[Tlhingan-hol] mIl'oD veDDIr SuvwI': 20. jeghbe' tlhInganpu'

[Rohan Fenwick]

jIjatlhpu' jIH:
> bIQtIq HeH SIchpu'DI' 'avtanDIl, tlhe''egh

mujang De'vID, jatlh:
> Do you really mean he turned himself, or would {He choH} be more
> appropriate here?

Admittedly the Georgian is quite obscure on this, as /še-kceva/ can mean either "turn around (on the spot)" or "turn around (on a course back to one's origin)" and the further verbal voice marker in /e-/ doesn't seem to help, but since the idea of 'avtanDIl's returning to his camp is carried by {ngech'a'vo' lulIghDajDaq toSqa'}, I thought it kind of redundant to use a verb meaning "return" here: "he returned and climbed back out of the valley to his shelter". I'll definitely consider alternatives, though.

jIH:
> 'ej ngech'a'vo' lulIghDajDaq[1] toSqa'. qaSbe'pu'bogh poHDaj, qaSbe'pu'bogh jajmeyDaj togh;

De'vID:
> Is this apposition? I'm confused by the relationship between the two
> things listed.

Yes, it is apposition of a sort (which is why I used the comma, to try to avoid a genitive interpretation). The Georgian here is the same: /drota, dγeta angarišobs/ "he counted the time, the day[s]".

taH:
> I also don't understand what those things are, as they
> seem to be things that didn't happen.
> Bear in mind that I've only started reading from the last section and
> am probably missing some context. 

qay'be'. toH, SoHvaD Dajchugh lut'e' 'ej Hoch DalaDchoH DaneHchugh, bI'reS 'ay'mey qalabqangqu'.

taH:
> Ah, okay, I think I got it after reading the next sentence. He's
> counting his remaining time to some deadline.

Yep, that's precisely it.

taH:
> I'm not sure {qaSbe'pu'bogh poH} is the best way to put this. Maybe
> {wej qaSpu'bogh poH}? Counting something which hasn't happened
> yet (and hence is non-existent) strikes me as weird, at least on first
> reading. I'll have to think about it.

{wej qaSpu'bogh poH} is a great alternative. tlho'!

taH:
> Maybe just {ratlhbogh poH} would be sufficient? I'm not entirely sure
> {ratlh} can be used for time, though. (I think the only canon use of
> {ratlh} is in the Klingon CD, where it's used to describe someone
> physically remaining in place?)

We do also have {ratlh} in a more abstract sense from paq'batlh: {jIHvaD ratlh pagh} "there is nothing left for me" (paq'yav 10.9).

jIH:
> ghaHvaD ratlh cha' jar neH 'e' tu'. tu'mo' moghchoH; belbe'qu'bej.
> «ghuy'cha'! vay' 'angchoHlu'jaj!» jatlh. ratlhbogh poH ngajmo',

De'vID: 
> {ngajmo' ratlhbogh poH}? {ratlhmo' ngajbogh poH}? I feel like it's
> more natural Klingon to stick {-mo'} on a verb, rather than a noun (or
> an adjective-verb attached to a noun).

That's a good point well made. tlho'.

taH:
> How about just {ngajmo' poH}? {ratlhbogh} seems redundant,

I guess I'm just keen to ensure that the distinction between the time that's already passed on the one hand, and the time yet to pass on the other, remain clearly distinct.

jIH:
> loQ yoHbe'choH tIqDaj. HoQwI'vaD quvwI' mojmoHlaH pagh;
> bogh'eghqa'moHlaH pagh.

De'vID:
> Is this supposed to say "no one can cause himself/herself to be born again"?

Yep, that's exactly right.

taH:
> I have no background on the religious beliefs of the characters, so is
> this a reference to re-incarnation?

The major religious underpinning is Georgian Orthodox Christianity, but there's reference to a pile of others (Islam, pagan Arabian, Zoroastrianism, Greek polytheism). But I think this one is just a metaphor signifying that some things are out of human power: in this instance, in reference to 'avtanDIl's wish that something be revealed to him. Sort of a more formal rendition of "if wishes were fishes we'd all cast nets".

jIH:
> pay' QubchoH 'avtanDIl; qelmeH QamchoH je ghaH. jatlh'egh: «vaj
> jIcheghchugh, qatlh HatlhDaq jInejlI'qu' jIH? julwI'vaD[2] nuq vIjatlhlaH?
> Qu'wIjvaD nuq vIchavtaH? SuvwI'vetlh nov bopbogh pagh joS'e' vIQoypu'!

De'vID:
> I think I know what you meant by the last sentence, but consider:
> - {SuvwI'vetlh nov bopbogh joS'e' vIQoypu'be'}
> - {wej SuvwI'vetlh nov bopbogh joS'e' vIQoypu'}
> - {not SuvwI'vetlh nov bopbogh joS'e' vIQoypu'}

yajchu'. The first is better, I think: {SuvwI'vetlh nov bopbogh joS'e' vIQoypu'be'qu'} "I haven't heard gossip about that strange warrior at all" (just adding a {-qu'} for emphasis).

qeSlIjmo' qatlho'! lut DatIv je 'e' vItul.

QeS 'utlh
 		 	   		  
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