Senjecas - Chapter 1 - The Visit

Pronunciation table

peműko (labial)								riisűko (dental)								muitűko (alveolar)								vainűko (palatal)							ṡ̨uuše̋nos (vowels with प)								nı̋þo ṡ̨uuše̋nos (weak vowels)
p	b	f	v	m̃	m			t	d	þ	ð	ɫ	l			ṡ	ż	s	z	r	n			k	g	x	ƣ	h	ȝ			š	s̨			i	e	a	ɔ	o	u			ĭ	ĕ	ŭ
प	ब	फ	भ	म़	म			त	द	थ	ध	ल़	ल			च	ज	स	स़	र	न			क	ग	क़	ग़	ह	य			स्व	स्य			इ ई पि पी	ए एै पे पै	अ आ प पा	ऒ ॵ पॊ पॏ	ओ औ पो पौ	उ ऊ पु पू			पं	पऺ	पॅ
/p/	/b/	/ɸ/	/β/	/m̥/	/m/			/t/	/d/	/θ/	/ð/	/l̥/	/l/			/ʦ/	/ʣ/	/s/	/z/	/ɾ̥/	/n/			/k/	/g/	/ç/	/ʝ/	/j̊/	/j/			/sʷ/	/sʲ/			/i/	/e/	/ä/	/ɒ/	/o/	/u/			/ɪ/	/ɛ/	/ʊ/

Glossing abbreviations

1s/p = 1st person singular/plural	ABL = ablative suffix	COL = collective	F = feminine	INT = intensive prefix	PRV = privative prefix	SUP = supine
2s/p = 2nd person singular/plural	ABS = absolutive (an unmarked modifying adjective)	DES = desiderative	FRQ = frequentative	LAT = lative suffix	PST = past	TRZ = transitivizer
3 = 3rd person	ADV = adverb	DIM = diminutive	FUT = future	LOC = locative suffix	REV = reversive	VOC = vocative particle
A(.s/p) = accusative (singular/plural)	AG = agent	ELIS = elision	IMP = imperative	M = masculine	Q = interrogative particle	YNG = young
G(.s/p) = genitive (singular/plural)	AP = agent (active) participle	ELT = elative	INC = inchoative	OCC = occupation suffix	QUOT = direct quotation
N(.s/p) = nominative (singular/plural)	AUG = augmentative	EP = epenthesis	IND = indicative	PP = patient (past) participle	RPR = recent perfective
V(.s/p) = vocative (singular/plural)	CAUS = causative	EQU = equative degree	INS = instrument	PRF = perfect	SBJ = subjunctive

Chapter 1 - The Visit - nı̋mo नि॓मो

• In the beginning Damvelu had two wives.
• तोघ्र॓सा द्वो॓ को॓स़ुस् दम्भेलु॓स् ओ ए-ए॓स्॥
• toðra̋s d̬ő kőzus damvelűs o e-e̋sa:

toðr-a̋s	d̬ő	kőz-us	damvel-űs	o	e=e̋s-a
beginning-G.s	two	wife-N.p	Damvelu-G.s	to	PST=be-IND

• Thunkozu was like the other women of the People, fair of face and fair of hair and fair to look upon.
• थुन्को॓स़ु तेउतु॓स़ अ॔नु ग्वेनु॓म् सो॓मु ए-ए॓स। गोभ्मौर्मुक्वे गोभ्पि॓ल्मुक्वे ज॓बु गो॓बुक्वे॥
• þunkőzu teutűs ánu ǧenűm sőmu e-e̋sa. govmőőrmuk̬e govpı̋lmuk̬e ża̋bu gőbuk̬e:

þunkőz-u	teut-űs	ánu-Ø	ǧen-űm	sőm-u	e=e̋s-a	gov.mőőr.m-u=k̬e	gov.pı̋l.m-u=k̬e	ża̋b-u	gőb-u=k̬e
Thunkoz-N.s	People-G.s	other-ABS	woman-G.p	like-N.s	PST=be-IND	fair.face.having-N.s=and	fair.hair.having-N.s=and	look.upon	fair-N.s=and

• She had borne him sons and daughters.
• But Dukozu was not like the others, having been taken in her youth in a raid on another people.
• She was swart with hair and eyes the color of fresh earth.
• However, if truth be told, she was comelier than Thunkozu.
• Although she had skill in midwifery and in the growing of plants and the tending of animals, she herself was barren.
• And although Damvelu loved her dearly, yet her barrenness weighed heavily upon her.
• It was at the time of calving and lambing that one of the shepherds came to her in the early hours of the morning.
• Careful not to wake the others of the household, he called her to come up from the kurgan.
• "What brings you to the village at this early hour?" she asked as she stepped out into the moonlight.
• "One of the ewes, Mother," he replied with reverence (for the People were in awe of her and her power over birth and growth), "has been in labor for some time and is near death from exhaustion.
• We shall lose the two if you do not come and help."
• Throwing her mantle about her shoulders to ward off the early morning chill, she hastened with him to the flock.
• The flock was pastured at a distance from the village and, by the time they arrived, the silvern moon was slipping below the earth.
• "Now that she has gone, we can better give life to this mother and her offspring," she said as she knelt beside the prostrate ewe.
• At the touch of her hand the ewe became quiet.
• Swiftly she assessed the problem and as swiftly began her work.
• She was still working as the sun began to climb into the sky and he had cleared the grasslands by the time she gave two little rams to their mother to be suckled.
• It was then, as she stood up, wiping the sweat from her brow, that she first saw him coming out of the sunrise astride a large animal so golden it seemed an extension of the sun himself.
• He approached slowly, seeming to measure the animal's pace to the ascent of the sun.
• The ewe had taken her yeanlings back to the flock, and the shepherd had followed in turn.
• The sun was well up when he reached her standing alone on the vast steppe.
• Looking down at her from atop the animal he asked, "What are you called?"
• "I am called Dukozu, but my true name is Talma," she said without fear.
• "What are you doing out here so far from the village."
• "I have been tending a ewe in her labor."
• "Do you cherish them as much as you do your own children?"
• "Alas, Father, I have none of my own. The lambs and the calves are the children whom I cherish."
• "Before the ewes give birth again you will have children of your own."
• With that he reached down and lifted her up to sit in front of him on his animal.
• As fast as the wind they rode off in the direction of the sun's journey until they came to a great ash tree, so great that it took seven men linked hand in hand to encircle its trunk.
• The topmost branches brushed against the vault of the sky and the roots drew water from the rivers of the underworld.
• He guided the animal into the shade of the great tree for the sun was approaching the midpoint of his journey.
• Dismounting without effort he gently lifted her to the ground.
• It was only when he stood upon the ground that his height was apparent to her.
• Although he looked like the men of her People there was a difference.
• He was a head and then some taller than Damvelu who was himself tall among the men.
• His hair was lighter than that of the men, seeming to lay about his head and shoulders like the clouds in the sky.
• And his eyes! Among the People all but she had blue eyes, yet none were so blue as his.
• To look into his eyes was to see the sky in the light of the overhead sun.
• She could not tear her sight away even though her neck had begun to ache.
• "Do you know who I am, Talma?"
• "No, Father, I do not; nor have I ever seen an animal such as yours, of such beauty and strength and speed.
• The bulls of Damvelu's herds are strong indeed, but could never match the strength of this golden animal."
• "Truly do you call me Father for I am Numta, the Sky Father.
• And you are truly named Talma, for you will be the instrument of life to all People as you gave life to that ewe and her lambs.
• No longer will you be called Thunkozu."
• He picked her up in his arms as if she were a newborn lamb and set her at the base of the great tree.
• Gently he lay down beside her, not like Damvelu in his loving but rough way, yet at the moment she was aware only of the blueness of his eyes and felt herself to be in flight in the blue sky as she had often imagined when watching the eagle vanish into that blue expanse.
• And as the light of the overhead sun filtered through the leaves of the ash, she felt life begin within her.
• When she returned to herself he lifted her up and placed her once again on the golden animal and lightly mounted behind her.
• Without a word, the animal leapt away, swift as the wind, toward the village.
• This time there was no fear in her breast as they sped along, and she allowed herself to relax against his strength.
• As they rode he said to her, "That which has passed between us, sister-wife, shall be our secret.
• Tonight you will lie with Damvelu to complete that which we two have begun."
• They arrived at the village in less time than she could have walked from the pasture.
• The People were in an uproar, having seen them approaching from a distance.
• The animal stopped unbidden in front of the kurgan of Damvelu, who was just emerging.
• His eyes darted from animal to rider and back again but, when the rider gently lowered Talma to the ground, he managed to look him in the eyes and say, "Welcome, traveler, to our village.
• Will you stay with us this night?"
• "I thank you, Damvelu, for your kindness but I will continue on today," he replied.
• And to her he said, "Do not forget what I told you and I will return."
• With that he wheeled the animal around, which caused the People to scatter in four directions, and sped off as if he would catch up with the setting sun.
• With mouth agape, Damvelu watched him disappear, then turned to Talma and asked, "What did he tell you? What is his name?"
• "I do not know how he is called, Damvelu, but he did tell me to care for you as a good wife should."
• And she absentmindedly took hold of his hand.
• That night they lay together, Damvelu and Talma.
• In the merciful darkness she could not see him and in her mind she was once again under the great ash tree.
• For the second time in her life she felt life begin within her.
• And a stray moonbeam came prying through a crack in the door of the kurgan.

Senjecas - Chapter 2 - The Youths