Senu Yivokuchi Corpus

Leaves of Grass

This is the poem that begins Walt Whitman's famous collection "Leaves of Grass". Whitman is, let's say, difficult to translate into any other language, given his syntactic preferences. Besides, though I liked many of his Leaves, they were also unsuitable for Yivokuchi given the strong cultural background. This little introduction is both beautiful and universal.

• Original version
• Yivokuchi version (running text)
• Interlinear translation (Yivokuchi, broken down and glossed in English)

Leaves of Grass

Come, said my soul
Such verses for my body let us write (for we are one)
That should I after return
Or long, long hence, in other spheres
There to some group of mates the chants resuming,
(Tallying Earth's soil, trees, winds, tumultuous waves,)
Ever with pleas'd smile I may keep on,
Ever and ever yet the verses owning -- as, first, I here and now
Signing for soul and body, set to them my name,
Walt Whitman.

Nak nak pulaya

Disole votu siu ye
Zun yunnun gonis ye didokal kai - cet asa kaide -
Kocha e uvan gamsoname
Ta ciruva ciru yivewo umakazokh rema
Veme gower sakin khu faezuren kheodi
Fillepen itoinech kheni, kuch, reyi, etayeorkhab chodi un,
Masaderva linanrera came e zures
Masa masaderva ime ayil yunnuni, yizun estiva e vewo mawo
Prannen gobun siu linisi, dokaldiwe el ye uzao,
Waltu Witman.

Interlinear translation

 1. disole votu siu ye
    di- so  =le  vot    -u   siu  ye
    IMP-come=REP PST+say-PST soul GEN+1s
    "'come' said my soul"

2a. zun yunnun gonis ye didokal kai
    zun    yunnun go- nis  ye     di- dokal kai
    manner verse  ALL-body GEN+1s IMP-write 1sX
    "[this] kind of verse[s] for my body let us write"

2b.  - cet asa kaide -
    cet     as -a   kai=de
    because one-NDF 1sX=COP
    "because we are one"

 3. kocha e uvan gamsoname
    kocha   e  u-  van   gamso -n  -a  =me
    so_that 1s ESS-after return-ACP-NDF=HYP+COP
    "so that I afterwards hypothetically-returning"

 4. ta ciruva ciru    yivewo umakazokh rema
    ta ciruva ciru    yi- vewo u-  makazokh rem  -a
    or long   distant GEN-here ESS-realm    other-NDF
    "or far away from here in other realm[s]"

 5. veme gower sakin khu faezuren kheodi
    veme  go- wer   sakin  khu  faezur-en  kheodi
    there ALL-group friend some resume-ACP song-DEF
    "there to some group of friend[s] resuming the song[s]"

6a. fillepen itoinech kheni, kuch,
    fillep-en   itoinech      khen-i,  ku  -ch,
    recount-ACF GEN-world-DEF soil-DEF tree-DEF
    "tallying of the world the soil, the tree[s],"

6b. reyi, etayeorkhab chodi un,
    rey -i,  e=  tayeorkhab chod-i   u-  n,
    wind-DEF MPH=tumultuous wave-DEF ESS-OBJ
    "the wind[s], the tumultuous wave[s] in-it,"

 7. masaderva linanrera came e zures
    masaderva li- nanrer-a   ca      =me      e  zur    -e  =s
    forever   COM-smile -NDF possible=HYP+COP 1s keep_on-PRS=CNJ
    "forever with a smile hypothetically-being-possible I keep on"

 8. masa masaderva ime ayil yunnuni, yizun estiva e vewo mawo
    masa masaderva ime ayil   yunnun-i,  yi- zun    estiva  e  vewo mawo
    TIM3 forever   but owning verse -DEF GEN-manner firstly 1s here now
    "then forever but owning the verse[s], in [the] manner I first here now"

 9. prannen gobun siu linisi, dokaldiwe el ye uzao,
    prann-en  go- bun  siu  li- nis -i,  dokaldiw-e   el   ye     u-  zao,
    sign -ACP ALL-sake soul COM-body-DEF inscribe-PRS name GEN+1s ESS-TH3
    "signing for the soul and body, I inscribe my name on them,"

10. Waltu Witman.
    Waltu Witman.
    Walt  Whitman
    "Walt Whitman."