[conlang_learners] The three deaths

[Padraic Brown]

Oo, I do like translation games!

--- On Tue, 6/16/09, Eugene Oh <un.doing at gmail.com> wrote:

> In Classical Arithide:
> Ossirō hevē senēn. Irīgou nykos
> alidaksenān. Verēgou neis semonera
> hemēdainān. Hevēgou min, domonus dēlānum, ismīga
> lor illos helaidainān.

To be honest, it sounds much better in Arithide than it does in English!

> "There are three deaths. The first is when the body
> ceases to function. The
> 
> second is when the body is consigned to the grave. The
> third is that moment,
> 
> sometime in the future, when your name is spoken for the
> last time."

In Kerno, of a slightly elevated register:

Zaliont en trino y Vorantès:
'n uno couándo dormies la teva corpos
'm bino couándo doan-ponionteor ils ram li Meir
'n trino couándo n' ara-recanteor pepil le teu nom.

Literally, they go by threes, Lady Death:
the one when dies your body
the other when are set the oars to the West
the third when never anew is sung a peep thy name.

Works nicely especially since the text reads so much like an ancient triad. But of course, one could add the inevitable Kemrese rejoinder:

Et n' renothiont pass en trino ils ces varrèn:
ce refamós
ce servillins
ce xristians

And pay no heed in threes these men:
the very famous
the slave
the Christian.

Obviously, the famous man's name will be spoken for ever; the slave has no hope for that; and the Christian knows Death herself is a powerless illusion.

Padraic