tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Dec 26 11:37:49 2001

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Re: Klingon Poe: angels, fiend



ISqu' wrote:
: "For wisdom, ask of the angels freely ...!"
: 
: "In for ever knowing, we are for ever blessed;
: but to know all were the curse of a fiend."
:
: In the story I'm translating there are references to {angels}and
: the {fiend}. Has anyone ever translated these words? 

Various people have tried to translate Bible texts.  If any of them are reading
this, I'll let them pass on their suggestions.  
 
: mu' {angel} vImughmeH <qa' quv> vIwuq.

I would suggest going back to the original meanings of the words (keeping in
mind, of course, that they may have other connotations for an early 19th
century white protestant New Englander like Poe).  According to
Merriam-Webster's dictionary:

an·gel
noun
Pronunciation: 'An-j&l
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English engel & Old French angele; both
from Late Latin angelus, from Greek angelos, literally, messenger
Date: before 12th century
1 a : a spiritual being superior to man in power and intelligence; especially :
one in the lowest rank in the celestial hierarchy b plural : an order of angels
-- see CELESTIAL HIERARCHY
2 : an attendant spirit or guardian
3 : a white-robed winged figure of human form in fine art
4 : MESSENGER, HARBINGER <angel of death>
5 : a person like an angel (as in looks or behavior)

The underlying meaning of angel is "messenger".  Although there's no word for
"messenger" per se in Klingon, we do have: 

  Duy     agent, emissary 
  Duy'a'  ambassador
  'oSwI'  emissary

We don't know the difference between a {Duy} and a {'oSwI'}.  You can preface
{Qun} "god, goddess, deity" to any of these: e.g. {Qun Duy} or {Qun 'oSwI'}
"God's emissary" if you think just {Duy} or {'oSwI'} would be unclear from
context, or you need an extra syllable for the verse.

: mu' {fiend} vImughmeH DuHmey law' vIqellI':
: DuH 1: veqlargh
: DuH 1 vIlajQo'.

I too would avoid {veqlargh}.  Although Okrand did gloss it as "demon" in the
TKD glossary, to Klingons it is a proper name for the gatekeeper of Gre'thor.

: DuH 2: qa' quvHa'
: DuH 3: qa' mIgh
: DuH 4: HoSDo' mIgh
: DuH 5: Dol mIgh
: DuH 2 DuH 3 je vIpar.
: DuH 4 DuH 5 vIparHa' 'ach DuH 5 vImaS:
: qatlh? qa' 'oH {angel}'e'. qa' 'oH {fiend}'e' je  'ach patlh rap
: ghajbe'law' chaH.  {fiend} HoSghaj law' {angel} HoSghaj puS.
: Qun rurlaw' {fiend}. Dol mIgh ghaHlaw'.

According to Merriam-Webster:

fiend
noun
Pronunciation: 'fEnd
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English fIend; akin to Old High German
fIant enemy, Sanskrit pIyati he scorns
Date: before 12th century
1 a : DEVIL 1 b : DEMON c : a person of great wickedness or maliciousness
2 : a person extremely devoted to a pursuit or study : FANATIC <a golf fiend>
3 : ADDICT 1 <a dope fiend>
4 : WIZARD 3 <a fiend at mathematics> 

Again, the underlying meaning seems to be "enemy".  (BTW, speaking of the
Fiend, "Satan" is not a proper name in the Hebrew Bible; it is simply
*ha-satan* or "the adversary".)  In Klingon we have:

  jagh  enemy 
  ghol  opponent, adversary

Of these, I prefer {ghol}, if only because it's less common than {jagh}, not to
mention it's evocation of "ghoul" for the anglophone Klingonist.  
 
OTOH, your suggestion of {qa' quv} vs. {qa' quvHa'} is nicely parallel, as
would {qa' QaQ} vs. {qa' mIgh}.  

The choice really depends on how the words are used by Poe.  Is this their only
mention?  Are the words used over and over?  What role do angels and fiends
play in the text? 



-- 
Voragh                       
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons


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