Quotes in other languages

[Guinevere]

I'll have a try at this one, though I understand nothing but your hints.

Could it be Mîm, the petty-Dwarf speaking to Túrin and his band of outlaws about the edible roots that he had in his sack:

"Rubbish," he said. "Not worth the stealing. Only wild roots."

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Told ya. Just a few words and Guinevere will sniff the quote out.

I promise to use another language next time I'm in the helm.

Your turn.

[Guinevere]

Thank you, Nil!
Since I'm lazy I'll bring a quote in German:

Ich diene Euch noch immer - jedoch nach einer Weile werde ich vielleicht noch einmal über Eure Worte nachdenken und nach Norden gehen mit jedem, der mir folgen will

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

From what I remember of my German (half a year unused by now), 'und nach Norden gehen mit jedem, der mir folgen will' means something like 'and go to the North with some who will follow me.' I think it's a quote in UT, Cirion and Eorl, but I haven't the book with me to confirm.

Since I won't back for at least two days, I hope this helps someone else to get it.

[Guinevere]

You translated correctly, Nil, but the quote is not from U.T.

[Guinevere]

Do you need more translation clues, or rather a hint about the origin of the quote?

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Origin, bitte? I think I got the quote translated, but I don't know where it came from.

[Guinevere]

The quote is from The Hobbit.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

[Bard: ]I serve you still – though after a while I may think again of your words and go North with any that will follow me.

TH 14

[Guinevere]

Ganz richtig, Nil!
(How come you know so many languages? )

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

And many? Nay. Well, I know many languages cursorily, but I can express myself properly only in three, maybe four, of them.

Hmm . . . Drawing on some knowledge of basic French, and with the aid of a good dictionary, I have this quote in Italian:

Sua spada é lunga, sua lancia é tagliente . . .

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

My grammar is wrong, isn't it?

From a quote in Italian in a book I've read for English Lit (it was, 'Dov' è il suo cuore?'), I discovered that the definite article and the possessive adjective can co-exist. So . . .

La sua spada è lunga, la sua lancia è tagliamente.

It's from a poem, vzv.

[Cailín]

La sua spada è lunga, la sua lancia è tagliamente.

Well, Italian I don't know, but I can make a wild guess that may help others.

"His/her sword is long, his/her lance is (most) sharp / cutting."

Does that make sense at all? I have no idea where it is from.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Your skill in tongues never fail to amaze me.

Spot on; well almost. Now all someone has to do is give me where the quote came from.

[Cailín]

Oh, I know! I know! Uh... at least, I think I know.

Is it from The Fall of Gil-Galad? Then it would be "His sword was long, his lance was keen."

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Your turn.

And oh! was it in the past tense? Well, I don't know that in Italian, so I just did simple present.

[Cailín]

My first quote guessed and I completely forgot I should be posting the next.

"Je kunt ze niet bereiken. Wij probeerden het ooit, ja, lieveling. Ik probeerde het; maar je kunt ze niet bereiken. Alleen schimmen om te zien, misschien, niet aan te raken. Nee lieveling! Allemaal dood."

It's Dutch, of course. I made an attempt at Old Gaelic but I got stuck with the grammar and I forgot to bring my books. Maybe next time. Good luck! It should be easy.

[Guinevere]

How nice! A language where I at least can understand some words...

Lieveling sounds much like "Liebling" = darling. But who could say that?
Ah! it could be "precious"! (btw in the German edition translated as " Schatzsss"!)

So I guess it must be Gollum in the Marshes:

You cannot reach them, you cannot touch them. We tried once, yes, precious. I tried once; but you cannot reach them. Only shapes to see, perhaps, not to touch. No precious! All dead.

[Cailín]

I knew it would be far too easy!

I could have chosen "schat" for precious, but I found "lieveling" more fitting. Well done.

[Guinevere]

Thank you, Cailin! (Well, I didn't see it immediately, it did take me some time to figure out!)

Here's another one, this time in French (a good exercise for me )

"Personne ne sait ce que le nouveau jour lui portera," disait ________ . "Allez-vous-en, avant qu'il tourne à votre détriment!"

[Cailín]

And a good exercise for me. I am terribly ashamed of my French.

I don't have a French dictionary at my disposal, so I am just guessing. It makes little sense to me. And I have yet no clue where it is from, but maybe someone else does:

"People do not know that the new day shall carry him, said … Go you (pl) there, before it turns to your (pl) disadvantage."

[Cailín]

Aha. I am so ignorant sometimes. Of course, it is bring them instead of carry him.

'None knows what the new day shall bring them,' said Aragorn. 'Get you gone, ere it turn to your evil.'

Wise words from Aragorn to the Uruk-Hai at the battle of Helm's Deep.

[Guinevere]

Well done, Cailin!

[Cailín]

Thanks Guinevere.

As promised, still without my grammar book:

Léithidir lochaid
Móir tech
Srón nathraig
Crothaim in talmain

Difficult language, but an easy quote. I cannot give a hundred percent guarantee that it is absolutely correct. It is Old Gaelic, not modern.

[Cailín]

I must have made this completely impossible...

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Although a word or two in English would help.

[Cailín]

Oh well then.

tech = house. srón = nose.

I might also mention, in relation to grammar, that Old Gaelic has an actual equative case (as part of the degrees of comparison, that is).

[Guinevere]

I have not the faintest idea how to find out what any of the Old Gaelic words mean .
But "house" and "nose" are extremely helpful hints! Could it be Sam's poem?

Grey as a mouse,
big as a house,
nose like a snake
I make the earth shake

[Cailín]

You are correct!

Well done, Guinevere! I thought no one was ever going to guess. Old Gaelic and Modern Gaelic are not quite so different, except for grammatical things, so most of the words you could have found in any Irish - English dictionary online.

[Guinevere]

Thank you, Cailin! Some Italian again, since German would probably be much too easy for you. (I could try Swiss-German dialect though, next time...)

Vedo un fiume bianco chi scende della neve. Dove esche fra l'ombra della valle una collina verde si leve nell'est. Un fosso e un terrapieno paleroso e una siepe spinosa l'accerchiano.

[Macalaure]

I think it's

"I see a white stream that comes down from the snows, where it issues from the shadow of the vale a green hill rises upon the east. A dike and mighty wall and thorny fence encircle it."

That would be Legolas describing Edoras.

[Guinevere]

Now I wonder with what language you will come up, Macalaure

[Macalaure]

Well, I wished I could come up with something exotic...

Den Tod kannst du mir geben, verdient oder unverdient; doch nicht gemeinen Geschlechts, noch Späher oder Knecht sollst du mich heißen.

[Alcarillo]

Is it...

Death you can give me earned or unearned; but the names I will not take from you of baseborn, nor spy, nor thrall.

Said by Beren in the Silm.

[Macalaure]

Es ist.

Your turn Alcarillo!

[Alcarillo]

Here's Esperanto:

"Mi esperas, ke mi neniam odoros la odoron de pomoj denove!" diris ___. "Mia barelo estis enspacata per ghi! Odori pomojn chiame kiam oni povas apenau movi kaj estas malsana per malsato estas freneziganta. Mi povas manghi ion ajn en la vasta mondo nun, dum senfinaj horoj - sed ne pomon!"

ch and gh should be read as c and g with circumflexes above.

[Guinevere]

I had almost forgotten about this! Now I have a closer look at this, it's easy !

"I hope I never smell the smell of apples again!" said Fili. "my tub was full of it. To smelll apples everlastingly when you can scarcely move and are cold and sick with hunger is maddening. I could eat anything in the wide world now, for hours on end - but not an apple!"

[Alcarillo]

Correct!

[Guinevere]

Thanks!
This time I'll try my hand at Norwegian (I hope it's not too short):

"Hei _______ !" (.....) " Så du er med på denne lille turen også? Hvor får vi seng og frokost?"

[Elanor]

Hm... I can understand a bit of Swedish, and one or two words there look familiar. Hm... Especially "frokost"...

I shall have to think.