[lojban-beginners] Ingersoll's creed - laboriously

["David Cortesi" <davecortesi@gmail.com>]

OK, this is Robert Ingersoll's creed:

[1]   Happiness is the only good.
[2]   The time to be happy is now.
[3]   The place to be happy is here.
[4]   The way to be happy is to help make others so.

Like any good poetry it presents many difficulties in translation (at
least for me).

Starting with: "Happiness." Clearly need an abstract -- a state
abstract {za'i}? -- and {za'i gleki} seems inadequate. Perhaps

{za'i jmive gleki} state of life-happiness

Second abstract: "good" in the philosophical sense, an abstract
positive value, maybe {si'o xamgu} the idea of beneficiality... BUT I
want this abstract to be the bridi, not another sumti. {sucta xamgu}?

There's a cmavo {po'o} for only/unique, but I'm not clear how a
discursive fits in; "the ONLY good" is more like a modal.

Anyway

[1] lo za'i jmive gleki cu po'o sucta xamgu

One line down and I'm exhausted!

For the next three I want parallel construction but not necessarily
the English parallel structure. For some reason this skeleton pops
into mind:

.i <happiness> fe tcika fa <now>
.i <happiness> fe stuzi fa <here>
.i <happiness> fe tadji fa <making others so>

(The fa's aren't required I know; but they would add to the rhythm)

Next problem: "now" as a sumti. {.i za'i jmive gleki fe tcika fa
caca'o} can't be right...

And "here" ditto: {.i za'i jmive gleki fe stuzi fa ti} likewise

"Help make" would be {lo zu'o sidzu gasnu...} but I'm sure I've made
enough errors without trying to translate "others so".

Looking forward to your improvements...

Dave Cortesi