tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Sep 29 15:11:44 2013

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[Tlhingan-hol] Story: ghuv - The Recruit - 38

Robyn Stewart ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol po'wI']

Torg is surrounded by armed and armoured Romulans and the power of his
armour and weapon are both ebbing. Below is the next paragraph of the story,
followed by a dissection of the grammar, a translation, and random notes.
---
reH Heghrup tlhIngan SuvwI', 'ej Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam, 'ach HeghmeH torgh
chaq qaq wa'leS. yInmeH SuvtaH torgh. tlhoy'Daq lojmIt waQ wa' mang.
leghlaHbe'meH mang, qaStaHvIS lup puS qabDaq Qeq torgh ghIq tlhoy'Daq mang
volchaH yuv, mang nach tlhe'moHtaHvIS. mang pIp ghor. 'uSgheb HoH rur 'ach
DaH 'uQ vutbe'lI' torgh. mang beH Hujlu'pu'bogh tlhapta'DI' torgh, lojmIt
poSmoH 'ej vegh.  may'Dajvo' Haw'be' torgh. che'ronDaj wIv neH. 'a nuq
wIvpu'?
---
reH Heghrup tlhIngan SuvwI', 'ej Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam, 'ach HeghmeH torgh
chaq qaq wa'leS. -- I am pretending to myself that this story is just so
exciting that even though you know only a few basics in Klingon you are
reading along by skipping to the English bits. Even beginners who know only
a few stock phrases should find these phrases a little familiar, as it's a
couple of proverbs crammed together. reH Heghrup tlhIngan SuvwI' = A Klingon
warrior is always prepared to die. + Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam = Today is a good
day to die. You can find their grammar discussed in The Klingon Way. But
there's more: 'ach (but) "Perhaps tomorrow is better for Torg to die."

yInmeH SuvtaH torgh.  You know it's yIn the verb, because it has a verb
suffix. "Torg fights to live."

 tlhoy'Daq lojmIt waQ wa' mang. "One soldier blocks a door on/in the wall."

 leghlaHbe'meH mang, qaStaHvIS lup puS qabDaq Qeq torgh ghIq tlhoy'Daq mang
volchaH yuv, mang nach tlhe'moHtaHvIS. This is a little complicated, but it
seems to be worse in English. There are five clauses, with the verbs  legh,
qaS, Qeq, yuv, & tlhe' -- see, occur, aim, shove, turn. 
leghlaHbe'meH mang = in order that the soldier could not see 
qaStaHvIS lup puS = while a few seconds occur, for the duration of a few
seconds 
qabDaq QeQ torgh = Torg aims at the face
ghIq tlhoy'Daq mang volchaH yuv = And then he shoves the soldier's shoulder
at/into/on the wall

"In order to blind the soldier for a few seconds Torg aimed at the face, and
then he pushed the soldier's shoulder into the wall while he made the
soldier's head turn." I think the worst part of the sentence is the
difficulty of saying "soldier's shoulder" in English. It's not important to
me whether you interpret the blinding or the aiming to be for a few seconds,
so I made no attempt to clarify which it is.

mang pIp ghor. -- An easy sentence, because the reader might be confused by
the previous one. "He broke the soldier's spine." He's branched out from arm
breaking. 

'uSgheb HoH rur 'ach DaH 'uQ vutbe'lI' torgh. -- 'uSgheb - a bird that makes
a lot of noise in the morning.  "It resembled the killing of a cock, but
Torg is not making dinner now." Farmboy Torg has killed far more chickens
than Romulans, although he's rapidly closing the gap.

mang beH Hujlu'pu'bogh tlhapta'DI' torgh, lojmIt poSmoH 'ej vegh. = beH
Hujlu'pu'bogh = the rifle that has been charged up "Once Torg has taken the
soldier's charged rifle he opens the door and goes through."

 may'Dajvo' Haw'be' torgh. Another proverb reference. may'Dajvo' Haw'be'
tlhIngan = a Klingon does not run away from his battles. "Torg does not run
away from his battle."

che'ronDaj wIv neH. - "He merely choses his battlefield."

 'a nuq wIvpu'? - "But what has he chosen?" I had no idea as I wrote this
what was behind the door. ghIq loDnalwI'vaD jIjatlh, <QeD lut Daq Qat yIper.
nuqDaq ghobnIS lut ghotwI'?> jang ghaH 'ej Daq Del. 

- Qov


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