[516] in tlhIngan-Hol
Boots, continued
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Sun Apr 4 14:28:40 1993
Errors-To: tlhIngan-Hol-request@village.boston.ma.us
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Reply-To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
From: (Mark E. Shoulson) <shoulson@ctr.columbia.edu>
To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
Date: Sun, 4 Apr 93 13:26:08 -0400
Hrm. Sorry, guys. I was doing a whole mess of things when I sent off my
last letter and forgot that not everyone knows the lyrics, and also I
forgot to put my usual prolix commentary on my translation, so here goes...
You keep sayin' you got something for me.
Something you call "love", but confess:
You've been messin' where you shouldn't be a-messin'
And now someone else is getting all your best.
>jIhvaD vay' Daghaj DajatlhtaH.
>bangwI' SoH Daja' 'ach yIDIS.
>lughHa'bogh Dochmey'e' Data'taH,
>DaH qImghachlIj ghajbejtaH latlh'e'
{ As usual, I tend to translate as literally as possible, even when that's
not the best move. Should be "jIHvaD"; I didn't capitalize the h properly.
In the second line, I originally had "banglI' jIH Daja'", but then I
recalled p.67, where it said that there really isn't indirect quoting in
Klingon. The third line was very difficult to translate; one does one's
best. I thought "qImghachlIj" was reasonable for the colloquialism "your
best" }
These boots are made for walkin',
And that's just what they'll do.
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.
yItmeH DaSmeyvam chenmoHlu'
'ej 'e' luta'bej
wa' jaj SoHDaq yItchu'taH DaSmeyvam'e'
{ This is Krankor's translation, minus the extraneous -'e'. I'm not sure
about the "'e'" in the second line... }
You keep lyin' when you oughta be truthin'.
You keep losin' when you oughta not bet.
You keep samin', when you oughta be a-changin'
Now right is right, but you ain't been right yet.
bIneptaH bIvIttaHnISvIS
bIlujtaH bISuDQo'taHnISvIS
bIraptaH bIchoH'eghtaHnISvIS
lugh lughwI', 'ach not bIlughpu' SoH.
{ Reasonably literal translation, though the meter suffers a bit.
Originally had "-DI'" instead of "-taH..-vIS", but the latter makes more
sense. Thought the "-Qo'" in second line works better than "-be'". Used
"-nIS" to handle all the "ought"s. I particularly like the last line.
Note "lughwI'" for "thing that is right." }
<chorus>
You keep playin' where you shouldn't be playin'.
You keep thinkin' that you'll never get burned.
Ha! I just found me a brand new box of matches,
And what he knows you ain't had time to learn.
reH lughHa'wI'Daq bIQujtaH.
not Da'oy'lu' 'e' DaHarba' SoH.
'ach chu'qu'bogh bang vISampu' jIH'e'
'ej Dochmey Sovbogh ghaH DaghojlaHbe'
{ First line is very colloquial again, I tried. Had to lose the
matches/burning metaphor; it wouldn't have worked, even if I had words for
"matches". Used assorted suffixes to make up scansion, as well as the
optional "ghaH". }
<chorus>
You ready boots? Start walkin'!
SuH, DaSmey? yIyItchoH!
{ Krankor's again, and hard to improve on. }
Have fun...
~mark
