Thursday 24 June 2010

῾Єxιc ἱππecκε (The sheep and the horses)

I've translated Schleicher's fable, so here it is!
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Βοмнει ἑxιc xεнεн αὡнтιι eειδι ἱππεc, ἑн трαнεcοнтιεн трαнυκрεн ᴧοрδιεн, ἑн φαрεcοнтιεн мeгιεн φαcκεтεн, ἑн φαрεcοнтιεн ἁнδрοн тεᴧxιωн. ῾Єxιc ἱππειc eᴧeгι: "Тυмαр мου мε цεнοрι ειδοнтιιн ἁнδрοн ἱππεc αнтαгοнтιιн." Ἱππec eᴧeᴧεc: "Aυδαтι, ἑxιc. Тυмαрεc нωc нοc цεнοрεc ειδοнтιεc ἁтεн: ἁнδεр, δεcπιc, ποιι xεнου ἑxου мαβιεн ἁннрεн υπтα αυтιει e ἑxιc ἱ нιεн xεнεн." Aαυδοнтιι ἑxιc ᴧeнειεн εнeφυгι.

Hill.dat sheep wool.acc neg-having see.pst horses.acc, one.acc pulling.impf.acc wagon.acc heavy.acc, one.acc carrying.impf.acc big.acc burdon.acc, one.acc carrying.impf.acc man.acc fast.adv. Sheep horses.dat say.pst: "Heart my.gen me.acc hurts seeing.acc man.acc horses.acc driving.acc." Horses say.pst: "Listen, sheep. Hearts our.gen us.acc hurt seeing.acc this.acc: man, master, makes wool.gen sheep.gen warm.acc garment.acc for himself.dat and sheep has no.acc wool.acc." Hear.pf sheep plain.acc in-fled.

On a hill, a sheep that had no wool saw horses, one of them pulling a heavy wagon, one carrying a big load, and one carrying a man quickly. The sheep said to the horses: "My heart pains me, seeing a man driving horses". The horses said: "Listen, sheep, our hearts pain us when we see this: a man, the master, makes the wool of the sheep into a warm garment for himself. And the sheep has no wool". Having heard this, the sheep fled into the plain.

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In case anyone noticed the root-difference between "αυδαтι" and "ααυδοнтιι" - which I somewhat doubt -, he or she might say that either the first should be αυδεтι (from αυδ+εтι instead of αυδα+εтι) or the other ααυδωнтιι (from α+αυδα+οнт+ιι instead of α+αυδ+οнт+ιι). They would ofcourse be wrong, as the first comes from αυδειн (root/stem αυδ) meaning "to hear" and the second from αυδαιн (root αυδα) meaning "to listen". In other words, a small semantical difference is marked by a stemvowel that is only visible in some cases because of vowel assimilation. Interesting, eh?

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