[Tlhingan-hol] King John et al. in Klingon

[Steven Boozer]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lieven Litaer [mailto:qephom at gmx.de]
> Sent: Friday, May 13, 2016 1:39 AM
> 
> Hi Voragh,
> 
> I never heard of this. Could you tell me more of this King John thing?
> When did okrand translate that, and why? For what project? Where was it
> published?
> 
> Since I have never heard about that myself, I'd like to add that
> information to the klingon wiki.
> 

Okrand did a couple of bits of Shakespeare - both for weddings as I recall - and someone posted them on the tlhIngan Hol listserv.  Here's what I have in my notes (I'm not sure who provide the literal translations):

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[Qov wrote on 20 March 2012]:

I got a hold of Scott McCormick, the groom in the wedding ceremony that media outlets recently reported had a King John passage translated for them by Marc Okrand. Scott kindly sent me the text, but there's a wrinkle. When Marc sent Scott the file he noted: 

	"Scott --
	Here's what we came up with. (By "we," I mean a friend
	who's an expert Klingon speaker and I. He did one; I
	did the other.)" 

That's right, half of this is canon from the keyboard of Marc Okrand and half of it was done by someone else, presumably looked over by Marc and then sent on. Is it all canon, then? We have the paq'batlh problem again! Each has the English original, the Klingon translation and an English back-translation. 

The first one is simpler. From it I see {bID loD} clearly showing that "half a man" is done in that order and the adverb {neH} following one element of a relative clause. I like it and think it's very well done. 

The second one is a little more complex. It uses {-Qo'} where I might have used {-be'}, but in a way that is comfortable to me, like an emphatic, and the back-translation shows that's deliberate. It also uses a {ghobe'} where I would have used {Qo'}, i.e. it's answering no question. 

There is one new word, {ruS} - "bond" - but that could have been extracted from the compound {ruStay} by anyone. I'm guessing the second one (containing {ruS}) is Marc's because {DoD} is back translated as "coordinates." 

An 'expert Klingon speaker' wouldn't have chosen {DoD} to translate "point in space" or "coordinates" but someone looking up "mark" and finding DoD, then looking up DoD to verify the back translation could easily have done that. 

Qov

----
King John (Act II, scene ii [Hubert speaks]):

	He is the half part of a blessed man,
	Left to be finished by such as she;
	And she a fair divided excellence,
	Whose fullness of perfection lies in him.

	loD Do' ghaH loDvam'e' 'ach bID loD ghaH
	loD naQmoHlaH be'vam rurbogh be' neH
	'ej naQHa' be'vam povtaHghach quvqu'
	'ach be'vam pupqu'moHlaH loDvam neH

Literally:

	"This man is a lucky man, but he is a half man"
	 Only a woman who resembles this woman can cause the man to be complete"
	 And this woman's very honored excellence is not complete"
	 But only this man is able to make this woman very perfect"

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[I don't have any context for this next sonnet.  Does anyone know the curcumstances?}

Sonnet 116 (beginning):

	Let me not to the marriage of true minds
	admit impediments. Love is not love
	which alters when it alteration finds,
	or bends with the remover to remove:
	Oh, no! It is an ever-fixed mark.
	That looks on tempests and is never shaken.

	yab matlh muvchuqghach Sorgh vay' 'e' vIbotjaj.
	nge'wI' rurQo' bangna'; SIHlu'be'chu'.
	parmaq choH pagh teHqu', choH tu'DI' lajDaj.
	ghobe'! qarbejbogh DoDvam qontaH 'u'
	jevqu'taHvIS muD ral, bejlI' parmaq.
	Qombe'! nISbe' jevwI', 'ej not ruS baq.

Literally:

  "Let me prevent that anything sabotage the mutual joining of loyal minds.
   A real lover refuses to be like a remover; (s)he is completely unbent.
   Very true[ly] nothing changes love when its acceptance finds change.
   No! The universe records these coordinates which are definitely accurate.
   While the violent atmosphere storms, love still watches.
   It does not tremble! The storm does not disrupt it, and it never terminates
     the bond."

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Why is Klingon so popular at weddings?  There have been quite a number of requests for translations over the years.  Are these intended to impress their Klingon-speaking bride or groom?  Or maybe an important guest in the audience?  It might be interesting to collect them.


--
Voragh
tlhIngan ghantoH pIn'a'
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons