Conlangs of a Remembrancer

The Speech of Other Worlds

Archive for the category “Shshi Texts”

Di’fa’kro’mi’s Words Quoted at the Beginning of “The Storm-Wing”

“The truth is that there is a creation, howsoever it comes here, and we small created ones can speak to one another and care for one another and share joy and grief, whether we be Shshi or Star-Beings.  There are some who are allowed to see more deeply than others, and their Seeings always take the shape of metaphors … ”
— Di’fa’kro’mi the Remembrancer, spoken originally in “The War of the Stolen Mother,” Chapter 9

veith’zi| ⇆ she| ↻ tu| fai’she| fiv’zei| i| da’gei|> on’zi| fai’ei’krovo| fro| i’jo| u| vi| shsho ↻ shsho’zei| da’za| u| da’fiv|  shsho’paho|⇅gano| ya| sho’u’shwo’zei| u| ⇅ namo| ↻ sho’u’shwo’zei| u| ⇅ zavo| ↻ din’zi| u| wei’dit’zi| jei| ei’shsho| ↻ shshi’zei| u’u| shprai’mo’zei| ||    ya| a’ut’zei|  fa’she| ↳ da’theif|⇅teio| sai’dru’il| oda| shwo’zei| ⇆ shfa’teio| u| ul| ki’shfa| shtei’zi| ⇆ shfa’vaino| ↻ sod’zi| ki| shfit’vei’zi| ||

Broken down:
veith’zi| ⇆ she| ↻
Truth is

tu| fai’she| fiv’zei|
that [there] is creation

i| da’gei|> on’zi| fai’ei’krovo| fro| i’jo|
howsoever it comes here [i.e. in whatever way it comes here.  fai’ei’krovo| is subjunctive]

u| vi| shsho ↻ shsho’zei| da’za| u| da’fiv| shsho’paho|⇅gano|
and we small created ones can speak
[A tough construction; literally: “and who are beings small and created we are able to speak.”  A closer English translation would be “and we who are small created beings can speak.”

ya| sho’u’shwo’zei| u| ⇅ namo| ↻ sho’u’shwo’zei|
to one another and care for one another [sho’u’shwo’zei| means literally “self and others.]

u| ⇅ zavo| ↻ din’zi| u| wei’dit’zi|
and share joy and grief

jei| ei’shsho| ↻ shshi’zei| u’u| shprai’mo’zei| ||
whether we be Shshi or Sky-Beings. [Again, ei’shsho| is subjunctive]

ya| a’ut’zei|  fa’she| ↳ da’theif|
There are some who are allowed [i.e. To some it is allowed

⇅teio| sai’dru’il| oda| shwo’zei| ⇆ shfa’teio|
to see more deeply than others [see]

u| ul| ki’shfa| shtei’zi| ⇆
and always their Seeings

shfa’vaino| ↻ sod’zi| ki| shfit’vei’zi| ||
take shape of metaphors. [shfit’zei’zi| – literally, symbol-words]

Shshi Text: Ki’shto’ba’s Challenge Speech

In Chapter 2 of Volume Two of The Termite Queen Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head confronts the Star-Beings and challenges them to single combat.  The following is the text of that speech as Kaitrin  Oliva transcribed and later translated it.

Text in English translation:

Strange Ones, I address you!  I am Ki’shto’ba Huge Head, of To’wak, Champion of the fortress of Lo’ro’ra.  We are the Shshi of Lo’ro’ra and if we must, we will fight you to keep our fortress safe.  And yet I call the Challenge in the name of Lo’ro’ra’s Holy One and King:  Let there be honorable single combat so that the deaths of many can be avoided!  Send out your Champion, Strange Ones, and alone I will fight it!  If I prevail, then you must go away and leave Lo’ro’ra in peace!

Shshi text:

shkhai’zei|  sho’gano| ya| shbei’a|>||  sho| ↻ ki’shto’ba’ze| no’no| um’zi| to’wak’mik| lo’hi’zei| ki| cha| lo’ro’ra’mik| || shsho| ↻ shshi’zei| lo’ro’ra’mik| u| shsho| thi| shsho’u’paio| ↻ shbei’a| ⇅yako| ↻ cha| ki’shsho| ||   u| wei’tra’il| sho’lo’raito| ↻ uk’zi| i’fit| na’ta’zei| u| na’sha’ma| lo’ro’ra’mik| ||  ¡sho|! fro|> ↻ pai’o’kwi’zi| da’fu| tu’ai| ki| shkwi’sho’zei| shkwi’sho’zei| shweio’zi| ⇆ shfa’paho| ⇅sho| wei|> ||  ¡gado|! ↻ lo’hi’zei| ki’shbei| chun| shkhai’zei| u| kwi’il| sho’u’paio| ↻ fa’a|>||   sho’ei’bamo| ei’dal| shbei’treio| thi| u| shbei’theido| thi| ↻ lo’ro’ra’mi| da’el|>||

Word-for-word translation and Shshi text:

Strange Ones, I speak to you!
shkhai’zei| sho’gano| ya| shbei’a|>||

I am Ki’shto’ba Huge Head of To’wak,Champion of fortress of Lo’ro’ra.
sho | ↻ ki’shto’ba’ze| no’no| um’zi| to’wak’mik| lo’hi’zei| ki| cha| lo’ro’ra’mik| ||

We are Shshi of Lo’ro’ra
shsho| ↻ shshi’zei| lo’ro’ra’mik|

and if we must we will fight you to keep safe fortress our.
* u| shsho| thi| shsho’u’paio| ↻ shbei’a| ⇅yako| ↻ cha| ki’shsho| ||

And yet I call Challenge in name of Holy One and King of Lo’ro’ra:
u| wei’tra’il| sho’lo’raito| ↻ uk’zi| i’fit| na’ta’zei| u| na’sha’ma| lo’ro’ra’mik| ||

* Let there be [i.e. be may] single combat honorable
sho|! fro|> ↻ pai’o’kwi’zi| da’fu|

so that of persons persons [i.e. many persons] deaths are able to be not! [i.e. can be avoided]
tu’ai| ki| shkwi’sho’zei| shkwi’sho’zei| shweio’zi| ⇆ shfa’paho|⇅sho| wei|>||

Send Champion your forth, Strange Ones, and alone I will fight it!
¡gado|! ↻ lo’hi’zei| ki’shbei| chun| shkhai’zei| u| kwi’il| sho’u’paio| ↻ fa’a|>||

If I prevail [win], then you must go away and you must leave Lo’ro’ra in peace.
sho’ei’bamo| ei’dal| shbei’treio | thi| u| shbei’theido| thi| ↻ lo’ro’ra’mi| da’el|>|| **

* These constructions employ the modal auxiliaries thi| [must] and fro| [may] in idiomatic constructions.
shsho| thi| is an idiomatic expression meaning “[If] we must.”
sho| fro|> means “Let there be.”  > is an augmentative blip that strengthens the exclamation.  It’s not a true imperative construction, which would have the verb enclosed in exclamation points like this : ¡gado|! [Send!]

** da’el|: adjective meaning “peaceful”; idiomatically, “in peace.”

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