Alvorada XVI - Sing the Sun Up (en, Udugi ꭴꮪꭹ)

Sing the sun up,
and pray it down,
and walk in beauty
with your sisters and brothers,
in between.


[Udugi ꭴꮪꭹ]

kanogisdiu nvdane galvladitlv,
ale adadolisdodiu nasgine eladi,
ale aisvu uwodu hawina
nihi ulvdi ale anadanvtlidi gvdodi
nigadv iga.

ᎧᏃᎩᏍᏗᎤ ᏅᏓᏁ ᎦᎸᎳᏗᏢ,
ᎠᎴ ᎠᏓᏙᎵᏍᏙᏗᎤ ᎾᏍᎩᏁ ᎡᎳᏗ,
ᎠᎴ ᎠᎢᏒᎤ ᎤᏬᏚ ᎭᏫᎾ
ᏂᎯ ᎤᎸᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎠᎾᏓᏅᏟᏗ ᎬᏙᏗ
ᏂᎦᏛ ᎢᎦ.

More about Languages, Including Udugi (ꭴꮪꭹ)

I recently discovered that I could significantly increase (almost double) the readership for my poetry by including translations. The languages chosen are simply those I can speak (though in some cases I'm a bit "rusty"). I am currently translating my poems into Portunhol Surenho, Spanish, French, Catalan, Italian, and Esperanto. The last of these, Esperanto, is a constructed language, or "conlang." Since it is intended for use as an auxiliary language, it is also an "auxlang."

I have been able to speak, read, and write Esperanto since the age of seventeen. Esperanto, which was invented in 1885 by L. L. Zamenhof, is very easy to learn (I would say six times as easy as Spanish). It has sixteen grammar rules, with no exceptions. It also has several million speakers, scattered all over the world, which is why I included it in my translation languages.

I know other conlangs and auxlangs, including a couple that I created myself (Almensk and Romanyol), but had no reason to include them.

Soon, though, I will be adding another constructed language, one that I am still working on, called Udugi (ꭴ ꮪ ꭹ). It is based on Cherokee vocabulary and a simple, Esperanto-like grammar. Udugi, by the way, means "hope" in Cherokee.

Why would I do this, considering that Udugi has, as yet, no speakers? Well, for several reasons, and they are reasons of the heart.

First of all, I am very concerned about the future of the Cherokee (Tsalagi) language. UNESCO considers the dialect of the Eastern Band (spoken mostly in North Carolina) to be "severely endangered," and that of the Western Band (spoken mostly in Oklahoma) to be "definitely endangered." There are also speakers in Arkansas, and I assume that theirs is as endangered as the other dialects. There are immersion programs for children in both NC and OK, but the really fluent speakers are mostly old, and their numbers are decreasing.

Cherokee is hard to learn, especially for adults. I know, because I've studied the language off and on for half my life (I'm 75), and still can't claim to speak it. I've studied many languages, including other Amerindian languages, and the grammar of Cherokee is the most complex I've seen. For this reason, things aren't looking too good.

Given this scenario, it is my hope that the Cherokee people will be able to preserve at least some of their linguistic heritage, even if in a simplified form. Through Udugi, I'm providing a way of doing that, which can be either accepted and used, or ignored. I, though, intend to use this tool. It may be mostly ignored during my lifetime, but it will be available. Translating some of my poems, first the simpler ones, will help to develop the tool.

Sample of Udugi:

Sing the sun up,
and pray it down,
and walk in beauty
with your sisters and brothers,
all day.

[Udugi ꭴꮪꭹ]

kanogisdiu nvdane galvladitlv,
ale adadolisdodiu nasgine eladi,
ale aisvu uwodu hawina
nihi ulvdi ale anadanvtlidi gvdodi
nigadv iga.

ᎧᏃᎩᏍᏗᎤ ᏅᏓᏁ ᎦᎸᎳᏗᏢ,
ᎠᎴ ᎠᏓᏙᎵᏍᏙᏗᎤ ᎾᏍᎩᏁ ᎡᎳᏗ,
ᎠᎴ ᎠᎢᏒᎤ ᎤᏬᏚ ᎭᏫᎾ
ᏂᎯ ᎤᎸᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎠᎾᏓᏅᏟᏗ ᎬᏙᏗ
ᏂᎦᏛ ᎢᎦ.

Comments will be most welcome.

ᏩᏙ

Gymnós VIII - When the Dog Wants to Go Out (+ptl, es, fr, cat, it, eo)

When the dog wants to go out,
I let her.
But when I want to
live as I was born,
it is not permitted.
Why?
Is it because the delicate
sensibilities of someone
may be offended
by the sight
of a human being
in their natural state?
Do they think that
what God made
is bad?
Or is it simply
a matter
of control?
If it is the latter,
I choose
to be free.

[portunhol surenho]

Quando o cachorro quer sair,
Eu a deixo.
Mas quando eu quero
viver como nascí,
non está permitido.
Por qué?
É porque as delicadas
sensibilidades de alguém
poden ser ofendidas
pela visón
de um ser humano
em seu estado natural?
Eles pensam que
o que Deus fez
é ruim?
Ou é simplesmente
uma questión
de controle?
Se é o último,
eu escosho
ser livre.


[español]

Cuando el perro quiere salir,
La dejo.
Pero cuando quiero
vivir como nací,
no está permitido
¿Por qué?
¿Es porque las delicadas
sensibilidades de alguien
pueden ofenderse
por la vista
de un ser humano
en su estado natural?
¿Creen que
lo que Dios hizo
¿es malo?
¿O es simplemente
un asunto
de control?
Si es el último,
yo elijo
ser libre.


[français]

Quand le chien veut sortir,
Je la laisse faire.
Mais quand je veux
vivre comme je suis né,
ce n'est pas permis.
Pourquoi?
Est-ce parce que les délicates
sensibilités de quelqu'un
peuvent être offensées
par la vue
d'un être humain
dans leur état naturel?
Pensent-ils que
ce que Dieu a fait
est mauvais?
Ou est-ce simplement
une affaire
de contrôle?
Si c'est le dernier,
je choisis
être libre.


[català]

Quan el gos vol sortir,
La deixo.
Però quan vull
viure com vaig néixer,
no està permès.
Per què?
És perquè les delicates
sensibilitats d'algú
es pot ofendre
per la vista
d'un ésser humà
en el seu estat natural?
Creuen que
el que Déu va fer
és dolent?
O és simplement
un assumpte
de control?
Si és aquest últim,
escullo
ser lliure.


[italiano]

Quando il cane vuole uscire,
la lascio.
Ma quando voglio
vivere come sono nato,
non è permesso.
Perché?
È perché le delicate
sensibilità di qualcuno
possono essere offese
dalla vista
di un essere umano
nel loro stato naturale?
Pensano che
ciò che ha fatto Dio
è cattivo?
O è semplicemente
una questione
di controllo?
Se è quest'ultimo,
scelgo
essere libero.


[esperanto]

Kiam la hundo volas eliri,
Mi lasas ŝin fari ĝin.
Sed kiam mi volas
Vivu kiel mi naskiĝis,
ĝi ne estas permesata.
Kial?
Ĉu ĝi estas ĉar la delikataj
sentoj de iu
povas ofendiĝi
per la vido
de homo
en ilia natura stato?
Ĉu ili pensas ke tion
kion Dio kreis
estas malbona?
Aŭ ĉu ĝi simple
estas afero
de kontrolo?
Se ĝi estas la lasta,
Mi elektas
esti libera.

Alvorada XVII - A Time, Generations Past (+ptl, es, fr, cat, it, eo, ud ꭴꮪꭹ)

A time, generations past,
still lives in me,
and I feel the stirring
in my blood.
I make few concessions
to my surroundings,
and seek only to revive
what is good.

ꭴꮪꭶꮑꮩ

[portunhol surenho]

Um tempo, das gerasones passadas,
ainda vive em mim,
y sinto a agitasón
em meu sangue.
Fazo poucas concessones
para o meu entorno
y busco somente reviver
o que é bom.


[español]

Un tiempo, de las generaciones pasadas,
vive todavía en mí,
y siento la agitación
en mi sangre.
Hago pocas concesiones
a mi entorno,
y busco solo revivir
lo que es bueno.


[français]

Un temps, des générations passées,
vit toujours en moi,
et je sens l'agitation
dans mon sang.
Je fais peu de concessions
à mon entourage,
et cherche seulement à revivre
ce qui est bon.


[català]

Un temps, de generacions passades,
encara viu en mi,
i sento l'agitació
en la meva sang.
Faig poques concessions
al meu entorn,
i només busco reviure
el que és bo.


[italiano]

Un tempo, delle generazioni passate,
vive ancora in me,
e sento l'agitazione
nel mio sangue.
Faccio poche concessioni
a ciò che mi circonda,
e cerco solo di rianimare
ciò che è buono.


[esperanto]

Tempo, generacioj pasintaj,
ankoraŭ vivas en mi,
kaj mi sentas la moviĝon
en mia sango.
Mi faras malmultajn koncesiojn
al mia ĉirkaŭaĵo,
kaj serĉas nur revivigi
tion, kio estas bona.


[Udugi ꭴꮪꭹ]

aliyilisv, unanelotanvdi iyu-tsigesv,
doi ehase ayv hawina,
ale aya asvnasdase adanvsidoane
aqua gigv hawina.
Aya gotlvdase gayoli osdv-igvnedidi
aqua dagaduwisdisgvdi gvdodi
ale ayasdase uwasa analenigi
nane gado-usdi gesvase osdv.

ᎠᎵᏱᎵᏒ, ᎤᎾᏁᎶᏔᏅᏗ ᎢᏳ-ᏥᎨᏒ,
ᏙᎢ ᎡᎭᏎ ᎠᏴ ᎭᏫᎾ,
ᎠᎴ ᎠᏯ ᎠᏒᎾᏍᏓᏎ ᎠᏓᏅᏏᏙᎠᏁ
ᎠᏆ ᎩᎬ ᎭᏫᎾ.
ᎠᏯ ᎪᏢᏓᏎ ᎦᏲᎵ ᎣᏍᏛ-ᎢᎬᏁᏗᏗ
ᎠᏆ ᏓᎦᏚᏫᏍᏗᏍᎬᏗ ᎬᏙᏗ
ᎠᎴ ᎠᏯᏍᏓᏎ ᎤᏩᏌ ᎠᎾᎴᏂᎩ
ᎾᏁ ᎦᏙ-ᎤᏍᏗ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎣᏍᏛ.

Gymnós VII - This Body (+ptl, es, fr, cat, it, eo, hi)

This body is
companion and
vehicle,
a late bloomer,
one of many,
on a journey
whose beginning
and end
are beyond
my sight.

[portunhol surenho]

Este corpo é
companheiro y
veículo,
um floresceiro tardio,
um de muitos,
em uma jornada
cusho comesso
y fim
están além de
minha vista.


[español]

Este cuerpo es
compañero y
vehículo,
un floreciente tardío,
uno de muchos,
en un viaje
cuyo comienzo
y fin
están más allá
de mi vista.


[français]

Ce corps est
compagnon et
véhicule,
un fleurier tardif,
un parmi beaucoup,
en voyage
dont le début
et fin
sont au-delà
de ma vision.


[català]

Aquest cos és
company i
vehicle,
una floració tardana,
un de molts,
en un viatge
el començament del qual
i acabar
estan més enllà
de la meva vista.


[italiano]

Questo corpo è
compagno e
veicolo,
un fiore in ritardo,
uno dei tanti,
in viaggio
il cui inizio
e fine
sono oltre
la mia vista.


[esperanto]

Ĉi tiu korpo estas
kompano kaj
veturilo,
malfrua floriĝo,
unu el multaj,
sur vojaĝo
kies komenco
kaj fino
estas preter
mia vido.


[Hindi]

यह शरीर है
साथी और
वाहन,
एक देर से प्रवाहित,
कई में से एक,
सफर पर
जिनकी शुरुआत
और अंत
परे हैं
मेरी दृष्टि।

A Little Humor in the Storm

A thunderclap can cover a fart
but the very unfortunate part
is that when you need to clear the air,
there's never any thunder there.

Yesterday my friend Jerry put on a pig roast, first one I've been to in a couple of years. The guests included expats and uruguayos, some I hadn't seen for a long time. A bittersweet note was that Jerry's sister, Marilyn, who passed away about a year ago, wouldn't be there. She used to be our bass player when we played music together. Her absence was the main reason that I didn't feel like bringing my guitar. Fortunately, a couple of others did bring theirs.

It was a lovely March day, such as we've been having this year, but we knew that a storm would be coming. It also happened to be St. Patrick's Day. A woman sitting across the table from me, whom I didn't know, was dressed in green. Before I could ask her if she was Irish (though she had a French accent), she explained that she was from Irlande, Quebec. Louise and her husband, Jean-Marie, turned out to be delightful people. I'm sure that we'll see them again.

Anyway, I probably drank too much red wine, and I know that I ate things I shouldn't have. Shortly before we left for home, I prevailed upon our friend Horacio to sing and play a "milonga." He did "Yo tengo tantos hermanos," which is one of my favorites. Here is a link to the song, as sung by Alfredo Zitarrosa, who I think wrote it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HYdH6v5OjQ

We left for home as the storm was gathering, with three French Canadians in the back seat of the car, only one of whom we had met before. That's life, when you're an expat in Uruguay.

Below, I've posted a few shots from the party.

Gymnós VI - Three Quarters of a Century (+ptl, es, fr, cat, it, eo, hi)

Three quarters of a century
have convinced me
of the need
to be free,
to live honestly,
and to stay strong
on the path
of truth
and beauty.

[portunhol surenho]

Tres quartos de século
me convenceram
da necessidade
de ser livre,
de viver honestamente,
y permanecé forte
no caminho
de verdade
y beleza.


[español]

Tres cuartos de siglo
me han convencido
de la necesidad
de ser libre,
de vivir honestamente,
y de mantenerme fuerte
en el camino
de verdad
y belleza.


[français]

Trois quarts de siècle
m'a convaincu
du besoin
d'être libre,
de vivre honnêtement,
et de rester fort
sur le chemin
de la verité
et la beauté.


[català]

Tres quarts de segle
m'han convençut
de la necessitat
de ser lliure,
de viure honestament,
i de mantenir-em fort
en el camí
de la veritat
i la bellesa.


[italiano]

Tre quarti di secolo
mi hanno convinto
del bisogno
essere libero,
vivere onestamente,
e rimanere forte
sul sentiero
di verità
e bellezza.


[esperanto]

Tri kvaraj de jarcento
konvinkis min
de la bezono
esti libera,
Vivi honeste,
kaj resti forta
sur la vojo
de vero
kaj beleco.


[Hindi]

एक सदी के तीन चौथाई
ने मुझे आश्वस्त किया है
जरूरत के
मुक्त होने के लिए,
ईमानदारी से जीने के लिए,
और मजबूत रहने के लिए
पथ पर
सच्चाई का
और सौंदर्य