[Tlhingan-hol] Between us curses run like water

[qurgh lungqIj]

On Tue, Mar 8, 2016 at 1:14 PM, Steven Boozer <sboozer at uchicago.edu> wrote:

> qunnoq:
> > Could someone please tell me, what this proverb actually means ? I think
> > it belongs in the holiday proverbs, however I can't understand its
> > meaning.
>
> It's one of the traditional toasts for Empire Union Day.  The five listed
> in "Power Klingon"  are:
>
> Between us, curses run like water.
> matay'DI' vIHtaHbogh bIQ rur mu'qaDmey.
>
> May the Klingon Empire continue forever!
> reH tlhIngan wo' taHjaj!
>
> May the spirit of Kahless live within you!
> SoHDaq qeylIS qa' yInjaj.
>
> May you encounter Kahless in your dreams!
> bInajtaHvIS qeylIS Daghomjaj.
>
> Death before shame.
> bItuHpa' bIHeghjaj.
>
> > Does this mean that the curses we said to each other have been undone,
> and
> > we are now friends, or that because we are friends we constantly curse
> > each other ? Or does it mean something else ?[
>
> I don't think the meaning was explained in the recording.  Possibly it is
> one of Kahless the Unforgettable sayings. (Does anyone remember?)
>
>
It doesn't say. That section, from Power Klingon, follows (via Klingonska's
transcription):

MD: Proverbs are not the only socially useful sayings. There are also
special
phrases, traditionally used on holidays. We will focus on two of the best
known holidays. One, which comes every tenth Klingon month, is {QI'lop}.
{QI'lop} celebrates the superiority of the Klingon military. Like most
Klingon holidays {QI'lop} is celebrated with much eating and drinking,
but it is also marked by a very peculiar custom. A guest brings a large
dish of stuffed {to'baj} legs to a host's house and in return is allowed to
take any non-sacred item in the house. The actual origin of this custom is
obscure. Here are a few of the holiday phrases:

HM: <Accept these stuffed {to'baj} legs.>
MO: {to'baj 'uS lughoDlu'bogh tIlaj.}
   {to'baj 'uS lughoDlu'bogh tIlaj.}
   {...}

HM: <I will take *that* to my home.>
MO: {juHwIjDaq Dochvetlh vItlhap.}
   {juHwIjDaq Dochvetlh vItlhap.}
   {...}

HM: <You have some stuffed {to'baj} leg in your teeth.>
MO: {Ho'Du'lIjDaq to'baj 'uSHom lughoDlu'bogh tu'lu'.}
   {Ho'Du'lIjDaq to'baj 'uSHom lughoDlu'bogh tu'lu'.}
   {...}

HM: <Eat everything or you will die without honor.>
MO: {Hoch DaSopbe'chugh, batlh bIHeghbe'.}
   {Hoch DaSopbe'chugh, batlh bIHeghbe'.}
   {...}

MO: Of course, that last expression is not meant literally. It's roughly
like
saying: "Eat! Eat!" Here are some others:

HM: <I will remember this dinner forever.>
MO: {reH 'uQvam vIqawtaH.}
   {reH 'uQvam vIqawtaH.}
   {...}

HM: <Between us, curses run like water.>
MO: {matay'DI', vIHtaHbogh bIQ rur mu'qaDmey.}
   {matay'DI', vIHtaHbogh bIQ rur mu'qaDmey.}
   {...}

MD: Practice these expressions, and during the next {QI'lop} holiday, use
them. You might also want to practice eating some stuffed {to'baj} legs.

qurgh
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.kli.org/pipermail/tlhingan-hol/attachments/20160308/4a628f37/attachment-0001.html>