Rhean
by Mike Ellis
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A banasi nure k'rudaz du lei esindo c'e,
Kra vös'a daam skiras' stuplin enrilak,
Mezie pus'ka kihoniksoi talan agtiikek zdubek'.
Z'a imspilak k'azmak smak', kra eda bekdec'e.
A fkivad nure aguzdvon imspilaz ki lei usun vantamak' s'ki,
Adinyem nunie vös' emiribza naprak zdubek'.
Mu slic'ad c'e, kubie köörtak', li kuya corhen palbak',
Pus'k mezk'em tala c'e, sis'tikosta k'ilve.
Rhu mezie agzeremya du lud nelg'izurzi
saatec' oyos'in moraz, dorod iklasamu.
Kui o inimdad z'umar göhöza?
Kui o inimdad z'umar göhöza?
Ai hakik du ülyadi praniiri vürdibza,
Submabza, menuzabza, agliklibza ki agrok'ovibza.
Inimdad z'umar blovak res', cuye tai ac'igyoku,
Nui tai inimostan aguzdvibza göhöza.
Ki adin nima, mu közecak fröbak fadik', o hakik:
Inimdad z'umar göhözabza nap yuc'agara benzim.
You gentlemen who think it is your mission,
To rid the world of the seven evil crimes,
Should first sort out the basic matter of food.
Then start your preaching, it begins from there.
You crowd who preach restraint and mind your waist as well,
Should learn for once how the world is run.
It is no matter, how much you twist, or what kind of lies you speak,
Food is the first thing, morality follows.
So first make sure that the ones who are starving now,
Get proper portions, when we cut in.
What keeps mankind alive?
What keeps mankind alive?
The fact that millions every day are tortured,
Stifled, punshed, silenced and oppressed.
Mankind can stay alive, due to his genius,
Which keeps his humanity restrained.
So for once, you must try not to deny the fact:
Mankind is kept alive by bestial acts.
Analysis:
A banas-i nure k'rud-az du lei esindo c'e,
Kra vös'-a daam skiras' stupl(a)-i-n enril-ak,
Mez-ie pus'k-a kihoniksoi tala-n agtiik-ek zdub-ek'.
Z'a imspil-ak k'azm-ak sm-ak', kra ed-a bekdec'-e.
A fkivad nure aguzdvo-n imspil-az ki lei usu-n vantam-ak' s'ki,
Adinyem nunie vös' emir-ibza napr-ak zdub-ek'.
Mu slic'ad c'e, kubie köört-ak', li kuya corh(o)-e-n palb-ak',
Pus'k mezk'em tala c'e, sis'tik-osta k'ilv-e.
Rhu mez-ie agzerem-ya du lud nelg'-iz-nurz-i
saatec' oyos'-i-n mor-az, dorod iklas-amu.
Kui o inimdad z'umar göhöz-a?
Kui o inimdad z'umar göhöz-a?
Ai hakik du ülyad-i praniiri vürd-ibza,
Subm-abza, menuz-abza, aglikl-ibza ki agrok'ov-ibza.
Inimdad z'umar blov-ak res', cuye tai ac'igyok-u,
Nui tai inimosta-n aguzdv-ibza göhöz-a.
Ki adin nima, mu közec-ak fröb-ak fad-ik', o hakik:
Inimdad z'umar göhöz-abza nap yuc'agara benz-i-m.
Suffixes:
-a - genitive ending (consonant stems)
-a - verb ending: third person singular (he, she, it), present tense
-abza, -ibza - verb ending: passive adjective. tafak to eat, tafabza (is) eaten
-ak, -ek - verb ending: infinitive
-ak', -ek', -ik' - verb ending: second person plural (you), present tense
-amu - verb ending: first person plural (we), present tense
-az, -ez, -iz - verb ending: third person plural (they), present tense
-e - plural suffix, replaces final o
-e - verb ending: third person singular (he, she, it), present tense
-i - plural suffix, added to consonant stems; also replaces final a
-ie - forms adverbs: huyuz quick, huyuzie quickly
-m - instrumental case (vowel stems)
-n - accusative case (for vowel stems; consonant stems do not take -n)
-nurz - (actually na plus urz) the one which . . . tafaz "they eat", tafaznurzi "the ones who eat"
-osta - -ness, -itude, condition of being . . .
-u - dative case
-ya - verb ending: imperative
Roots:
a - vocative particle
ac'igyok - genius, ingenuity
adin - one
adinyem - once, one time
aglikl.ek - silence, make silent
agrok'ov.ek - oppress, place or keep under tyranny
agtiik.ek - correct, sort out
aguzdv.ek - restain, repress, inhibit
aguzdvo - restraint, inhibition, self-control
agzerem.ek - ensure, see to it that . . .
ai - emphatic subject particle
banas - sir, gentleman, Mr.
bekdec'.ek - start, commence (intransitive)
benz - deed, act, behavior
blovak - stay
corho - lie, falsehood
c'e - (third person singular present of c'ek)
c'ek - be
cuye - because of, due to (with dative)
daam - seven
dorod - when . . .
du - that . . . , the fact that . . .
ed - there
emir.ek - order, direct
enril.ak - eliminate, get rid of
esindo - quest, mission, assignment
fad.ek - must, have to
fkivad - crowd, also "all of you, the crowd of you"
frob.ak - try
göhöz.ak - maintain, preserve
hakik - fact, truth
iklas.ak - cut in, carve in (to piece of meat)
imspil.ak - preach
inim - human
inimdad - humankind
ki - and
kihoniksoi - basic
kra - from (with genitive)
köört.ak - twist
közec.ak - deny
kubie - how much, to what degree
kui - what
kuya - what kind of
k'azm.ak - begin, start (transitive)
k'ilv.ek - follow
k'rud.ak - believe
lei - your (plural "you")
li - or
lud - now
menuz.ak - punish
mez - first
mezk'em - emphatic mez, very first
mor.ak - receive
mu - not (negates verb); no, not any of (negates noun)
nap - by, by means of (with instrumental)
napr.ak - learn
nelg'.ek - starve
nima - occasion, time
nui - that does . . . ; which does . . .
nunie - how, the way in which . . .
nure - who (as in one who . . . , he who . . .)
o - emphatic object particle
oyos' - allotment, portion, share
palb.ak - speak
praniiri - everyday
pus'k - food
rek - be able, can
res' - (third person singular present of rek)
rhu - (and) so
saatec' - appropriate, suitable
sis'tik - moral, ethical
skiras' - evil
slic'ad - result, consequence
smak - may, be allowed to, permitted to . . .
stupla - crime
subm.ak - quell, stifle, restrain
s'ki - also, as well
tai - his, her, its
tala - affair, matter, concern
usu - waist
ülyad - million
vantam.ak - mind, watch, worry about, attend to
vös' - world
vürd.ek - torture
yuc'agara - animalistic, beastlike, savage
zdub.ek - ought to, should, it is best that . . .
z'a - (and) then
z'umar - alive
Some notes:
Rhean (Rheava Izka) is a language with relatively "free" word order, but with a strong "preference" for the Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) construction in simple sentences. When a subject or object comes after the verb, it can be marked with a particle like ai for subject, o for object. These are also used for subject and object emphasis.
Adjectives usually come before the noun to which they refer, as do modifying clauses. There are examples in this text where modifying clauses come after the noun. Watch out for those: anything with a nure or a nui works this way. When an adjective used finally as a predicate (as in "something is [adjective]") one usually omits the verb "to be", as I have done here.
There are no articles (the, a, an). The verb "to be" is irregular (of course!) so I gave the forms for it when it appeared. Note also where it has been omitted. I also gave the form for irregular rek.
Verbs are given in the infinitive, and I've marked this with a period.
Nouns have five cases: nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, and instrumental. I have given the cases taken by nouns following the prepositions used here. The genitive case used ON ITS OWN without any preposition indicates possession, or the meaning "of". You'll notice I included "vowel stem" and "consonant stem" for some endings. If a plural ends in -i or -e (some don't) then it is obviously a "vowel stem" in the plural, regardless of what it was in the singular. (benz - benzi - benzim)