Chinese Classic in Chinook Wawa

[Christopher Schindler]

Below is my translation of Chapter 1 of the Tao Te Ching into Chinook Wawa -
something I did for my own amusement that I want to share with the list.  I
used Gibbs spellings to give it a "classical" look, since the original is
Classical Chinese.
My own English from the Chinese follows.

Oke wayhut spose mika mamook nem yaka
Okoke wake kwanesum wayhut.
Oke nem spose mika mamook nem yaka
Okoke wake kwanesum nem.
Kah halo mitlite nem yahwa saghalie
pe illahie klaska elip.
Kah mitlite nem yahwa tukamonuk
tukamonuk iktah klaska mama.
Spose kwanesum mika wake tikegh
mika nanitch tamahnous.
Spose kwanesum mika tikegh
mika nantich kah yaka lapee mitlite.
Kah okoke mokst iktah chahko kahkwa pe huloima nem.
Kunamoxt klaska nem polaklie.
Kopa elip polaklie polaklie mitlite
tamahnous yaka lapote.

The way that can be named is not the everlasting way.
The name that can be named is not the everlasting name.
Where there is no name is the beginning of heaven and earth.
Where there is a name is the mother of 10,000 things.
If you never desire you will see the mysterious.
If you always desire you will only see traces of it.
These two things come from the same place but have different names.
Darkness is the name of both of them.
At the darkness of darkness is the gate of the mysterious.


Christopher Schindler