Senjecas - Chapter 3 - The Gifts

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 3 - The Gifts - dőőos दौ॓ओस्

• So a wedding festival was held.
• All put on their finest woolen and leathern garments and adorned themselves in gold and silver and bronze.
• Some could parade their skill with the wearing of the fur of beaver and pole cat and white weasel.
• Some had journeyed far to the forests and returned with the hides of the great woodland cattle.
• Damvelu had prepared calves and lambs on the spit to be served with barley bread and butter, all washed down with an ample supply of mead.
• Contests of skill were held. Because they were the guests of honor, the twins did not participate and so were able to see who were the second best among the men.
• Competitions were held in foot-racing, archery, javelin-throwing, battle-axe tossing, and wrestling.
• Many went home that night richer by a calf or a lamb.
• When the contests were over, as the men rested before the beginning of the feast, he came once again to the village.
• Talma saw him first or, rather, felt him coming.
• The women saw her leave the spits and followed her to the edge of the village, positioning themselves at a respectful distance behind her.
• "Greetings, sister-wife!" he said as he drew his animal alongside her.
• "How fare our children and yours?"
• "As you can see, Father, they have grown up well, strong as the oak and supple as the birch.
• Today is their wedding day. We are giving them Sulzi to wife as you have asked.
• I knew that you would come today."
• She stared up into his eyes and remembered and felt her heart race.
• "You have not grown old, Talma.
• As I pass overhead every day I look down at you and you do not change.
• I see you assisting at the births of men and beast, and I see you lay them in the ground when their time is done. Do you never tire?"
• "To watch new life is never tiring, Father, but observing death is a great sadness.
• Someday it will be I whom they will lay in the ground.
• I will return to the earth from which I came."
• "Talma, you they will never lie in the ground.
• I have come to assure you of that.
• I have seen the moon looking at our daughter and I have known her scheme, but it will come to naught, for you and I have prepared her downfall.
• Not for much longer will she shine so brightly every night casting her silvern beams of death among men.
• For the present let us rejoice in this celebration. The noble Damvelu approaches."
• Damvelu had seen the women leave the spits and then seen the reason.
• He and the men came from the field of contests.
• He stood beside his wife to greet the traveler. "Welcome again to our village.
• Will you join us in the wedding celebration of our children?"
• "Thank you for your invitation. I have come to join in the celebration, bringing gifts for the grooms and bride."
• He dismounted and approached the bride.
• "First, the gift for the bride," he said and placed around her neck a golden chain from which hung an amber, set in gold.
• Crystalline and clear, it shone with the color of the sun.
• On close inspection, which was already taking place by the women, could be seen the finest tracings of a bee.
• "I give you this, daughter, not only as an ornament to enhance your fair beauty, but as an aid in time of need.
• Never remove it from around your neck. The time of its use will be apparent to you."
• Then he led forward the animals that had been the object of the stares of the menfolk.
• They were in size and beauty like his own golden animal, but differently and splendidly colored.
• Addressing himself to the twins who were now standing by their mother, he said,
• "These animals are presented to you to be used as a gift for all the People.
• In time you will discover the uses to which they can be put.
• For now, I will only say that they are to be tended and treated as are the animals of your flocks and herds.
• But on no account are you to eat of their flesh for that would be to offend *Numta who himself presents them to you."
• He turned to Nestu and said, "This is your mount named Aaytsuke, the morning star, the red male.
• To Athnor he said, "This is your mount named Yithtsuke, the evening star, the white female."
• The twins were flushed with excitement and would have mounted then and there had they not been prevented by the traveler.
• "Wait," he said, "these animals are not yet yours for they have not been named."
• He turned to Talma and said, "It is for you to name this animal.
• You are she who is skilled in life among the People and only you have an experience of this animal. How do you name them?"
• "I have wondered long about this," She answered, "and I have decided to name them horses, the swift ones, for they can, indeed outrun the wind!"
• And the People cheered, "Horses! Horses! They are horses for they can outrun the wind!"
• But the traveler's voice interrupted the cheering.
• "Know that the horse can be used for weal or woe.
• The golden horses of the Sky Father pull him across the sky so that there may be light and warmth.
• But the silvern moon is also pulled by a team of black horses.
• There is not warmth then and her light is but a wan imitation of the day.
• Be warned lest the horse be ill-used and bring death. And now, mount and be off!"
• In a trice, the twins had mounted and were galloping off to the cheers of the crowd.
• Some tried to run alongside but quickly learned that they could not keep up.
• All wanted to ride, and the twins allowed the men a turn at riding, although *Athnor was less eager to share his present than was his brother.
• The women they would not allow to ride alone but only with one of them controlling the horse.
• Even some of the older dames, braver than their sisters, were hoisted up by the men and laughed to feel the strength of the animal beneath them.
• Only Talma refused to ride. She had ridden the golden stallion with Numtaatu and did not want those memories dimmed by another lesser ride.
• Amidst the merriment Damvelu approached the traveler and asked him if he would join them in the feast.
• "No," he responded, "I have completed that for which I came. I must continue my own journey.
• I have far to go if I would reach my destination tonight."
• He turned to Talma only to look into her eyes, then mounted and galloped off toward the setting sun.

Senjecas - Chapter 4 - The Abduction