Return-Path: <@FINHUTC.HUT.FI:LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET> Received: from FINHUTC.hut.fi by xiron.pc.helsinki.fi with smtp (Linux Smail3.1.28.1 #1) id m0qIRSh-00001zC; Tue, 28 Jun 94 03:55 EET DST Message-Id: Received: from FINHUTC.HUT.FI by FINHUTC.hut.fi (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 9814; Tue, 28 Jun 94 03:55:52 EET Received: from SEARN.SUNET.SE (NJE origin MAILER@SEARN) by FINHUTC.HUT.FI (LMail V1.1d/1.7f) with BSMTP id 9808; Tue, 28 Jun 1994 03:55:51 +0200 Received: from SEARN.SUNET.SE (NJE origin LISTSERV@SEARN) by SEARN.SUNET.SE (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 9125; Tue, 28 Jun 1994 02:53:53 +0200 Date: Mon, 27 Jun 1994 20:56:02 EDT Reply-To: jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU Sender: Lojban list From: Jorge Llambias Subject: Re: Problem with cnima'o scales X-To: lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu To: Veijo Vilva Content-Length: 1185 Lines: 35 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