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<H2>Verdurian Poetics </H2>
<i>
This monograph is a very inadequate introduction to the subject of Verdurian poetics. The chief aim is to indicate the major features of Verdurian <i>eyurcrivát,</i> such that readers will be able to recognize the various genres when they see them, and have some idea of what a Verdurian would find in them. Examples are provided, including a scene from Šaymeon's verse play, <i>Crefuselta im Ctesifonán</i>.
<p>For an anthology of Verdurian poetry, with samples of all the classic authors, see the <i>Prosizel suetlec</i>; for a manual on poetry writing, Eley's <i>Liroš er lirom</i> is excellent, and largely free of the prescriptivism and whimsicality which generally afflict such works.
</i>
<hr>
<h3><a name="Types">Types of discourse: <i>eyure</i> vs. <i>iscun</i></a></h3>
Poetry is much more prevalent in Verdurian (and historic terrestrial) culture than in our own. To a Verdurian, poetry is not an affectation, a school subject, or an object of idolatry, but a common, living thing, the possession of peasants and scholars alike.
<p>We generally separate 'poetry' from 'prose' (even if, like Molière's bourgeois, this leads to the conclusion that we summon the chambermaid in prose). A Verdurian, rather, sees poetry (<b><i>eyurcrivát</b></i><i>,</i> literally 'lovely writing') as the most eloquent and masterful form of writing. Poetry is prose well spoken: it does what prose does, but does it better. <i>Eyurcrivát</i> is opposed to <b><i>iscuncrivát</b></i> ('simple writing')-- common, unadorned writing or prose.
<p><i>Eyurcrivát</i> is taken as an intensification or beautification of <i>iscuncrivát</i>. The refinement is not restricted to rhyme or meter. A Verdurian would consider Joyce or Chesterton or Synge or Robbe-Grillet to be <i>eyurcrivát,</i> even though they write what we would call prose.
<p>At the same time it is recognized that the difference between <i>eyure</i> and <i>iscun</i> is not merely one of degree, but that they are different aesthetics. Iscuncrivát has its own sort of excellence, which is admired precisely because it is simple, accessible, and direct. A Verdurian would consider Mark Twain, or E.B. White, or C.S. Lewis, or John McPhee to be <i>iscuncrivát</i>.
<h3><a name="Genres">Genres</a></h3>
The genres of literature are <i>pomäe</i> (chronicle, legend)<i>, racont</i> (story)<i>, šant</i> (song)<i>, cevai</i> (chant)<i>, ralinë </i>(play)<i>, kallogi</i> (speech)<i>, onemu </i>(essay)<i>, </i>and <i>curayora </i>(argument).<ul>
<li> <b><i>Pomäe</i></b> and <b><i>racont</i></b> are both narrative forms. The difference is largely one of style and register; a <b><i>pomäe</b></i> is an elevated form, often in <i>eyurcrivát</i>, including epics, legends, tales, myths, chronicles; a <b><i>racont</b></i> is a more straightforward or unpretentious narrative, often in <i>iscuncrivát</i>, including stories, histories, yarns, novels, and anecdotes. Either genre may tell of true or imagined events, may be long or short, and may be written or intended for oral performance.
<p>Either type of narrative may be subdivided by subject, according to a classification inherited from Cuzei:<ul>
<li> <b>murebode</b>, fantasy-- works of adventure or imagination, intended to speak to the sense of wonder (<i>mu:ra</i> in Cuêzi)
<li> <b>romobode</b>, tragedy-- works intended to evoke pity, reflection, or horror
<li> <b>ridibode</b>, comedy-- works intended to amuse or divert
<li> <b>coelibode</b>, romance and erotica-- works on the subject of love
<li> <b>cäpibode</b>, devotional art-- works on religious subjects, intended to evoke reverence and foster virtue<p>
</ul>
<li> The <b><i>šant</b></i> is intended to be set to music, while the <b><i>cevai</b></i> is chanted or intoned. Both genres are normally in <i>eyurcrivát</i>. The centerpiece of Caďinorian pagan ritual is the <i>cevai</i>, which gives the genre an air of high seriousness. (The Eleďi have both songs and chants; the Irreanists only sing; and Endajué focusses on dance, with musical but not vocal accompaniment.) However, what we call a poem-- a short, highly aestheticized <i>aperçu</i>-- would often be considered by a Verdurian to be a <i>cevai</i>.<p>
<li> The <b><i>ralinë</b></i> is a play, interpreted by actors. The major varieties are: <ul>
<li> <b>Caďinorian</b> (<i>caďina</i>)-- epic events in <i>eyurcrivát</i>. Generally impenetrable to those without a thorough knowledge of Verdurian verse forms and the history of the Plain.
<li> <b>Cuêzi</b> (<i>cuzëa</i>)-- plays from or in the style of ancient Cuzei. Rather more accessible-- they're in <i>iscuncrivát</i>, mostly self-explanatory, and more naturalistic.
<li> <b>Popular</b> (<i>ženei</i>)-- entertainments designed to appeal to the playgoing masses, with something for everyone-- melodrama, slapstick, piety, satire, music and dancing-- often in the same play. Different sections may be <i>eyurî</i> or <i>iscunî</i>.
<li> <b>Avélan</b> (<i>avéle</i>)-- stories set in modern times, usually in <i>iscuncrivát</i>, ranging from moral tales to farce, but without the histrionics or mannerisms of the ancient models, or the vulgarity of the popular school.<p>
</ul>
<li> The <b><i>kallogi</b></i> is a speech: a sermon, a lawyer's plea, an exhortation, a statement in the Esčambra or Mažtan-Kal. The purpose is usually to convince, so that the genre overlaps with the <i>curayora</i> described below; but the orator must focus as well on diction, on body language, on crowd psychology, on the art of using the voice. <i>Kallogî</i> are also likely to be written in <i>eyurcrivát</i>.<p>
<li> The <i>onemu</i> and the <i>curayora</i> are both scholarly nonfiction. The difference is in intent: the <b><i>onemu</b></i> is intended to inform; it includes essays, reports, reference works, manuals, treatises. The <b><i>curayora</b></i> is intended to convince, and includes mathematical or philosophical arguments, proofs, discourses, manifestos. Both are normally written in <i>iscuncrivát</i>, as eloquence is considered likely to get in the way of either persuasion or information.</ul>
<h3><a name="Meter">Meter</a></h3>
The fundamental basis of <i>eyurcrivát</i> is meter. A line in English poetry is broken into feet, normally consisting of a fixed number of syllables, one accented. Verdurian <i>eyurcrivát</i> is divided into <b><i>sulirulî (</b></i>phrases), with two accents each, and no fixed number of syllables.
<p>If you take any ordinary patch of Verdurian--
<blockquote>
<b>Ésecom Anfréii defasadre creri cum padec uestuin pro tróuen soa miuräma žoya Otvëčátei. Felce pro dënin; řo kešne sul nočín pro lengein orátin soin aďin tëšrífein.</b>
<p>Ésecom son of Anfréy set out from port with forty men, to find the marvelous Jewel of Otvëčát. He sailed for days, halting only by night for long prayers to the familiar gods.
</blockquote>
<p>it turns very easily into <i>sulirulî</i>:
<blockquote>
Ésecom anFRÉii
<br>defaSAdre ceREI
<br>cum PAdec uesTUin
<br>pro TRÓuen soa miuRÄma
<br>ŽOya otvëČÁtei.
<br>FELce pro DËnin;
<br>řo KEŠne sul noČÍN
<br>pro lenGEin oRÁtin
<br>soin Aďin tëŠRIfein.
</blockquote>
<p>At base, then, <i>eyurcrivát</i> is a regularization of natural speech patterns. And because it is based on the natural phrases of Verdurian speech, one must not depart too much from natural phrasing. A Verdurian reading a (modern) English poem and finding <i>he did speak</i> for <i>he spoke</i> would not consider such an alteration, introduced only to fill out the meter, to be <i>eyure</i> at all, but merely awkward.
<p>At least this level of <i>eyurcrivát</i> is within the reach of all. A speech or a story needs only a little touching up to be given in <i>sulirulî,</i> and the result sounds very good to the Verdurian ear.
<h3><a name="Embellishments">Embellishments</a></h3>
<i>Eyurcrivát</i> is more than just meter, of course. In this section I'll review some of the other surface-level embellishments recognized by Verdurian authorities.
<p><b>Parallelism</b> (<i>ďunmizo</i>) is saying the same thing twice, in slightly different ways. Old Testament poetry relied heavily on the same effect. An example:
<blockquote>
<b>Ya soî curulî proikibü so nom Eleďei,
<br>im syelán ořiznakre so hipcrivel zië.
<p></b>The very stars proclaim the name of Eleď;
<br>He has emblazoned his signature in heaven.
</blockquote>
<p>Similarly, the <b>refrain</b> (<i>onmizo</i>) repeats an earlier thought.
<p>In both cases, the effect is best if the repetitions add meaning, or change the focus; thus the <b>semi-refrain</b> (<i>onmizo</i>).
<blockquote>
<b>Benul e ilu ke gaice is nišán soem curulem
<br>er indësne soem almeem samrömem.
<p></b>Blessed is he who formed the stars from nothing
<br>And called the countless worlds into being.
</blockquote>
<p>With <b>alliteration</b> (<i>nenavuá</i>), the first accented syllable in the second <i>sulirul</i> on a line alliterates with one or both of the accented syllables of the first <i>sulirul</i>. (It is bad form for all four accented syllables to alliterate.) Thus:
<blockquote>
<p><b>Ila<u> ďuv</u>ne al<u>ďo</u>ron, ac ro <u>ďev</u>ne želea lië;
<br>soa olo<u>të</u> serizee lië mau<u>tru</u>re faš lië.
<p></b>She frowned at the elder, but did not touch his calm;
<br>the feeling in his gaze destroyed her anger.
</blockquote>
<p>Verdurian poets do not use rhyming dictionaries, but dictionaries of alliteration, in which the same word is often listed twice, depending on the placement of the accent in various forms: e.g. <i>fel</i> 'sail' is listed under <b>f</b>, but the genitive <i>felei</i> under <b>l</b>.
<p>One might also alliterate the beginning syllables of adjacent or alternating <i>sulirulî</i>. But note that alliteration of entire words (as in 'Bugs Bunny') is done only rarely.
<p>Vowels always alliterate with each other. Consonant clusters need not match, though it is an added adornment if they do.
<p>A fancier and rather difficult trick is the <b>syllable echo</b> (<i>nenalte</i>), where an entire syllable is repeated: <i>soî </i><i><u>ra</i></u><i>nî o</i><i><u>rä</i></u><i>ne</i> 'the frogs of heaven'. The <i>nenaltî</i> are rarely placed in the same <i>sulirul</i>:
<blockquote>
<p><b><u>Ša</u>tem lescomî mizu be<u>ša</u>nem zië.
<br><Onzan<u>mei</u> zafra!> <u>Mey</u> e muán dedë.
<p></b>A hundred merchants make their promises.
<br>"Come back tomorrow!" Water is less shaky.
</blockquote>
<p>True <b>rhyme</b> (<i>neneresau</i>) is rare in Verdurian, since most Verdurian syllables end in a vowel, and �yme thus reduces to assonance: <i>řa</i><i><u>vi</i></u><i>ca ca</i><i><u>ďi</i></u><i>na</i> 'Caďinorian valor'.
<p>The <b>drop</b> (<i>tombo</i>) is a descent into ordinary unmetrical speech, the aesthetic equivalent of passing suddenly from a trot to a walk.
<p>The <b>missing beat</b> (<i>mancu</i>) is a <i>sulirul</i> with a missing accent, which has an arresting effect.
<h3><a name="Schools">Schools</a></h3>
There are four historical schools (<i>mencî</i>) of <i>eyurcrivát</i>: the Caďinorian, the Old New, the New New, and the Ducal. (The first three of these also corresponds to schools of musical composition, which will not however be discussed here.)
<ul>
<li> The <i>caďina menca</i> or <b>Caďinorian</b> school is the oldest, and derives directly from Caďinor. Caďinor poetry was not divided into <i>sulirulî</i> but into <i>liret</i> 'verses' or 'melodies', divided into a fixed number of beats. As poetry was commonly set to music, metrication paid great attention to the rise and fall of the voice, which was considered to be a matter not only of stress but of vowel length and quality.
<p>Structures were rigorously defined; a good <i>caďin</i> poem, according to one authority, had "balance, development, the mute, the refrain, the midstanza, and the break"-- sections of specified function and meter.
<p> The very first Verdurian poems are written in this style, but the rules no longer fit the language, and the results were awkward.<p>
<li> The <i>üllebë menca</i> was the first native Verdurian style. When it was devised, about eight centuries ago, it was of course the New school, but it's now the <b>Old New</b> school.
<p>We have already met the typical <i>üllebe</i> line (<i>sulírn</i>), divided into two or sometimes three <i>sulirulî</i> (phrases) of two accents (<i>altî</i>) each. There were also rules on the number and placement of non-accented syllables (<i>basî</i>). Indeed, the possible patterns (<i>altorî</i>) of <i>altî</i> and <i>basî</i> were catalogued, and rules for intermixing them were given. For instance, ABBA (<i><u>ci</i></u><i>-redel</i><i><u>cë</i></u>) was preferentially followed by BAAB (<i>ce</i><i><u>rán</i></u><i> </i><i><u>fä</i></u><i>sre</i>).
<p> The embellishments of repetition-- parallelism, the refrain, and so on-- were developed and elaborated in this period. <p>
<li> The <i>uvula</i> or <i>leblebë menca</i>, the <b>Open</b> or <b>New New</b> school, is the later development of the <i>üllebë</i>. It dates from about 450 years ago, during the time of the first Verdurian kings, and is thus associated with the political and cultural renaissance of the Soley dynasty.
<p>Its chief characteristics are the use of alliteration and other novel embellishments, and the relaxation of the <i>üllebe</i> rules on the order of <i>altorî</i> and the number of <i>basî</i>.<p>
<li> The <i>šohei menca</i> or <b>Ducal</b> school is based on the works of Kúbinor, Duke (<i>šoh</i>) of Pelym, who died in 3332, a century and a half ago. The Duke claimed to write in phrases (<i>sulirulî</i>) rather than in words (<i>loži</i>), like earlier poets. Since he also revived and expanded the <i>üllebe</i> emphasis on refrain and repetition, and didn't worry much about whether his phrases parsed into correct sentences, his poems have something of the flavor of Hiawatha or Gertrude Stein.
<p>But the most striking novelty, to Verdurians, is the <i>unsingability</i> of <i>šohei</i> poetry. Verdurian poems are so routinely set to music that a manual of poetry normally includes a section on composition. But <i>šohei</i> poems are meant to be read-- the school depends on the existence of the printing press. Indeed, the Duke's followers have experimented freely with indentation, acrostics, shaped printing, and other purely graphic embellishments.
</ul>
<p>An interesting new development, though it is not yet considered a <i>menca</i> (school), is <i>rude</i> (<b>primitive</b>) poetry--imitations of foreign sources, known through trade or colonization. particularly the mythic folk songs of Nan, the ecstatic utterances of the Qaraumcán, and the earthy lays and incantations of Téllinor. Verdurians cannot quite bring themselves to consider these <i>eyurî</i>, lovely-- they are classified as <i>iscuncrivát</i>-- but they are fascinated by their vitality and rhythmic power.
<p>There has been, curiously, less cross-fertilization from less exotic realms. Ismaîn, Barakhinei, and Benécian poetry also derives from Caďinor models, and they have learned more from Verdurian than it has from them, at least in the realm of poetry proper rather than, say, music. Kebreni poetry relies chiefly on syllable counts, which Verdurians find mechanical. And Xurnáš, though it has been mined for philosophical insights and exotic subjects, has had no influence on Verdurian poetry.
<h3><a name="Crefuselta">Crefuselta im Ctesifonán</a></h3>
<h4><a name="Background">Background</a></h4>
As an extended sample of <i>eyurcrivát</i> I have provided a scene from Pédrot Šaymeon's <i>Crefuselta im Ctesifonán (Twilight in Ctésifon),</i> the fourth in his nine-play cycle celebrating the rise of modern Ctésifon from the ruins of Caďinas. Šaymeon writes of course in Ctésifoni dialect, but in writing the differences from Mažtane are few (and are discussed in the Notes following the romanized text below).
<p>Stylistically, the play is written in two-<i>sulirul</i> lines, with alliteration the main embellishment<i>.</i> Šaymeon writes in the <i>leblebë</i> or New New School. The subgenre or type of play is the <i>caďina</i> (Caďinorian drama).
<p>In 2917 Bura, a Caďinorian noble, expelled the Curiyans from Ctésifon, which these barbarians had occupied 125 years before (the "long centuries" in the text are a rhetorical exaggeration). Avtor, then Lord of Verduria, send congratulations and gifts, which Bura was pleased to deem tribute, befitting his status as the restored Caďinorian Emperor, though his realm was restricted to present-day Ctésifon, Solhai, Guaya, and Bažra.
<p>(The Curiyans did not vanish, as the text implies; they were simply pushed south, where they still remain, though today they speak Verdurian.)
<p>Bura was succeeded in 2941 by his son Ertala, who demanded tribute and sworn fealty from Avtor's son Caleon. Caleon, fresh from victories in the Western Wild, did come, but Ertala's arrogance outraged him, and he returned to Verduria and proclaimed himself King (2943). Ertala ordered his generals to pursue him, but they refused, on the grounds that the army was too small. Ertala executed the generals, but built up the army. When he judged it ready, he sent it north, where it was devastated by Caleon (2950). Caleon now marched on Ctésifon, proclaiming that Ertala was <i>fikšäm com ečomun,</i> "to be whipped like a schoolboy." Ertala killed himself rather than suffer this indignity.
<p>Considering that it deals with the Verdurian conquest of Ctésifon, the play is very favorable to Verduria. The play begins with Caleon's visit to Ctésifon. Šaymeon portrays the last emperor as a man slowly going mad, leading the Empire into ruin along with him; Caleon is depicted as brusque but noble, and brings back to Verduria much he has learned in Ctésifon. It is no wonder the play is well loved in Verduria, while in Ctésifon it is the least favorite play in the cycle.
<p>The sixth play, dealing with Ctésifon's successful revolt from King Boďomor in 3130, is not so well liked; but in <i>Crefuselta</i> Verduria saves Ctésifon from tyranny. In fact it was written soon after Queen Andrea's visited Ctésifon in 3298, generating a wave of pro-Verdurian feeling. Andrea is responsible also for the most glaring anachronism in the play: Caleon is represented as an Eleďe. This allows Šaymeon, a pagan, to air his views on reconciling Eleď and Enäron.
<p>Lords Mélicom and Ticeon, who appear in this scene, were real Caďinorian nobles, and Mélicom was indeed noted for opposing war with Verduria. In 2947 (or Act IV) he was executed for treason. Ticeon is gravely wounded in the final battle, but survives long enough to witness Ertala's suicide and report it to Caleon as he enters the city.
<!-- <font face="Maraille">
<h4><a name="verd">Íaymeon: Crefuselta im Ctesifonán</a></h4>
M<font size=2>élicom</font>. Sanno esë?
<p>I<font size=2>rtala</font>. Ar, žiek?
<p>M. Sfahec eleutece,
<br>esli tü epai, e hep dëni
<br>dy vižie ci-Caleon; ažana e faďne.
<br>Řo e medrë, řo e raf, baraďum ßatametec
<br>ab retatán rëcen.
<p>E. Ditava Ertala
<br>Dy fas. Ke irteke elutëce vižienu.
<br>Aßeu dy e dalu, e eßßane satre?
<br>Ai huepe ilun iy snugá? Suy uestu mižele
<br>Dy so orayec efari fifaçe.
<p>M. Hoyan,
<p>E. Aklogei?
<p>M. Dy ai nikto řo e nižny muďe virny.
<br>Ac nikagdá im satren, ya elordalun caďinán,
<br>Řo e sram ni mallonse lelen çereon.
<br>Sen mifai konsir, pro ažfäsir so bal
<br>Tu tene soa yesta pro řo isu zonin.
<p>E. Mélicom, samlelesë, fasílece ubliei!
<br>Lengen seclorin
<br>Coriî tam nažnu,
<br>er gintram Ervëei velnu altî.
<br>Ënomai řo ßrifce sul ßorum dan.
<br>Eludëno eu niß; dálua caë ya valitne.
<br>Kozuir tali vraki e mevië řezuë,
<br>ßantäm apros ciuin. Mizeceo, brak kë
<br>Imřisne soa scura?
<p>M. So řavy Bura fue.
<p>E. E orest. Er lelei meď lië im sen.
<br>Řo tene Caďinas so tor zië Boďneaii?
<br>E laçeo elordalui vulea verdúrya
<br>snucan er suvan? Ci-malsfaom, ci-bižno,
<br>Vižiene, inkaßire! Ni cißitî ni köřî
<br>ci-Caleon řo tróume falanho Ertalei,
<br>druk esë dubec. Dobre e so krof
<br>Caďinasei, Burei, sumerulî soî carďî.
<br>Ab aďin proetao, mažtana prozmai
<br>vencec, er teřetu u řaim Mißicame!
<br>Esë ezmai Arcaln.
<p>T<font size=2>iceon</font>. Ave, sanno esë!
<p>E. Ticeon! Kiom çeneo?
<p>T. Amenai voim
<br>Ket crivne hotu tuë.
<p>E. Ivreceo.
<p>T. Suvai.
<br>(Ertala Burei, ke tene so gintram
<br>Elorë Caďine, baraďece emayao
<br>Caleon Avtorei. So lon tuë zet plere
<br>Tam řaner sam audec pro hep dënin.
<br>Soa sënza naçalei et apelue, nažei
<br>otál este dy so tuë. Veaďa er cunësát
<br>er pá esë primetai esli tenec tu vule.
<br>Iyotra fäsu. Ci-faß řo dobläde;
<br>belorî esanam. Et lelene ci-vëçerán;
<br>zaftra onžanmam Ctésifonei nanán.)
<p>E. Veçore!
<p>M. Esce elnora?
<p>T. Çaßet lië, ke řo e
<br>ßohei ni sannei, ac so oř daluë.
<p>E. Nun mü imagrenro? Ke et gromne vrakát
<br>Vrakát esë delaže. Mallonei řo feriai
<br>Suye sazulëi puyëi. Naçalei naž
<br>otál este dy so esë! Ei oßte, ei rožy
<br>ozë sfahen Ertalan. Řo e sul Ctésifon,
<br>i ßeírî er sätî, i Svetla mädörna,
<br>er cimî tibecî, er baktî goratî,
<br>ředao dy huepe aldeula surselnë! (Fäsire.)
<p>M. Niß řo epe žanen is eton až çeltán.
<p>T. Inkaßeu verdurim?
<p>M. Ukeßai; řo vulu
<br>ilet curec com vrakán. Raconti er pomaen
<br>croce dalu taë; ilun duisu ublian
<br>dy Ertala řo e Ervëa. Kio vale belgo
<br>cel ci-scurin? Otál caďin dy ta
<br>e Arin.
<p>T. Mélicom! Řo e mudray, druk esë,
<br>Ertala malmizec im domán Ertalei.
<p>M. Ai orest.
<p>T. (Řofortece.) Er prade. So pá tellenam,
<br>er soî aďi hežanu so hum elordalui!
</font>-->
<h4><a name="roman">Šaymeon: Crefuselta im Ctesifonán</a></h4>
M<font size=2>ÉLICOM</font>. Sanno esë?
<p>E<font size=2>RTALA</font>. Ar, žiek?
<p>M. Sfahec eleutece,
<br>esli tü epai, e hep dëni
<br>dy vižie ci-Caleon; ažana e faďne.
<br>Řo e medrë, řo e raf, baraďum šatametec
<br>ab retatán rëcen.
<p>E. Ditava Ertala
<br>Dy fas. Ke irteke elutëce vižienu.
<br>Ašeu dy e dalu, e eššane satre?
<br>Ai huepe ilun iy snugá? Suy uestu mižele
<br>Dy so orayec efari fifače.
<p>M. Hoyan--
<p>E. Aklogei?
<p>M. Dy ai nikto řo e nižny muďe virny.
<br>Ac nikagdá im satren, ya elordalun caďinán,
<br>Řo e sram ni mallonse lelen čereon.
<br>Sen mifai konsir, pro ažfäsir so bal
<br>Tu tene soa yesta pro řo isu zonin.
<p>E. Mélicom, samlelesë, fasílece ubliei!
<br>Lengen seclorin Coriî tam nažnu,
<br>er gintram Ervëei velnu altî.
<br>Ënomai řo šrifce sul šorum dan.
<br>Eludëno eu niš; dálua caë ya valitne.
<br>Kozuir tali vraki e mevië řezuë,
<br>šantäm apros ciuin. Mizeceo, brak kë
<br>imřisne soa scura?
<p>M. So řavy Bura fue.
<p>E. E orest. Er lelei meď lië im sen.
<br>Řo tene Caďinas so tor zië Boďneaii?
<br>E lačeo elordalui vulea verdúrya
<br>snucan er suvan? Ci-malsfaom, ci-bižno,
<br>Vižiene, inkašire! Ni cišitî ni köřî
<br>ci-Caleon řo tróume falata Ertalei,
<br>druk esë dubec. Dobre e so krof
<br>Caďinasei, Burei, sumerulî soî carďî.
<br>Ab aďin proetao, mažtana prozmai
<br>vencec, er teřetu u řaim Mišicame!
<br>Esë esme Arcaln.
<p>T<font size=2>ICEON</font>. Ave, sanno esë!
<p>E. Ticeon! Kiom čeneo?
<p>T. Amenai voim
<br>Ket crivne hotu tuë.
<p>E. Ivreceo.
<p>T. Suvai.
<br><Ertala Burei, ke tene so gintram
<br>Elorë Caďine, baraďece emayao
<br>Caleon Avtorei. So lon tuë zet plere
<br>Tam řaner sam audec pro hep dënin.
<br>Soa sënza načalei et apelue-- nažei
<br>otál este dy so tuë. Veaďa er cunësát
<br>er pá esë primetai esli tenec tu vule.
<br>Iyotra fäsu. Ci-faš řo dobläde;
<br>belorî esanam. Et lelene ci-vëčerán;
<br>zaftra onžanmam Ctésifonei nanán.>
<p>E. Večore!
<p>M. Esce elnora?
<p>T. Čašet lië, ke řo e
<br>šohei ni sannei, ac so oř daluë.
<p>E. Nun mü imagrenro? Ke et gromne vrakát
<br>Vrakát esë delaže. Mallonei řo feriai
<br>Suye sazulëi puyëi. Načalei naž
<br>otál este dy so esë! Ei ošte, ei rožy
<br>ozë sfahen Ertalan. Řo e sul Ctésifon,
<br>i šeírî er sätî, i Svetla mädörna,
<br>er cimî tibecî, er baktî goratî,
<br>ředao dy huepe aldeula surselnë! <Fäsire.>
<p>M. Niš řo epe žanen is eton až čeltán.
<p>T. Inkašeu verdurim?
<p>M. Ukešai; řo vulu
<br>ilet curec com vrakán. Raconti er pomaen
<br>croce dalu taë; ilun duisu ublian
<br>dy Ertala řo e Ervëa. Kio vale belgo
<br>cel ci-scurin? Otál caďin dy tae Arin.
<p>T. Mélicom! Řo e mudray, druk esë,
<br>Ertala malmizec im domán Ertalei.
<p>M. Ai orest.
<p>T. <Řofortece.> Er prade. So pá tellenam,
<br>er soî aďi hežanu so hum elordalui!
<p>Notes: <ul>
<li> Arin (the Island) and Arcaln (the castle on it) are of course metonymies for Verduria. Ervëa is the greatest of the Caďinorian emperors.
<li> Caleon's greeting--to him "who holds the sash of the Caďinorian Emperor"-- is rather noncommital on Ertala's legitimacy.
<li> Šaymeon's text includes some archaisms (<i>efar</i> 'lord') and Ctesifonisms (<i>inkašir</i> 'fear', cf. Mažtane <i>nkašan</i>; <i>prozmai</i> 'I will walk' for <i>prosmai, </i>similarly <i>ezmai</i>; irregular <i>teřetu</i> 'I will stand' for <i>tekretu</i>).
<li> <b>k</b> alliterates with <b>c</b> in Ctésifoni, so that the line <i>ilet curec com vrakán. Raconti er pomaen</i> contains a triple alliteration in Ctésifon.
<li> <b>H</b> is aspirated in Ctésifon, but this aspiration is ignored in alliteration, so <i>aďi</i> and <i>hum, šohei</i> and <i>oř</i> can alliterate.
<li> <b>te</b>- often becomes <b>če</b>- in Ctésifoni: notice <i>čeneo</i> for 'you have'. But for ease of alliteration the original or Northern <i>tenec</i> is also used.
<li> In the line <i>zaftra onžanmam Ctésifonei nanán</i>, <i>Ctésifonei</i> must be pronounced <i>Žésifonei</i> to alliterate with <i>onžanmam</i>. And in fact <i>Ctésifon</i> simply retains the Caďinor <i>spelling</i> of the city's name. It is usually pronounced simply <i>Žésifo</i>. An archaizing pronunciation with initial [kt] is however common today in the city.</ul>
<h4><a name="Twilight">Twilight in Ctésifon</a></h4>
I have translated the scene into English blank verse. Alliterative verse à la Beowulf would better represent the actual Verdurian meter, but blank verse is a better cultural equivalent, since alliterating <i>sulirulî</i> is the ordinary form for writing Verdurian dramas.
<p>The translation attempts to reproduce the fairly solemn tone of Caďinorian drama, but it exaggerates the archaism of the original text, which after all is less than two centuries old. (But the archaism may also substitute for the feeling of a different dialect, which I have not otherwise attempted to suggest.)
<p>M<font size=2>ÉLICOM</font>. My lord?
<p>E<font size=2>RTALA</font>. Yes, knave?
<p>M. If I may speak in frankness--
<br>'Tis seven days hath waited this Caleon.
<br>We try his patience. Nobility and justice
<br>Forbid you so to treat a man who comes
<br>In peace.
<p>E. It pleases me to see him wait.
<br>To have a rebel wait is only just.
<br>You think he is a king and sovereign?
<br>Am I his peer, his servant? Even fools
<br>Know vassals must their lords attend.
<p>M. Although...
<p>E. Ye doubt?
<p>M. No subject have ye loyaller
<br>Than I. Yet never can a sovereign lord
<br>Be shamed, not even he who rules Caďinas,
<br>By showing prudence. If ye will permit:
<br>Ye have not worn your sash for years enough
<br>To eschew all tact.
<p>E. Unfaithful Mélicom!
<br>Forgettest thou a century's evil rule
<br>By those usurpers of Ervëa's throne,
<br>Curiyans, who the Sun herself made dark?
<br>Where are they now? Their kingdom is no more.
<br>Eternal was the deed that made them flee,
<br>The stuff of legend. Whose then was the arm
<br>That made the Empire new?
<p>M. Great Bura's 'twas.
<p>E. 'Tis so. And here in me thou seest his son.
<br>Caďinas hath its share in Boďneay's glory.
<br>Or must Verdurian whim the Emperor love
<br>And serve? This upstart, this barbarian, this
<br>Caleon: let him wait and let him fear!
<br>The army of Ertala, doubting friend,
<br>'Tis not so weak nor craven as thou thinkest.
<br>The blood of Bura and Caďinas runneth true,
<br>Nor are its swords untrained. By all the gods,
<br>I'll walk the streets of that far northern city
<br>A conqueror. By Misicama will I stand,
<br>And own the halls of Arcaln.
<p>T<font size=2>ICEON</font>. Hail, my lord!
<p>E. What hast?
<p>T. Caleon sends by me this message.
<p>E. Speak.
<p>T. My lord. "Ertiala, seed of Bura,
<br>Whose sash the Caďinorian Empire wove--
<br>Caleon son of Avtor bids you greetings.
<br>Hath pleased your honor close unto a week
<br>To keep your guests yet not receive. No more
<br>Can I my noble duty fail; recall
<br>I have a city great as yours to rule.
<br>My peace and love and trust are yours if you
<br>Are willing to receive them. Else I go.
<br>This anger ill becomes you; friendship rather show.
<br>See me tonight; the morrow sees me ride
<br>North from Ctésifon."
<p>E. The brute!
<p>M. 'Tis all?
<p>T. His seal. It is no seal of duke nor prince,
<br>But kingly gold.
<p>E. Wilt still resist the truth?
<br>Who threatens me with enmity my own
<br>Hath won. No upstart princeling treats me thus.
<br>A city great as mine thou rulest, eh?
<br>Thou must be mad or damp with wine to say't.
<br>'Tis Ctésifon whose sweep of hill above
<br>The thundering Svetla, and whose hills and towers
<br>Thou dost think equal to thy river hamlet! [Exit.]
<p>M. From this will come but evil in the end.
<p>T. Thou fearest this Verdurian?
<p>M. 'Tis not yet fear,
<br>But as a foe I want him not. Our lord
<br>Befills himself with chronicles of old,
<br>Forgetting he is not Ervëa. War
<br>Between our realms is madness. Arin is
<br>As Caďinorian as we.
<p>T. Speak not
<br>Against Ertala in Ertala's house,
<br>my friend.
<p>M. I am Ertala's man, and true.
<p>T. Thou art-- [low] and thou are right. So seek us peace,
<br>And may the gods the Emperor's passions check!
<p>
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