tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jul 13 07:26:35 2006
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Re: Klingon WOTD: nargh (verb)
>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Thursday, July 13, 2006.
>
>Klingon word: nargh
>Part of Speech: verb
>Definition: appear
HeghDI' SuvwI' nargh SuvwI' qa'
When a warrior dies, his spirit escapes. TKW
The verb {nargh} ... means "escape", but the same word, or a
phonetically identical one, means "appear". Thus, perhaps the
Klingons are saying that when a warrior dies, his spirit appears,
whereas prior to death it was hidden or disguised by the body.
Another interpretation is that the spirit was held prisoner by
the body. Worf told Jeremy, whose mother had been killed,
"In my tradition, we do not grieve the loss of the body. We
celebrate the releasing of the spirit." (TKW 145)
>Homonyms:
> nargh (verb) - escape
narghta'
[They have] Escaped. ST6
taj DopmeyDaq nargh cha' tajHom
Two small, secondary blades eject from the knife's sides SP2
narghbe'chugh SuvwI' qa' taH may'
If the warrior's spirit has not escaped, the battle is still going on. TKW
'avwI' nejDI' narghta'bogh qama' reH 'avwI' Sambej
When an escaped prisoner looks for a guard, he always finds one. TKW
ghe'torvo' narghDI' qa'pu'
when spirits escape from Gre'thor KGT
jIpaSqu'mo' narghpu' qaSuchmeH 'eb
I was too late to visit you. (st.k 1/98)
("Because I'm very late, the opportunity to visit you has escaped.")
qaSuch vIneH 'ach narghpu' 'eb. jIpaSqu'
I was too late to visit you. (st.k 1/98)
("I want to visit you, but the opportunity has escaped. I am very late.")
qaSuchlaHbe'. jIpaSqu' vaj narghpu' 'eb
I was too late to visit you. (st.k 1/98)
("I cannot visit you. I am very late, thus the opportunity has escaped.")
In Klingon, opportunities are captured [{jon}], not taken; a
missed opportunity is said to have escaped [{nargh}]. (TKW 51)
I'd probably take an idiomatic approach incorporating the phrase
{nargh 'eb} "the opportunity escapes" ... This goes along with
other expressions such as {'eb jon} "he/she captures the oppor-
tunity" or, more colloquially "he/she seizes the opportunity".
(st.k 1/98)
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons