Re: CONLANG: Write-only language, part 2

[Don Wiggins <dwiggins@BFSEC.BT.CO.UK>]

>>>"You who think to seek for me, know that your seeking and yearning will
>>>avail you not, unless you know the mystery: for if that which you seek,
>>>you find not within yourself, you will never find it without." (From The
>>>Charge of the Goddess, more or less as written by Doreen Valiente)

>doi krici be le du'u do mi sisku do'u e'unai djuno le du'u na sidju fa le nu
>do mi sisku je djica secau le nu djuno le selmipri no'u le du'u do va'o le nu
>do le do se sisku na zo'i facki na ze'o facki

>The first "know" has to be imperative rather than declarative, the Goddess
>is not telling us something we already know,

It appears we are degenerating into an argument about what the English means.
The phrase "think to" is not the same as "think that" and means something
like "intent to"  or "going to", so 'krici' doesn't really fit.  I took the
first ", know" to be short for ", and who know" that introduces a further,
descriptive relative clause.  However, I do see what you're saying.

>She is letting us know of the mystery.

Yes, again, that is not an unreasonable interpretation.

> Then of course I might be wrong, interpreting the deities was never an easy
> task.

Only because they are using English and not lojban. to explain what they mean.
Everyone immediately ploughs on with their own interpretation. .i zo'o

>Actually, one would probably do this in Lojban as
>"doi troci be lenu sisku ... with an explicit do'u (probably not
>actually required)

I knew you would say that, that's exactly the other scheme that came to
mind.

ni'o co'omi'e dn.