Re: pamo'o la dao de jin

[Robin Turner <robin@xxxxxxx.xxx.xxx]

Spigot wrote:

> [trying to capture the terseness of the chinese, using a lot of <zo'u>.
> don't know how many of these i'll do, but here's the first]

{zo'u} has always confused me,but now I have my copy of the Book, I'll study
it again!

>
>
> pamo'o
> .i le tadji poi selsku zo'u na vitno tadji
> .i le cmene poi selsku zo'u na vitno cmene
> .i tolcme zo'u munje krasi
> .i cmene zo'u mamta ro da
> .i toldji zo'u ganse leka toltai
> .i djica zo'u ganse leka tarmi
> .i leka toltai leka tarmi cu mintu
> .iku'i frica cmene
> .i leka mintu cu manku
> .i manku ne'i leka manku
> .i kalri leika manci

Very nice - it's been almost two decades since I read any Chinese, so I
can't really comment on the accuracy of the translation. Just a few
stylistic points:


> .i le cmene poi selsku zo'u na vitno cmene
>

I'd say {selcme} rather than {selsku} here. IIRC the original is "ming ke
ming fei chang ming" which is usually translated as "the name which can be
named" rather than "the name which names" - Chinese has a very cavalier
attitude to the passive!


> .i cmene zo'u mamta ro da
>

Again, I'd prefer {selcme}, with the sense of the thing named, or even
{selka'ecme} - the nameable.

Keep at it - I really like the style of this, and it seems close to my very
fuzzy recollection of the Chinese.

co'o mi'e robin.