From LOJBAN%CUVMB.BITNET@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU Mon Jun 27 20:55:56 1994
Message-Id: <199406280055.AA03449@nfs1.digex.net>
Date: Mon Jun 27 20:55:56 1994
Reply-To: jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU
Sender: Lojban list <LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET>
From: Jorge Llambias <jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Problem with cnima'o scales
To:         lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu
Status: RO

la kolin cusku di'e

> Recently I was trying to translate a quote from Confucius that I saw:
> "When I light a candle at midnight, I say to the darkness 'I beg to differ'"

> To return to my original translation, my best so far is
>
> fo le ctemidju nu da'i gau mi jelgu'icfa ku
> mi cusku fi loi nunmanku fe le du'u mi ga'inai fricycu'a
>
> "by the night-middle event (irrealis) by-agent me burn-illumine-initate,
> I express to the-mass dark-event the proposition I humbly differ-choose"

I don't think {frica} (= to differ, to be different) is the meaning here.
It's more like {toltu'i} (=to disagree)

There's a nice word for "candle" in the lujvo list: laktergu'i

What would be a good way to say "to light a candle"? I think it should be
the same word used for "to turn on the lights" or "to start the engine", but
I can't think of anything for this at the moment, other than {cfagau tu'a...}

My suggested modification:

fo le ctemidju nu cfagau tu'a le laktergu'i ku
mi cusku fi loi nunmanku fe le sedu'u mi ga'inai toltu'i

Or a less literal and less convoluted version:

ca le ctemidju mi cfagau tu'a le laktergu'i
i doi nunmanku mi ga'inai toltu'i

(It even rhymes!)

Jorge