From - Mon Jul 29 12:44:32 1996 Received: from VMS.DC.LSOFT.COM (vms.dc.lsoft.com [206.241.12.2]) by locke.ccil.org (8.6.9/8.6.10) with ESMTP id UAA20100 for ; Thu, 25 Jul 1996 20:52:08 -0400 Message-Id: <199607260052.UAA20100@locke.ccil.org> Received: from PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM (206.241.12.4) by VMS.DC.LSOFT.COM (LSMTP for OpenVMS v1.1a) with SMTP id <14.108DDDFE@VMS.DC.LSOFT.COM>; Thu, 25 Jul 1996 19:29:30 -0500 Date: Fri, 26 Jul 1996 01:21:14 +0100 Reply-To: Colin Fine Sender: Lojban list From: Colin Fine Subject: Re: may the wind be always at your back To: Lojban list In-Reply-To: <838323171.25315.0@vms.dc.lsoft.com> X-Mozilla-Status: 0011 Content-Length: 1803 vecu'u le notci po'u <838323171.25315.0@vms.dc.lsoft.com> la Chris Bogart cu cusku di'e >> I'm trying to figure out how to say "may the wind be always at your >> back." What I've got so far is: >> >> ko cu stoga'e le rixfarbi'e ku >> (I command you to)constantly feel the wind from the behind-direction >> >> Basically I'm trying to figure out how to express the "may you" bit. I >> was thinking of using "pacna" (wish/hope/expect), but I'm not sure how to >> say "I hope that xyz is true" without having to resort to "xyz. I hope >> that ko'a is true". > >I don't have my gi'uste with me, but what you put looks good grammatically. >Another way you might try it is using .a'o > >As for grammar -- you don't need the "cu" or the "ku", but they are >acceptable -- it's a question of what style you prefer. > >co'o mi'e kris Yes, that's precisely what UI are for. Furthermore, I don't think you want "ko" here - it's not a command to the hearer. I would say do stoga'e le rixfarbi'e a'o or more laconically roroi brife le do trixe .a'o (at all times something is a wind from the rear of you [hope]) This is still fairly literal, and probably not really what is wanted. Better still would be brife nagi'a trixe .a'o do (something is a wind only-if [it] is-behind [hope] you). co'o mi'e kolin -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | Colin Fine 66 High Ash, Shipley, W Yorks. BD18 1NE, UK | | Tel: 01274 592696 e-mail: colin@kindness.demon.co.uk | | "Losing is a state of mind, not a fact of life." -K.B.Brown | -----------------------------------------------------------------------