tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Apr 18 19:07:05 1997

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On Klingon Poetry, Opera & Song



|>From: [email protected]
|>I need a word and information on the following:  Klingon poetry, specifically
|>bardic poetry.  Do they have it?  How does it work?  What's the name for such
|>a poet?
|
|So far as I know, there isn't that much known about Klingon poetry (aside
|from what we've written ourselves).  We know they have opera, and plays and
|poems, and we know that they have the gha'tlhIq, which is a poem honoring
|someone (there's a word filtering into my brain from years ago... Aha!
|Aretology, I think.  Might that be a decent description of gha'tlhIq?), and
|hasn't the show made reference "Basai Masters" as great poets?  No
|canonical version of that term known, but I bet it'll be in the next book.
|
|~mark

We actually do know more than a little about Klingon poetry, song and
opera. I've collected some bits and pieces from the episodes directly and
from MSN's ST: Continuum Klingon Database. For the sake of completeness,
I've also included a few notes from non-broadcast sources which--as
always--you're free to disregard. Let me know if I've missed something. 
 
                           NOTES ON KLINGON POETRY
 
Basai Master   Klingon class of poet. Grilka called Quark a Basai Master
   after his successful date with her. Worf was impressed, since he had
   coached the Ferengi in the ways of courting Klingon women. (Looking for
   par'Mach in All the Wrong Places) Keedera, a renowned 24th century poet
   and composer of songs, may be a Basai Master. (By Inferno's Light)
 
GaTH'k   an ode of respect. Young Pok wrote one of these poems in honor of
   the old warrior Ler'at (which Gowron called "a true GaTH'k"):
        Ler'at, House of Tignar. Warrior Son.
        At the battle of teh, he killed many men.
        At the battle of reth he took many hurts.
        His arms were strong to lift the Bat'telh high.
        His heart was fierce to keep the enemy afraid.
        at teh, at reth, at lagon, at dumath, at negan.
        His arms are heavy now with the weight of many battles.
        His heart is burdened by the press of many honors.
        When he dies, the heavens will shake
        with the screams of his comrades.
        Warning the dead, Beware! Beware!
        A warrior is coming.
   This is properly spelled gha'tlhIq in tlhIngan Hol. (KCD)
 
Klingon Love Poetry   Worf recommended reading love poetry to Wesley
   Crusher as a means of luring a potential mate and noted that in
   response, a Klingon woman might be expected to roar, throw heavy
   objects, and claw at her partner. He expressed disdain for human males,
   describing their courtship rituals as "begging" (The Dauphin). It is
   often recited during the Klingon Tea Ceremony. To his embarrassment,
   Worf came down with the childhood disease rop'ngor and as a reward for
   Dr Pulaski's silence, he performs the Tea Ceremony for her. Worf claimed
   that the art of love poetry reached its fullest flower among the
   Klingons. The scene ends with the doctor begging him to recite some of
   it. Later, there was another discussion about Klingon love poetry and
   the bridge crew persuades Worf to enlighten them as to its quality. He
   gives them this little snippet (in English as the bridge crew doesn't
   understand Klingon):
            I hunt in darkness.
            The stars my guide.
            The memory of you sings in my blood.
            I seize the gift.
            Carry it to your bower.
            And lay at your feet the hearts of my enemies.
   They are singularly unimpressed, and he mutters something about it
   loosing something in the translation. (Up the Long Ladder) [The poem was
   at the very end of the script and wasn't seen in the version broadcast.
   It probably wound up on the cutting room floor!]
 
G'trok   Klingon poet whose great poem "The Fall of Kang" is required
   reading at Starfleet Academy as a cultural icon worthy of study. The
   poet was well-known enough to be quoted by both Commander Sisko as well
   as Dr Seyetik. (Second Sight)
 
Keedera   a renowned Klingon poet and composer of songs in the 24th
   century, possibly a Basai Master. Gen Martok said he would seek out
   "Keedera himself" and tell him of Worf's glorious deeds in defeating seven 
   Jem'Hadar guards in seven straight matches at Dominion Internment Camp 371. 
   Martok even proposed a line in the song in honor of Bashir:
            The healer that bound the warrior's wounds
            So he could fight again.
   (By Inferno's Light)
 
"The Fall of Kang"   a poem by the Klingon great G'trok, perhaps but not
   specified as epic in nature, dealing with the ever-elusive and wearying
   challenge of higher and higher achievements. In the 24th century, this
   epic is required reading at Starfleet Academy. The poem was quoted by
   Cmdr Sisko as well as Dr Seyetik:
            Go honor the valiant who die 'neath your sword
            But pity the warrior who slays all his foes.
   Its title subject is presumably the same Kang who once encountered Capt
   James T. Kirk a century earlier. (Second Sight)
 
Klingon Tea Ceremony   this ritualistic ceremony includes a chalice
   for each participant plus an extra one, along with the woody stem whose
   seeds and tulip-like flowers are plucked to make the tea. Though toxic
   to Klingons, the poison is fatal to humans, though there is an antidote.
   The ceremony is a test of bravery, a chance to share with a friend a
   look at the face of mortality, and a reminder that death is an
   experience best shared--like the tea. Depending on the friend, love
   poetry may also be recited.
     Worf shared a tea ceremony with Dr Pulaski after she helped him save
   face by hiding the fact that he was suffering from a childhood disease.
   Pulaski had heard of, but not seen it, telling Worf she understood "the
   externals, not the mysteries" of the ceremony. Still, she gave herself a
   quick antidote in order to safely join him when invited, asking for a
   reading of Klingon love poetry when they finished. (Up the Long Ladder)
 
                            NOTES ON KLINGON OPERA
 
Klingon Opera   This popular Klingon art form is unappreciated outside of
   the Empire. Amarie, the four-armed keyboard player at a lounge on Qualor
   II, told Worf she didn't get many requests for it. She did know enough
   of "Aktuh and Melota" to make Worf happy; Omag the Ferengi says the
   noise sounds like a Bardakian pronghorn moose. (Unification I) Jake
   Sisko complained that he had to learn a whole Klingon opera for a test
   the next day at Keiko's DS9 school as part of their music studies. His
   father replied that he had to do the same thing when he was young, but
   admitted he'd never actually needed to use this knowledge. (The
   Alternate) Though unheard, the lyrics, phonetically spelled and sung by
   a tenor, are:
        Kak-lah... Kak-lah ...
        Kah-pool-AYYY-do-la-kak-lah...
        Yoh boo la to dah...
        Yoh boo la to da...
        Ah... do ro may... do ro may... do ro may...
        do ro MAY de lat so may...
        Uh clop-doh... uh gah...
        Uh clop-doh uh gah dor...
        Uh clop-doh... uh gah... dor ray... dor ray... dor ray.
   Jadzia told Worf, who thought that terminating a relationship should not
   be a frivoulous matter, "Not every relationship has to end like a
   Klingon opera." Worf retorted, "No. Just the ones that are important."
   (Let He Who is Without Sin...) Carrying legend into ceremony, the
   Klingon Kahless-Molor fights are celebrated annually in the operatic
   mock fights of the Kot'baval festival. (First Born)
     "Aktuh and Melota" ('aqtu' mellota' je in tlhIngan Hol), noted for
   its famous love song, is a favorite of Worf and he sang part of it with
   Amarie. (Unificaton I) Jadzia gave a collection of her favorite Klingon
   operas to Worf when he took up residence alone on the USS Defiant. She
   suggested he could play them on the ship's sound system as loud as he
   wanted. (Bar Association) We may have heard a fragment of the love duet
   from his favorite opera (described in the script as a "Klingon La
   Boheme") on the bridge of the Defiant, as Worf sang along with the male
   singer. (Looking for Par'Mach in All the Wrong Places) Dax kept Worf's
   precious collection of Klingon operas (on isolinear rods) for safe
   keeping while he went on his recon mission with Garak to the Gamma
   Quadrant. Worf was upset by this, but she told him that someone might as
   well enjoy them since he wouldn't be using them for the next few days.
   (In Purgatory's Shadow) After his escape from Dominion Internment Camp
   371, Worf demanded them back. (By Inferno's Light)
     Pok's uncle Qua'lon is reputed to be a great singer of Klingon opera,
   his favorite, of course, being qul tuq, "A House of Fire," describing
   the rise of the House of SepIch on Taganika. tlhIngan jIH is the title
   of another popular opera about the nature of being Klingon. Gowron says,
   "Few humans understand the spirit of Klingon opera... A good singer of
   Klingon opera must always be given appreciation." Klingons show their
   appreciation of good art or performance by smashing something, then
   paying for it. As Riker said, "Sort of tipping, with an act in the
   middle." The excellent human singer at the bar on Balka said: "The
   melodies are simple. Quite repetitive. The difficulty is handling the
   tonality.... The trick is... you must be harsh with it." (KCD novel)
 
Kot'baval Festival   Annual celebration throughout the Klingon Empire,
   commemorating an historic incident in the life of Kahless. In the
   streets, one can see street vendors as well as operatic reenactments
   (complete with mock fights) of Kahless' final confrontation with the
   tyrant Molor. Some of the lyrics are:
          Nok'tar be'got hosh'ar te'not
   ("He is asking if anyone else will have the courage to stand up
   to Molor")
          Ki'rock Molor, ki'rock
   (Worf answers, accepting the challenge)
          Ba'jak tu'mo
          O'tak tu'ro
          Nok'til Kahless. Molor gik'tal
   (Kahless sings)
          Ni'lot Kahless
   The festival is celebrated, among other places, at the Klingon outpost
   on Maranga IV, on the "far side" of the Vodri Nebula. (First Born)
 
"Aktuh and Melota"   a Klingon opera, noted for its famous love song; a
   favorite of Lt Worf and he sang part of it with Amarie in a bar on
   Qualor II. (Unificaton II) We may have heard a fragment of that duet
   (described in the script as a "Klingon La Boheme") on playing loudly on
   the bridge of the Defiant, as Worf sang along with the male singer:
        Female:         BOOOOW-cha-daaay...
        Worf & Male:    KEEEY-cha-daaay...
        Female:         Me-YO-cha-BEEN-evaaa-kaa-MOOOOR...
        Worf & Male:    LIIING-tomaaa...
        Female:         Oh-ma-do-VEE-kos......ZOOOOOOO!
        Worf & Male:    Oh-ma-do-VEE-kos......ZOOOOOOO!
   (Looking for Par'Mach in All the Wrong Places) [The transcription was
   published in HolQeD 5:4 (1996): 8-9 from a copy of the final draft of
   the script supplied by someone at Paramount. The best attempts  of
   several of the Grammarians from the KLI's tlhIngan Hol mailing list
   failed to make any sense out of these lines. However, they certainly
   sounded impressive whatever Klingon language they were supposed to be!
   This opera is called 'aqtu' mellota' je in tlhIngan Hol.]
 
"qul tuq"   "House of Fire," a popular Klingon opera telling the tale of
   the House of SepIch. Qua'lon gave young Pok a leather-bound copy of the
   score to this opera as his cha'nob gift. One of its well-known arias has
   a simple five-note theme. (KCD novel)
 
"tlhIngan jIH"   title of a popular Klingon opera about the nature of being
   Klingon (KCD novel)
 
                      From Dark Mirror (a pro novel):
 
Great House   famous Klingon opera house at tl'Gekh. "There are occasional
   duels... but they take place outside. These days no one would dream of
   disturbing the performance so."
k'Kharis   Klingon tenor who was killed onstage during a performance of "X
   and Y" in 28844 by a soprano who had declared her family in a blood feud
   with his due to a salary dispute
Old School   style of classical Klingon opera, typified by "contextual
   barbed-wire tangles"
"Tl-Hahkh's Way"   a classic Old School Klingon opera
"The Warrior's Revenge"   a classic Old School Klingon opera
"X and Y"   a Klingon opera, one of the "more modern, out, and accessible
   works." In the 28844 production, the soprano declared her family in a
   blood feud with the tenor's due to a salary dispute and killed k'Kharis
   onstage, before his aria was finished (etiquette usually mandated
   letting the performance end first). There were three days of street
   fighting, and the government fell. This performance is preserved on
   hard-video storage.
 
                              From TrekMUSE:
 
Klingon Opera   Only one form of music has ever been counted by Klingons
   among the fine arts, and that is opera. Klingon opera always deals with
   legendary or historical subjects and is mostly vocal in nature,
   accompaniments of more than three musical instruments being rare. The
   most common accompanying instrument is the chuS'ugh, a very large wind
   instrument that functions rather like a bagpipe, but with a pedal
   bellows to provide air. A typical Klingon opera runs an hour to an hour
   and a half in length, followed by about a ten- to fifteen-minute chorus
   describing all the various effects of the story's outcome, consequences
   frequently being as important to Klingons as the action of the story
   itself.
 
                           From the KLI's KEVE:
 
HeH veng Opera House   A small hall, equipped with stone benches, and large
   tankards for quaffing alchohol during performances. The best seats in
   the house directly abut the stage, while the cheaper seats are in back.
   There are two parts of the stage reserved for the armed bouncers, who 
   eject those who are disturbing performances too badly, although a little 
   healthy noise is considered to show approval for the singing. The stage 
   itself is well-lit, and there are drapes of fabrics in a profuse variety 
   of colors lining the back wall, to form a backdrop.

                            NOTES ON KLINGON SONGS:
 
"Klingon Love Song"   Telok, Klingon chef/host of the Klingon restaurant on
   DS9, sang the following song with Jadzia Dax. The Klingon chef had never
   heard this Klingon song before Dax taught it to him (Playing God):
          Ak'la bella doo-oo-oo-oo...
          Bella ak'la doo-oo-oo-oo...
          La suhm ... La suhm...
          L'kahtra ...La suhm...
          Ak'la bella doo-oo-oo-oo! 
     
Klingon Victory Song   As the Klingon youth named Toq discovers, a
   warrior's blood runs in his veins, and he comes to understand that a
   song he has known only as a lullaby is actually a victory song.
   Returning from a successful Ritual Hunt with Worf, after exclaiming
   ka'la, Toq begins to sing, and others join in (Birthright):
         bagh Da tuHmoh. ChojaH duh rHo.
              ylja'Qo'  ylja'Qo'  ylja'Qo'
         van'aj javDIch Qong DIr Sa'VIch
              ghIH yot quelI'Pa qevas HoH Qa
         teblaw'nghu mughato'Du
              ylja'Qo' ylja'Qo' ylja'Qo'
   The first line was translated in the dialog as:
         [Fire streaks the heavens.  Battle has begun.]
   The above lyrics appear in the script. The closed captions were somewhat
   different, though:
            bAGH dA TUhMOH.
            cHOJAh dUH RhO
                YLJA' qO'
                YLJA' qO'
                YLJA' qO'
            mAH DOK UDO
            jIH DOK MAjU
            pAH DOK chABah
            bURAK CHUqA
            VAN'AJ JAVdiCH
            TEBLAW'NGHU
            MUGHATA'dU'
                YALA' qO
                YALA' qO
 
"Aler acht'jar"   Title of a Klingon song performed by Deep Space Nine's
   Klingon Chef to the strum of a Klingon Guitar for Doctor Bashir, Ensign
   Melora, Pazlar and other patrons (no translation is available) (Melora):
        Aler acht'jar, Aler acht'jar,
        T'lembda boool-gah toh-gal ...
        Aler acht'jar, Aler acht'jar,
        T'lembda boool-gah to lohhhh ....
 
"Klingon Anthem"   Carraya IV Klingon leader L'Kor, and later Ba'El, sings
   this traditional anthem at dusk around the camp campfire initially as a
   lullaby, although it is really a warrior's song. A partial translation
   is provided (Birthright I):
        van'aj javDIch Qong DIr Sa'VIch
        ghIH yot quelI'Pa qevas HoH Qa...
        teblaw'nghu mughato'Du
        ylja'Qo' ... yija'Qo ... yija'Qo.
        Bagh Da tuHmoh.                 (Fire streaks the heavens)
        ChojaJ Duh rHo.                 (Battle has begun)
        ylja'Qo' ... yija'Qo ... yija'Qo"
 
Klingon battle songs   Two lines of one, sung by the drunken Kor, are:
        B'aski't Kor, B'askr'ip Kor,
        Kohman-a-ti, B'aski't Kor.
A translation is not specified. (Blood Oath)
 
Klingon Drinking Song   Huraga told Worf that he used to sing this song
   with his old friend Mogh when Worf was a small boy. Worf and Huraga sang
   this over several (empty) metal bottles of what may be Klingon bloodwine
   on Deep Space 9:
                EJ IM-TA FEY DE-JA I...
                EJAHDAK-SO-TAS GHOS VA SKRAL BYTEEK
                EMPA JAJ LAW-MOCH JAJ-PUSH
                JAJ KAYLESS MOLOR-MIGH HOHK-CHEW KOO.
   They both laugh, then stand and butt heads. (Way of the Warrior) The
   song is translated in the novelization by Diane Carey as follows:
                And the blood was ankle deep...
                And the River Skral ran crimson red
                  On the day above all days
                When Kahless slew evil Molor dead!
 
 

-- Voragh 



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