tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Dec 29 11:44:49 2007

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Art of War Chp. 1 (section 3/3)

Agnieszka Solska ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol po'wI']

tojmeH mIw'a' [A] 'oH veS'e'.
vaj bIruchlaHDI' yIruchlaHbe'law'.
bIvangDI' yIvangbe'law'.
bISumDI' yIHoplaw'.
bIHopDI' yISumlaw'.

War is the art of deceit.
So when able, seem to be unable.
When active, seem to be inactive.
When near, seem to be far away.
When far away, seem to be near.

QapmeH 'eb [B] nejchugh jagh, yItlhu'moH.
mISchugh jagh, yImup.
HoSghajchugh jagh, yIghomrup.
HoSchugh jagh, yIjun.
QeHchugh jagh, yInuQ.
HemHa'chugh jagh, yInguqmoH.
leSpu'chugh jagh, yIDoy'moH.
tay'chugh [C] jagh, yIwav.

If the enemy seeks an advantage, entice him.
If the enemy is confused, assault him.
If the enemy is powerful, prepare for him.
If the enemy is strong, avoid him.
If the enemy is angry, annoy him.
If the enemy is humble, make him haughty.
If the enemy is rested, make him tired.
If the enemy is united, divide him.

yIHIv ghobrupbe'DI' jagh.
yInargh DupIHbe'DI' jagh.

Attack when he is not prepared.
Appear when does not expect you.

Dupmeyvammo' Qaplu'.
vIHchoHpa' gho luwuqlu'meH DuHbe'.

These are the strategies leading to victory.
They cannot be settled in advance [D].

bIghobchoHpa',
SeHyaH nIvDaq, [E]
nIQaHlaHbogh Dup wanI' tISIm.
law'chugh wanI'vam bIQap.
puSchugh wanI'vam bIluj.
wanI'vam lutu'be'lu'chugh bIlujbejqu'!

Before going to battle,
At the headquarters,
Calculate strategic factors in your favor.
With many such factors you win.
With few such factors you lose.
And even more so with no such factors at all!

potlhmeyvam vIchovta'DI'
leSSov vIghaj;
vaj QapwI' lujwI' je vIngu'laH. [F]

Having conducted such an assessment
I gain advance knowledge
And can predict victory or defeat. [G]

------------------------

[A] {tojmeH mIw'a'} ? "the art of deceit":

Literally, "the Tao of deceit." In one of its senses, the word "Tao" comes 
close in meaning to the word "art," understood as the skills, principles or 
methods used in conducting an activity (e.g. the art of conversation, the 
art of cooking). Since in English the word "tao" is somewhat esoteric I 
decided to use the perfectly ordinary word "art." After all, this is a 
military treatese whose purpose is to instruct rather than to mystify the 
reader.

[B] {QapmeH 'eb} ? "advantage":

How I wish we had a noun meaning "advantage" or a verb meaning "to be 
(dis)advantageous! Sadly, we don't, and what I came up with is "an 
opportunity to succeed". But I'm not sure: perhaps {DotlhDaj DubmeH 'eb}, 
i.e. "an opportunity to improve his status" would work better here.

[C] {tay'chugh jagh} - "If the enemy is united":

Based on {wo' tay'}, meaning "United Kingdom" (Radio Times, interview with 
MO).

[D] "in advance":

The idiom "The hoop is moving" {vIHtaH gho}, which I use here, means that 
"an activity of finite (though perhaps indeterminate) length has started" 
(KGT, p. 111). I am not quite sure if it is appropriate to use idioms in a 
text like this. If not, I can translate this fragment as {ruchchoHlu'pa'}, 
i.e. "before one begins to proceed."

[E] {SeHyaH nIvDaq} - "At the headquarters":

I hope the phrase {SeHyaH nIv} "Operations Command" (ST5 novelization) can 
be understood as "the headquarters". If not, I will translate the Chinese 
more literally as {no' SIrghDaq}, i.e. "In the ancestral temple," though 
arguably this might make less sense to a Klingon reader.

[F] "I gain advance knowledge
     And can predict victory or defeat":

As in section 2, the Klingon text literally says "I have foreknowledge so I 
can identify the winner and the loser."


'ISqu'

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