tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jul 30 15:07:54 2001

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Re: cholbogh poH: the future



Lieven (Quvar):
> : "Das Beste an der Zukunft ist vielleicht der Umstand, daß immer nur ein Tag
> : auf einmal kommt!"
> : 
> : I somehow like it, it means
> : "The best aspect of the future is perhaps the fact, that there comes only
> : one day at once."
> 

Voragh:
> Better English:  "... the fact that it only comes one day at a time."  Or have
> I misunderstood the German?
>  
(bIyajchu')

> : {chaq nIteb DuSuchmo' jajmey chu' cholbogh poH DaSIQlaH}
> : 
> 
>   chaq cholbogh poH DaSIQlaH, nIteb nISuchmo' neH jajmey chu'.
>   "Perhaps you can endure the coming time only because the new days 
>    visit you alone."
> 
> : Whaddya think?
> 
> This is a bit awkward, though I'm not sure there's a good way to render the
> idea of "one at a time".  To me {nIteb nISuchmo'} implies that the new days
> visit *you* alone" - i.e. you are the only one that they visit.  (But this may
> only be the English translation "because they visit you alone" interfering.) 
> YMMV.
> 
I think {nIteb} works as Lieven intended it,
it's the subject that acts "alone"

however, I wonder why you both don't keep the verb {chol},
which I think expresses the idea pretty well, in this phrase:

{nIteb chol jajmey chu'}

or 

{nIteb chol Hoch jaj chu'}

or, the other way,

{not nItebHa' chol cha' jaj}

> Maybe {qaS} "happen, occur" would be better":
> 
>   chaq cholbogh poH DaSIQlaH, nIteb qaSmo' neH jajmey chu'.
>   "Perhaps you can endure the coming time only because the new days happen
>    alone."
> 
> Hmm... still not right.  Perhaps someone else has a better idea.
> 
> BTW, I've also seen *{tlha'bogh poH} "the time (period) which follows" used for
> "the future".
> 
it works in the right circumstances, but here I like {chol} better.

another point is, the "perhaps" refers to the doubt in the speakers
mind about whether there might be something better about the future
than the new days' coming one at a time.

I submit

{nIteb chol Hoch jaj chu'. vaj cholbogh poH wIparbe'.}

if you want the original "perhaps", you may add

{chaq meqvam jej law' Hoch jej puS.}

(or some less figurative quality like {nIv} e.g.,
or do we have an idiomatic expression for "good" 
reasons that might apply?)


					Marc Ruehlaender
					aka HomDoq
					[email protected]




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