a Gothic poem (verse 3)--syntax, word usage

[llama_nom]

--- In gothic-l at yahoogroups.com, "Roman Rausch" <aranwe at m...> wrote:


> It has also ventured farther than usual in _ikei ana andaugi 
raihtis 
> hauns im in izwis_ 'who in presence am base among you' 
(Cor.II,10:1).



Yes, although here the position of RAIHTIS matches exactly that MEN 
in the Greek original.  To find out about Gothic word order we 
really need examples were the Gothic diverges from the Greek, or 
where there is no Greek model to follow because Gothic needs more 
than one word to translate a single Greek word.




> Þaírh ita diwand mahteis,
> Akei galiuhtjiþ nahtins



NAHTS is a feminine consonant stem, declined like BAURGS except that 
the dative plural is NAHTAM, perhaps by analogy with DAGAM.  So, 
acc.pl. NAHTS.  WAIHTS normally behaves like an i-stem, but the 
consonants stem acc.pl. WAIHTS is also attested (besides WAIHTINS).

After a long root syllable, the verbal ending -jiþ usually becomes -
eiþ.  It's possible that GALIUHTEIÞ would mean "will light", cf. 
1Cor 4,5, and see my recent comments about tenses.  If you have in 
mind the idea that it lights up the night as a general rule, it 
might be better as simply LIUHTEIÞ.



> Or would _Jah sik galiuhtjand nahteis_ be also possible for the 
second 
> line?



I would read this as "the nights light themselves up".  Where SIK is 
used to translate the Greek middle voice, it comes immediately after 
the verb.  That might be possible, though not attested for LIUHTJAN 
as far as I can see.  Or you could use the passive: NAHTS 
LIUHTJANDA "[the] nights are illuminated / lit up".  Or make up a 
Weak 4 inchoative verb: NAHTS LIUHTNAND "nights become light".

Llama Nom




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