[tlhIngan Hol] Expressing location and “prettier than all others” / Hoch DechtaH tI nIl

[Daniel Dadap]

I think I’ll probably stop once I’ve done nine songs, since nine seems like a nice round number (in ternary), and I don’t think I’ll have the energy to do twenty seven.

This one was fairly straightforward, since there is a formula to each verse, and rhyme isn’t a constraint, but I have a couple of questions about the formula:

1) IIUC the generally expected way to express that noun Y is in/on/at noun X is {(X)Daq 'oHtaH (Y)'e'}. How acceptable or unacceptable is it to abbreviate this to {(X)Daq (Y)}? I’ve used the shorter option below, but if that doesn’t really fly I can switch to the longer version; it just means that each line of Klingon text following that pattern takes up the musical space of two analogous lines from the English version, which would make the Klingon version even longer and more annoying than the already long and annoying English version.

2) Would {(X) (Y) law' Hoch latlhmey (Y) puS} mean that X is more Y than all other Xes, or that X is more Y than all other things, not limited to other Xes? I’m trying to express the former meaning without having to do {(X) (Y) law' Hoch (X)mey (Y) puS} every time, partly because being able to use {latlh} in every verse strengthens the formula, and partly because it’s already slightly awkward to accommodate different syllable counts for the different X items that appear in the verses.

Anyway, here’s my reconstruction of the original Klingon for “The Green Grass Grows All Around”. I’m only going to bother with the intended meaning in English for the first verse, because the subsequent verses just plug new words into the formula:

toH, vogh yavDaq, QemjIq tu'lu',
QemjIq 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

So, somewhere in the ground, there was a hole,
The hole was prettier than all others.
The hole was in the ground,
And grassy vegetation was surrounding everything, grassy vegetation,
And grassy vegetation was surrounding everything.

'ej QemjIqDaq Sor woch tu'lu',
Sorvetlh 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

'ej SorDaq Qechjem'a' tu'lu',
Qechjem'a' 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

Qechjem'a'Daq, Qechjem tu'lu',
Qechjem 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
Qechjem'a'Daq Qechjem,
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

'ej QechjemDaq, bartIq tu'lu',
bartIq 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
vaj QechjemDaq bartIq,
Qechjem'a'Daq Qechjem,
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

'ej bartIqDaq, bo'Degh juH tu'lu',
bo'Degh juH 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
bartIqDaq juH,
QechjemDaq bartIq,
Qechjem'a'Daq Qechjem,
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

bo'Degh juHDaq, QIm mach tu'lu',
QImvetlh 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
vaj juHDaq QIm,
bartIqDaq juH,
QechjemDaq bartIq,
Qechjem'a'Daq Qechjem,
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

'ej QImvetlhDaq bo'Degh tu'lu',
bo'Degh 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
QImDaq bo'Degh,
'ej juHDaq QIm,
bartIqDaq juH,
QechjemDaq bartIq,
Qechjem'a'Daq Qechjem,
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

'ej bo'DeghDaq, telHom tu'lu',
telvetlh 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
bo'DeghDaq tel,
QImDaq bo'Degh,
'ej juHDaq QIm,
bartIqDaq juH,
QechjemDaq bartIq,
Qechjem'a'Daq Qechjem,
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

'ej telvetlhDaq, boHom tu'lu',
bovetlh 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
vaj telDaq bo,
bo'DeghDaq tel,
QImDaq bo'Degh,
'ej juHDaq QIm,
bartIqDaq juH,
QechjemDaq bartIq,
Qechjem'a'Daq Qechjem,
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

'ej bovetlhDaq, ghewHom tu'lu',
ghewvetlh 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
vaj boDaq ghew,
'ej telDaq bo,
bo'DeghDaq tel,
QImDaq bo'Degh,
'ej juHDaq QIm,
bartIqDaq juH,
QechjemDaq bartIq,
Qechjem'a'Daq Qechjem,
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

'ej ghewvetlhDaq, lerup tu'lu',
lerup 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
ghewDaq lerup,
'ej boDaq ghew,
'ej telDaq bo,
bo'DeghDaq tel,
QImDaq bo'Degh,
'ej juHDaq QIm,
bartIqDaq juH,
QechjemDaq bartIq,
Qechjem'a'Daq Qechjem,
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

'ej lerupDaq, roSghaH tu'lu',
roSghaH 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
lerupDaq roSghaH,
ghewDaq lerup,
'ej boDaq ghew,
'ej telDaq bo,
bo'DeghDaq tel,
QImDaq bo'Degh,
'ej juHDaq QIm,
bartIqDaq juH,
QechjemDaq bartIq,
Qechjem'a'Daq Qechjem,
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

'ej roSghaHDaq 'o'rIS tu'lu',
'o'rIS 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
roSghaHDaq 'o'rIS,
lerupDaq roSghaH,
ghewDaq lerup,
'ej boDaq ghew,
'ej telDaq bo,
bo'DeghDaq tel,
QImDaq bo'Degh,
'ej juHDaq QIm,
bartIqDaq juH,
QechjemDaq bartIq,
Qechjem'a'Daq Qechjem,
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

'ej 'o'rISDaq, HeySel tu'lu',
HeySel 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
'o'rISDaq HeySel,
roSghaHDaq 'o'rIS,
lerupDaq roSghaH,
ghewDaq lerup,
'ej boDaq ghew,
'ej telDaq bo,
bo'DeghDaq tel,
QImDaq bo'Degh,
'ej juHDaq QIm,
bartIqDaq juH,
QechjemDaq bartIq,
Qechjem'a'Daq Qechjem,
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

'ej HeySelDaq, valtIn tu'lu',
valtIn 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
HeySelDaq valtIn,
'o'rISDaq HeySel,
roSghaHDaq 'o'rIS,
lerupDaq roSghaH,
ghewDaq lerup,
'ej boDaq ghew,
'ej telDaq bo,
bo'DeghDaq tel,
QImDaq bo'Degh,
'ej juHDaq QIm,
bartIqDaq juH,
QechjemDaq bartIq,
Qechjem'a'Daq Qechjem,
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

'ej valtInvetlh bavtaH tem mach,
temvetlh 'IQ law' Hoch latlhmey 'IQ puS.
valtIn bavtaH tem,
HeySelDaq valtIn,
'o'rISDaq HeySel,
roSghaHDaq 'o'rIS,
lerupDaq roSghaH,
ghewDaq lerup,
'ej boDaq ghew,
'ej telDaq bo,
bo'DeghDaq tel,
QImDaq bo'Degh,
'ej juHDaq QIm,
bartIqDaq juH,
QechjemDaq bartIq,
Qechjem'a'Daq Qechjem,
SorDaq Qechjem'a',
QemjIqDaq Sor,
yavDaq QemjIq,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.

'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl, tI nIl,
'ej Hoch DechtaH tI nIl.