Auhjodjus Þahainais

[Grsartor at AOL.COM]

Hailai allai.
 
I regret that I do not know the author's name, but The Sound of Silence, as 
 he has translated it into Gothic, looks good to me. However, I have not 
ventured  to try singing it to its tune. The composition, and the literal 
English  translation provided with it, are appended to this email. Since there 
are a few  invented terms it would be nice to be provided with a discussion 
of them. Apart  from that I offer a few comments, which should be carefully 
scrutinised, since  they may be wrong.
 
I think the construction in lines 5-6 should be amended to "soei in huga"  
etc; or if "so" is allowed to stand then "was" should be dropped.
 
In the fifth line of verse 2, I suspect the word for stabbed was meant to  
be "stugqana", and in the next line "split" should be represented by  
"disskaiskaiþ": the Goths do not seem to have let themselves off reduplication  in 
the preterite when a verb of Class 7 had a prefix: consider, e.g., 
fralailot,  the preterite of fraletan. If the indicated change would mess the rhythm 
up, not  to mention its being awkward to pronounce, it might be reasonable 
to drop the  dis- prefix, since "skaidan" by itself seems to have had 
something like the  required meaning.
 
In verse 4, if "galeiko" governs a dative, its second occurrence would have 
 to be followed by "rigna dumbamma". Possibly this would make the line 
rather  full of syllables. If so, then the problem might be cured by using "swe" 
rather  than "galeiko"; for in all the relevant examples I have managed to 
find, the  word acts like a conjunction, and so there would be a choice 
between "rign dumb"  and "rign dumbata".
 
In the fifth line of verse 5, the reference to a prophet has been  
overlooked; and was the use of "writanona" deliberate rather than from an  
involuntary thought of English? I think the expected word would be "melida" or  
"ufmelida".
 
In the last line I think "auhjodjuns" should be "auhjoduns".
 
Gerry T.
 
 
 
Here are the Gothic translation of the Sound of Silence and its literal  
rendition in English, both copied from the site where they were published.
 
Auhjodjus Þahainais
 
Hails, riqis, alþja frijond meins.
Qam aftra rodjan miþ þus,
siuns  auk sliupandei hnasquba
bilaiþ þan saislep sedins seinos.
Jah siuns so ïnn  huga meinamma
miþsatida was, und hita ïst
ïn auhjodau þamma  þahainais.
 
Ïn draumam rimislausaim ƕarb
sundro. Gatwons aggwjos staine
uf  glitmunjai lukarnis.
Halsafanan wiþra frius qrammiþuh afwandida
biþe  augona meina stikana wesun fram braƕa þamma niujaliuhadis
þatei naht  diskaiþ
taitokuh auhjodau þamma þahainais.
 
Þanuh ïn liuhada þamma naqadin saƕ
taihun þusundjos manne aufto  managizans.
Mans rodjand ïnu rodein.
Mans hausjand ïnu hausein.
Mans  meljand saggwins þanzei ni aiw stibnos miþdailidedun.
Jah ni ainshun  sokida
usþriutan auhjodau þamma þahainais.
 
Qaþ: Unwitans, ni wituþ jus
þahains galeiko gunda aukiþ.
Hauseiþ  waurda meina ei laisjau ïzwis!
Nimiþ armins meinans ei nimau ïzwis!
Ïþ  waurda meina drusun galeiko rigna dumba
jah galeikodedun sik
ïn brunnam  þaim þahainais.
 
Þanuh þiuda hniwun bedunuh
du niujaguda þatei namnidedun.
Jah bandwa  ƕota seina gataih
bi waurda þo si skop.
Qaþuh bandwa: waurda þo ana  waddjum ufwigis writanona sind
jah huznis sala.
Jah birodidedun auhjodjuns  þans þahainais.
 

Sounds Of.silence
 
Hello, darkness, old friend my
I.came again to.talk with you
vision  for creeping softly
left while I.slept seeds its.
And vision the in mind  my
planted was, until this.time is
in sound the of.silence.
 
In dreams restless I.walked
alone. Streets narrow of.stone
under glow  of.lamp.
Collar against cold damp.and I.turned.
When eyes my stabbed were  by flash the of.new-light
that night split
touched.and sound the  of.silence.
 
Then in light the naked I.saw
ten thousand of.men maybe more
People  they.talk without speaking.
People they.hear without listening.
People  they.write songs they.that never voices shared.
And no one  dared
to.disturb sound the of.silence.
 
I.said: Fools, not know you.all
silence like cancer grows.
Hear words  my that I.might.reach you!
Take arms my that I.might.reach you!
But words  my they.fell like rain silent
and they.echoed
in wells the  of.silence.
 
Then.and people they.bowed they.prayed.and
to new-god it.that  they.named.
And sign it.flashed its warning
in words the it  formed.
It.said.and sign: words.of.the.prophets the on walls of.subway  written are
and of.house halls.
And they.whispered sounds the  of.silence


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