[gothic-l] Re: a Gothic poem (verse 2)

[llama_nom]

> 
> Second stanza:
> 
> Aíþþáu þata blôþ, abrs jah ráuþs,
> Or the blood, mighty and red,


1) þata, etc. was used much less than "the" in English.  With an 
unqualified noun like this, 'þata bloþ' would probably mean "that 
blood" or "this blood", either blood already mentioned or "this 
blood [as opposed to some other blood]".  With adjectives or other 
qualifiers it is sometimes used with a meaning more like "the".  
Also where an adjective is used substantively: 'sa frumista' "the 
first one".  So I think you're alright with 'þata hrainisto' "the 
purest [thing]".

2) abr jah rauþ, neuter to agree with bloþ.  'abrs' (=Gk. isxuros) 
may mean 'extreme' or 'severe'.  It's one attestation is 'huhrus 
abrs' "a great/severe famine".  The adverb 'abraba' "very, greatly, 
extremely" appears three times translating Gk. sfodra.  Twice 
describing extreme fear, once extreme size: was auk mikils 
abraba "for it was very big".  Look under 'sphodra' and 'ischuros' 
here:

http://www.htmlbible.com/sacrednamebiblecom/kjvstrongs/STRINDEX.htm

The latter does have "mighty" among the its meanings, along 
with "forceful, etc."  Gothic 'mahteigs' is "mighty", "possible".


3) As this is the second part of a option in a question, instead 
of 'aíþþáu' the regular word for "or", you would use: þáu "or", and 
attach the enclitic question-particle -u to the end of the next 
word, so:

þáu bloþu, abr jah rauþ "or blood, mighty/extreme and red"



> 
> So swêro rûna þize leike,
> The honoured secret [of] the bodies,


Two definite articles in such constructions are rare, but not 
unheard of (þize skalke þis maistins gudjins "of the servants of the 
chief priest" = EK TWN DOULWN TOU ARXIEREWS J 18,26).  They all 
match the Greek as far as I know.  More often Gothic diverges from 
the Greek by keeping the genitive article/demonstrative but dropping 
the other, as is the rule in Old English (in garda þis reikis "into 
the house of the ruler" = EIS THN OIKIAN TOU ARXONTOS; daurons þis 
hlaiwis "the door of the sepulchre" = TH QURA TOU MNHMEIOU).

Gothic is also quite happy to omit both articles if the genitive 
noun is an abstraction, or not one specific previously mentioned 
thing, and where the genitive article has no demonstrative force 
(garehsn daupeinais "the plan of baptism"; dauþaus...staua "the 
judgement of death").

Some more or less comparable examples with qualifiers: auhumists 
weiha þis ataþnjis "the high priest that same year" (ARXIEREUS TOU 
ENIAUTOU EKEINOU); þo afgudon haifst Sabailliaus jah 
Markailliaus "the ungodly strife of Sabellius and Marcellius"; þamma 
twa andwairþja attins jah sunaus "the two persons of the father and 
the son".  So possibly: so swero rûna leike; so swero leike rûna.  
Or leaving out articles altogether: swera rûna leike.



> Þata filugaláufo wein þize reike,
> The costly wine [of] the kingdoms,

filugalaubo, with a 'b'.  In this word, the the 'f' would only 
appear when final, eg. in neuter sg. nom. and acc., or in the masc. 
nom. sg. filugalaufs.  Actually the word is attested only once I 
see: J 12,3 filugalaubis, masc./neut. gen. sg.  But also with 
similar meaning: galaubaim x1, galaubamma x2.

http://www.wulfila.be/Corpus/Search.html

The rule is that voiced fricatives were de-voiced at the end of a 
word, or before a voiceless consonant.  This is usually reflected in 
the spelling of the manuscripts (except that final -g, -gs is always 
spelt thus), but there are also a fair few analogical spellings with 
final -b, bs; -d, ds (beside the regular -f, -fs; -þ, -þs).



> Þaim gudam sa máista sáuþs?
> To the gods the greatest sacrifice?


I´d leave out 'þaim'.  Suggested prose word order: sa gudam máista 
sáuþs.



Hvas ist þata hráinisto ana aírþai?
Snáiws saei lagga ni libáiþ,
Þanei himins uns ufta fragibiþ
Swê huzd miþ kaldamma haírtin?

þau bloþu, abr jah ráuþ, (þáu bloþu mahteig rauþ,)
swera rûna leike,
wein galáuf reike,
sa gudam máista sáuþs?

Alternatives for line 2 (to make up for mucking up your rhyme;)
lagga ni ligiþ "lie"
lagga ni wisiþ "last"
suns usleiþiþ "soon goes/disappears"


How's that sound?  I like the rhymes and alliteration, by the way.  
It keeps the three beat line this way (depending how you read it), 
but accelerates.

Llama Nom





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