Mahensi Studies, Starting with a poem.

I cannot say that the Mahensi-studies have died, because they never really thrived...
As most Shejidan folks are more into Atevi and Hani-languages I don't expect much interest for Mahensi, and I myself won't be able to spend much time on it, too, due to looming exams.

But I do want to add Mahensi to the Universe-ity of Shejidan, for times to come and as an invitation. I got this here Mahen poem.



Soshe hes
ashit-ma'asha
nes neisa.
Ashtie'ani - ashtie'ani.

Soshe ma
neshighot min
pai shifeuthi-to.
Vuj'ji - vuj'ji.

Pau haoti-to
mui meruj'an
mushie neshig'thi-to.
Muiri nai - muiri nai.



word-for-word translation:

Space here
Dream
there child
Yearning, yearning

Space permeated
Gifts until now
not know-together
Vast, vast

But existence/Being-together
because Here and Now
beautiful connect-together
Meaning/reason we, meaning/reason we



Translation:

Space is
bigger than
the dream of a child
yearning
yearning

Space is
filled with things
we don't know yet
Vast!
Vast!

I can't really say the last verse in English. It's roughly: We last, because we are beautifully connecting into/within the Here and Now, thus the meaning of existence is us. We are the reason. We give it reason. Y'know ...





If s/o is interested in pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar I can dig out my Mahen-German dictionary and try to explain. Do it this week or (probably) wait until I'm done with the exams, when I'll be continuing (or rather: starting) the Mahensi studies for real. At least that's the plan

cool! I will be interested in what you come up with!

Can't wait myself ...

Camus has nothing on Vetchi-ji
number one good!

Camus? Oh, I don't know about that. He, if I remember right from what I learned at school, had a rather depressing view of the world, whereas I think


if I could say what I think easily I would't bother writing Mahensi poems ...
Glad, you like it, Mia!

one meant, you stated your philosophy (the part that doesn't translate so well into english) much more eloquently (even though it doesn't translate so well into english) than he did his, and yours is a poem to boot.

well you know me, trying to explain what I think---I'm like a cross between a philosopher and the Godfather. I'll make you an offer you can't understand

but ignore me, and keep up the Mahensi and the poetry and the unmitigated vetchiness

Oh, Moira, I am so gebauchpinselt! (flattered)

And if I may, I wanna use that philosopical Godfather-quote. It made my day!

Okay.

This is what I have so far.
It's old stuff, and scanning through it now I realize that it's lacking and definitely needs revision.
It started as a German-Mahensi list, so I had to translate the German part into English, which probably didn't help to make it better, as my knowledge of English isn't rich nor deep enough for those subtle nuances that are different in every language.

Some words actually exist in Her Cherryhnesses' books; my next project is to make them bold.
I followed the German way of capitalizing nouns and left it for now.

Some words in my translation are more a word-field than a single meaning; and I honestly think that I haven't yet pushed that approach far enough in the least. I think Mahensi is a language with a lot of meanings that crystallize in the given context, made more clear by body-language, modulation, facial expression etc…


This is a work in (verrrrrrry slooooooow) progress; I appreciate any suggestion, question, complaint, cheer... any feedback. But I don't really expect it.
Mahensi studies are not a priority of Shejidan Universe-ity; and well, as long as I don't get any objections I will happily (and sloooooooowly) carry on with what I got so far.




I (me) : sha
you (sg) : sai
we (us) : nai
you (pl): jai


-ne : to have, to be
-sa : to have, to be (pl)

-me : but

-te : not, lack

-to : together

-ma : mahe, da universe, 'all there is'

-na : because (result of)





a : yes

ashio : unknown, thrilling

Ashit'af-ma'asha : dream/s (to travel/journey in sleep)

ashit'aji : to yearn, to desire

Ashit'ani : trip, journey (into the unknown)

ash'ji : to wander, to journey (into the unknown); set off

ash'ji-ma'asha : to dream

Ashtie : reason; what for, why (reason for setting off)

Ashtie'ani : yearning, craving (search, quest)

casheni : heroic, proven in battle

fethi : to cut, to divide

Feu : cut, division

feu-sa : you are cut off

hai : to place

hai na : (that's German… "Mach hin!" – means "make haste!")

hao : so, same, that; praefix indicating reason for s.th.

haoti : being [y'know, the Universe and all the rest...]

Haoti-ma : Ger. "Mut, Macht" (mhd "mout") – um – power... da force... courage...

Has'aj : shit

hase : there's no English for "beschissen" – shat upon – well, f++++d, but that's not the same.

has'eji : to shit

hasoi : much, a lot of (of the same) – big

Has'oren : mass, amount; heap

has'orthi : to pile

he : with

hes : there, place of arrival; (-> nes – hes)

hofai : to explode, to blow up

Hotai : bomb, explos' explosion

Ij : ground, earth

iji : fertile

ijiji : to flourish, to flower

jai : ?

jei : Yea! Ya!

ji : many, a lot of (different things)

ma : to permeate (thanks to Jeimani!), to soak

Ma'arno : darkness

ma'arsi : dark

ma'ase : being asleep (adj)

Ma'asha : sleep

ma'ashti : to sleep

mafethi : to block off, to cut off

Mafeu : barrier/s, barricade/s; closed doors

mafeu-sa : you are closed in

maruj : until now

Maruj'an : Here and Now

mashie : beautiful, harmonic, full of soul

Mashie'ana : Beauty

Mau'arno : grace, charm, sweetness

mau'ni : pretty, cute, graceful

-me : but

Meh : opposite, s.th. different

Merus'an : deal/s, arrangement/s

min : until now (pai min: not yet)

mishi'o : to rue, to regret, to feel sorry for

Mishi'sa : regret, remorse

mishisi : regrettable, lamentable

mui : because (meaning of, sense of sth., mind...)

Muiri : sense, meaning; effect, consequence; motive, context; essence, substance

muirighi : meaningfull, inspired, filled

muirisho : to commission, to assign (by a Personage); to fill (not with stuff, but with s.th. spiritual)

Muj'arno : greatness, vastness, infinity

muj'ji : vast, great

mura'ai : to confuse, to tangle

Mura'ani : chaos, confusion, disorganisation

murano : tangled, confused

mushie : strange, (not like 'stranger' but like:) weird

Mushie'ana : strangeness, weirdness

na : to do, to make

-na : because (result of)

nai : you (pl)

-ne : to have, to be

Neisa : child

Neishima : curse, haunting molestation, nuisance

neishimaji : to trouble, to haunt, to bother, to molest, harass [you get the spirit…]

neishimi : troublesome, getting on one's nerves, harrassing; not appropriate now, not fitting into here and now; [– ah, I think the word might be] importunate

nes - hes : from - to (here – there) [comparing implied]

nes : here; starting point, point of departure

neshighi : beneficial, helpful, opportune

Neshighot : connection/s, gift/s

neshio : to connect; to help, support via connection/s

pai : no, lacking, not

pai min : not yet

pau : to wait, to stay

rahe'ish' : [if I knew...]

shai : I

sheni : to be able to (can), to be possible, contains/has

Shenigi : ability, experience (like: collected knowledge), (contents)

shenji : to train, to practice

Sheshe : alarm

sheshei : alarmed, alert

sheshethi : to alarm, to warn

shifei : known

shifeuthi : to know, to ken

shisheji : to journey (to a known destiny)

shishini : to find (a known destiny)

Shishmin : destiny (of a journey)

Soshe : what-opens = space, cosmos (universe)

sosheno : open

soshethi : to open

Sshifeu'an : knowledge; aquaintance

Taiga : hell

taij : to want

-te : not

-to : together

Visin'afa : (the) cold, coldness, space

visini : cold (adj)

visini-ma'arno : cold dark = space (outer space, deep space)

Visisha : hunger (appetite – not 'yearn' etc.)

vis'shathi : to be hungry




__________________________________________________

so with that stuff I tried those translations:

Sheshe sheshei-to! Alarm! Alarmed—together(pl.)!

Mishio-ne. Sorry-me. = I'm sorry.

Hao. Mishi'sa. Same. Regret. = Yes. Sorry.

Neshighot-me pau taiga? = What the hell good is it?

Hao'ashtie-na ma visini-ma'arno shishini-to nes mura'ani hes. ("something about dark and cold") So set off I through cold dark find-together there chaos here. Meaning something like: So I set off into/through space (dark cold) only to find, together with you, the same disarray I left behind.

Muiri nai, Pyanfar. Sense we, Pyanfar. Implied: We are the ones who give meaning to it.

Merus'an-to he neishima kif, he? Bargain-together with damned kif, he? = We have to bargain/arrange us with t. d. k.

Merus'an-to he neishima kif. Shai. Bargain-together with Heimsuchung kif. I. = I, personally, will bargain with t. d. k.

"Soshethi-sa! Soshethi-ma hase mafeu!" Open-you! Open-anyone shit barricade!

well done!

Thank you! Oooold stuff, a?

The sentences at the end, which I tried to translate, are of course all from the books.
I just realize that in the last sentence I didn't translate "Heimsuchung", the German translation of "neishima". I tried to catch its meaning with "damned". But "Heimsuchung"/"neishima" actually means something like "infestation"/"visitation".

Heh, "actually means"... I mean, I've defined it to mean that. I wonder if Her Cherryhness has translations for her Mahensi from the books. I got a notion that she doesn't. IF she has some, oh how I'd love to see them. But I think I must do without. I hope she's ok with what I made so far - if it matters at all... which it doesn't, really. But it's fun.

Perhaps the English word you seek is "permeate"? Outstanding work, Vetch-ji. Thanks for all your hard work. I loved the poem, too.

Ah, yes! That's it, "permeate". Will be corrected at once! Thanks very much! This project is improving my English.

I am also glad that you like the poem. It is, of course, inspired by what I think Jik says to Pyanfar ("something about dark and cold").

Vetch nadi:

Way cool! You go girl!
...*sits down to open new page in Stuff file just for Mahe things*...

A Mahe page! Ohhhh, expectance -> responsibility -> ARGH! (=work).

But it's time for my annual reading of the Chanur-saga, so, if I can tear myself away from Comp, I hopefully will get into the mood.

'kay...

I am totally lacking the discipline and the knowledge, but of course as I'm in the books at the moment, my interest regarding mahensi is getting refueled.

My list of words needs a great revision, and I feel many words in the poem are wrong...
But what can be "wrong" in a language that doesn't exist... and anyway, it's some obscure dialect. Yes.


Right I got a another question, and it fits here. Cherryh writes about the Mahendo'sat:

Now I want to now what you suspect to be the reason for that mahen inaptness.

I have some ideas of my own, but I really want to know what you people think.