <bornfor> That's the thing.

[16:40:57] <bornfor> I don't know.

[16:41:41] <srjskam> do you want to specifically translate something (to your conlang, I assume) or create something

[16:41:53] <vragnaroda> Yes.

[16:42:10] <bornfor> Yes.

[16:42:12] <bornfor> :(

[16:42:15] <srjskam> :|

[16:42:42] <srjskam> do something ordinary, like a shopping list, usage instructions of some machine etc

[16:43:09] <srjskam> but not just a translation of an existing thing, but something that oozes the culture of the language

[16:43:28] <bornfor> Okay.

[16:43:48] <srjskam> bonus points if you don't just create the text, but the document itself

[16:44:34] <bornfor> Thank you.

[16:44:37] <bornfor> \o/

[16:45:08] <srjskam> (sharing the results is mandatory) sleep ->

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights...

Don't know why I've never translated this before.  >.>

Look closely.  There's a lot of "ara" going on in these sentences.  "Ara" is the absolute form of "to be", and is hardly ever used because it is so very certain.


Ivin kéman uxmecin oara neoulëlétin wî oara usein kúla bera mé faé pianan bera.  Otian uxorain otara xsin wî sa, wî dé tré dé jut otomato troukâko.


Every people born they-are unhad and they-are loved socially equally and to(wards)/regarding laws equally.  To-them given they-are thought and knowledge, and from one from another they-should-truly-act as-a-family.

"Change is the end result of all learning." -Leo Buscaglia

"Talël frn masannia rai ma baahl."
Change of any-learning true/real creation it-is
"Change is the result/creation of any real learning."

Miscellaneous little things

I've been doing little things here and there for a while. Figured I'd round a few of them up.

Also, in new news: I've made another edition of the dictionary for the one-year anniversary of the old one (because I needed more space and wanted to ink the newer words into place to make it easier to search in).

Added a little anthology of translated works, too, just for kicks. I can't wait to hold a copy of it in my hands. :)




Miscellany:

"A Song of Ice and Fire"
"Kant ba hac wî hel"

"Lëé Flora ba gamiai"
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fDvWAn9uAk