Turin and the Dragon - Lines 39-44 and another Tolkien language

Some time this weekend to resume work on the Sindarin translation of Turin and the Dragon - here are lines 39-44 -

Dan dur din aun Morgoth Bauglir
in na ruith um gwennen
u-sint*
Ethir din, hur um egor galu en golu din
u-aunant siniath en gardh
in gwaith en Golodhrim bant

but the triumph he turned to doubt
of Morgoth the evil whom mad wrath took
Nor spies sped him, nor spirits of evil,
nor his wealth of wisdom to win him tidings
whither the nation of the Gnomes was gone.

*u-sint: based on the verb _ista_ (know) and the _u_ not. I found a gloss on a German Sindarin site for the word _zweifel_ which is _trass_ but can not find any source for it (yet) in Tolkien.

Just when you thought you have read about all of the languages Tolkien developed comes a new one (for me) - and that is Mago/Magol which is mentioned in the notes to book two of The History of the Hobbit (excellent book). Mago/Magol was developed by Tolkien based on, according to the ELF panel, Hungarian. At one time he intended to have the orcs speak it but decided not to. ELF promises that his grammar and notes for Mago/Magol will be published in the future. In a great email Patrick Wayne sent in response on the Labengolmor list (#1012) he said the language would have the sound of Elves who lived in Budapest!! Should be interesting - but first Taliska (I hope)...over and out.

Back from Wales - Tolkien in Welsh

Just returned from a very restful albeit (oedd hi'n bwrw glaw!!) week in North Wales. Stayed in a wonderful bed and breakfast in Talsarnau (right near one of the best castles in Wales - Harlech (visions of Branwen and Bendigrefian in my head as I looked out from the high battled walls). I was amazed to find that in the many Welsh bookstores I visited (and as I am learning to read Welsh there were many) - I found to my surprise that there is no existing translation of any of the works of Tolkien. I did manage to find an translation of CS Lewis third Narnia book - Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Mordaith Y Sioned Ann) translated by Edmund T Owen and there is the first Harry Potter novel - but no Tolkien!! Seems odd especially since one of Tolkien's major languages - Sindarin and its related predecessors - are based heavily on Welsh.

Wonder if there is anyone out there work on translating Tolkien's works into Welsh or perhaps given a bit more time I may start some work on this.

Sad news on the opera front last week with the passing of two greats - Regine Crespin and dear Beverly (Bubbles) Sills - one of the best bel-canto singers ever (her Three Queens will not be surpassed) and someone I was very lucky to actually work with a bit at the start of my career in the arts. She will be missed.

Turin amd the Dragon - Lines 35-40

This will probably be the last post for a week as I will be taking the first part of my holiday to North Wales (The Grey Havens) probably with the History of the Hobbit vol 2 to read on the beach (or the floods based on what is currently happening in the UK).

An Turgon minol idh na ruith'oeol
ristant bad dane na chathel gael din
o ndakro
Elo sadh din lim tri hoth en-Udun
be thar ai dhanna pan dofn bo nand
vi ngardh bada hathel ann I aran hen gwaith aronoded
tunc dri lhedin mor ah emyn dofn
ed ist in guid dhin u-deli ned varn hae

For Turgon towering in terrible anger clove a pathway for himself with his pale sweet blade out of the slaughter Yes his swath was plain through the hosts of hell - like hay that lies all low on the lea where the long scythe goes. A countless company that king did lead through the darkened dales and drear mountains out of the ken of his foes and he comes no more into this tale.

Dw'i mynd wrth Nghymraeg!!!

Turin and Glorund the Dragon (lines 18-30)

Just received the new issue of Vinyar Tengwar which includes some late 1960's work Tolkien did on the verb to be. Will report on in future posting. Here's a picture of Charlie - the warg that only licked!

Finally had a chance to return to my work on translating Tolkien's epic poem The Lay of Turin found in History of Middle Earth vol 3 into Classical Sindarin. Here are lines 18-30:

Ennas in orc-hoth, idh roeg emyn,

den na vedui vi nagor gaeol horthanner

na Vauglir gwenner dan cuin

dravant da i chir orthalia i chonin edain

Na rynd Bauglir vi emyn cernin

na Angband in ngethryd dholin

hain tyngir i gallon Dor Hithlum

Thalion Erithamrod, na cheron arn cyn din

dostol na dheloth haer vi gur in

na rhuith prestannen

ai i dur en-auth u-danc dad

Turgon, ion Finweg, pae adaer en-aran,

u-dhan i chin Feanor

in tain in miryn angul ah uireb

There in host on host the hill fiend Orcs

overbore him at last in the battle terrible

by the bidding of Bauglir bound him living

and pulled down the proudest of the princes of Men.

To Bauglir's halls in the hills builded

to the Hells of Iron and the hidden caverns

they haled the hero of Hitlum's land

Thalion Erithamrod, to their throned lord

whose breast was burst with a bitter hatred

and wroth he was that the wrack of war had not taken

Turgon ten times a king even Finweg's heir nor Feanor's children

makers of the magic and immortal gems.

(History of Middle Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien vol3 pages 5-6)

Being a Translator - I feel like Aelfric!

A rather productive weekend with some more work done on Finish, Old English and the translation of my Sindarin project Turin and Glorund the Dragon - more of that down below. I'm starting to feel like the 10th century monk Aelfric who in his preface to his translation "of Lydene" to "Englisc" descrbes what it is like translating something from one language to another and the fustration of trying to keep to the spirit of the work - it certainly got to Aelfric who at the end of the preface says

"Ic cwethe nu thaet ic ne dearr ne ic nelle nane boc after thisse of Ledene on Englisc awenden,"

Well on to Turin and the next lines of the poem - starting at line 18

Ennas in orc-hoth, in roeg in emyn, orthorir
den anethen vi nagor goeol ornanassen na Vauglir
gwenner den cuin
ah achatanner i anthalion in conin edain

There in host on host the hell fiend orcs
overbore him at lsst in that batt;e terrible
by the bidding of Bauglir
bound him living
and pulled dowen the proudest of the princes of men

Turin and the Dragon Continued

Took a couple of days to catch up on some excellent guides on the web about Sindarin. These are must reads for anyone who is crazy (ok passionate) enough to attempt trying to get into Tolkien's thought process and development of these art languages. Special thanks to Thorsten Renk's work on the Sindarin verb and the Rogues Guide to Sindarin Word Reconstruction. Also found a great online community on the web which has developed a wiki for Tolkien languages (I will be posting my work to this site as well to get comments)

Now moving forward with the translation of "Turin and Glorund the Dragon" with a new sense of purpose.

Here is the refined first 15 lines or so

Turin ion Hurin a Glorund i amlug
Alae! I amlug vallen e-Balan udun
i vaur en-eryn ardhon si pellen
i naeth Edain a nir in Edhil
thinniel hethu dad vaid glad
si naro ah i eneth annid
Niniel naer ah i eneth annur
Turin ion Thalion orthornen na amarth.
Nae! Hurin Thalion vi i hyth en auth orthornen
ir in gwaith fainhemmin in Edhelrim
gwathannen pain an gurth na dhelos uanui Delu-Morgoth
Parth dan esta Nirnaeth Arnediad estar aen na'waith
Ennas i chin in edain, erain a maethor, dregenner
u-vaethanner dan hain gwerianner na ugerth gwaith in Edhelrim
unan adan Thalion-Erithamrod
a conin din beren

(History of Middle Earth - Vol 3 page 5)

the line "were ruined" is rendered by the verb _gwatho_(Root WAH) - to stain or soil - closest I can find so far!

Next time - Hurin in the clutches of the that JR Ewing of the first age - Morgoth!

Well, time to watch the next intallment of the Cardiff singer of the world contest. I'll do more later with the current craze of Big Brother - wonder what a Big Brother would look like in Middle Earth (Day 3 - Gandalf and the Elrond are out in the garden while Treebeard has been in the diary room for 5 hours! Gollum is in the pool looking for something and the Witch King is still in bed!).

Namarie

Turin and the Golden Dragon - Beginning Revised

Did some revision on opening translation thanks to the great comments from Matt - also launched me into an exploration of how to form the superlative in Sindarin which thanks to some great web resources led me back to one of the professor's own letters which clearly states "_an_ superlative or intensfying prefix (as in _Ancalima_exceedlingly bright Letter of JRRT page 278). So with this great help here is a revised translation of the first part of the poem - Turin and the Golden Dragon (HME vol 3 page 5)

Turin ion Hurin a Glorund i amlug

Ai! I amlug vallen en-Balan udun
i fuin on-eryn ardhon si pellen
in naeth Edain a nir in Edhil
thinniel hethu dad vaid glad
si naro a i eneth annid
en-Niniel naer a i eneth annur
en-Durin ion Thalion orthornen
Nae! Hurin Thalion vi i chyth auth orthornen
ir in gwaith fainchemmin en-Edhelrim
noner horn pain an ngurth na i dhelu naer en-Vorgoth
Parth dan esta aen na i'waith esta Nirnaeth Arnediad

Ennas i chin edain hador a hadron (1)
dregennir u-vaethanner dan in gwaith
en-Edhelrim na u-gerth gwerianner

(1) - great alliteration - but not Sindarin - needs work

need to work on "save that true man only Thalion Erithamrod and his thane like gods"

Turin son of Hurin and the Golden Dragon

Tolkien's Lay of Turin Continued (HME 3 page 5)

There the children of Men, cheiften and warriors fled and faught not
but the folk of the Elves they betrayed with treason
save that true man only Thalion Erithamrod and his thane like gods

Ennas in chin edain hador a hadron
[drogannir] u-vaethanner dan in gwaith
o Edhelrim na u-gerth gweriannor
[u-dhan] Thalion Erithamrod
ah in Ernilren Belain

1) need to check on the third person pl past form
2) but not translated as u-dhan - complete conjecture

Turin and the Dragon - Work so far

Did some more work on draft translation of Tolkien's The Lay of Turin and the Golden Dragon - from HME vol 3 (page 5) - so far

Turin ion Hurin a Glorund i thlug

Ai! I thlug vallon en-balan udun
I fuin in-thaurion ardahon si pellen
in naeth edain a nirol in-edhil
firiol [hethan] dad vaid glad
nai si naro a i eneth nidwain
o Niniel naer a i eneth nurwain
o Turin ion Thalion orthornen na amarth

Nae! Hurin Thalion vi in choth auth
orthornen, [ir] gwaith o Edhelrim
cemmin vaen [noner horn]
pain an ngurth na i dhelu naer o Morgoth

Taw parth esta aen [ ] na i'waith
esta Ninin Unorthradin - Nirnaeth Arnediad

Key Questions:
1) Forming an adverb for faintly (hethan?)
2) Expressing the when for temporal clauses
3) The Sindarin word for "yet/still"

I've made an assumption in translating "were driven" as _noner horn_ which is using the past passive verb to be were with the adj for compelled - need to research if this is correct

More to come

Classical Sindarin Translation

Currently learning Classical Sindarin - attempting to do a translation of one of Tolkien's early Lays of Beleriand from History of Middle Earth Vol 3 - The Tale of Turin Son of Hurn and Glorund the Dragon - definately a work in process!

Starting trot -

Turin son of Hurin and Glorund the Dragon
Turin ion Hurin a Glorund i thlug

Lo! the golden dragon of the God of Hell
Alae! I thlug vallen en-Balan udun

the gloom of the woods of the world now gone
I fuin in-thaurion ardahon si pellen

the woes of man and weeping of Elves
in naeth edain a nirol in-edhil

fading faintly down forest pathways
firiol [hethu] dad vaid glad

is now to tell and the name most tearful
[nai] si naro a i eneth nid[h]wain

of Niniel the sorrowful and the name most sad
o Niniel naer a i eneth nurwain

of Thalion's son Turin o'erthrown by fate
o Turin ion Thalion orthornen na amarth

From JRR Tolkien The Lays of Beleriand
Copywrite 1985 Tolkien Estate Page 5