[tlhIngan Hol] machines

[Steven Boozer]

I must admit, I didn't understand the line either.  I googled it and found a modern English "translation" at the No Fear Shakespeare site:
   https://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/shakespeare/hamlet/page_94/ 

The relevant bit is:

   Thine evermore, most dear lady,
   whilst this machine is to him,
       Hamlet.

which is "translated" as:

   Yours forever, my dearest one,
   as long as I live—still chugging along,
      Hamlet.

Before seeint his I might have gone with the more general {mIqta'} "machinery"; i.e. the human body is a type of organic machine.  But *if* the No Fear interpretation "still chugging along" is correct,  {jonta'} or {QuQ} "[ship's] engine" does make sense.  

I'm sure there are other Hamlet commentaries available online for alternate interpretations.

--
Voragh

----------------------------------------Original Message----------------------------------------
From: Lieven L. Litaer

In Hamlet, Act II, scene 2, in a letter to Ophelia, Hamlet finished his words with

'O dear Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers, I have not art to reckon my groans: 
but that I love thee best, O most best, believe it. Adieu.
'Thine evermore, most dear lady, whilst
this machine is to him, HAMLET.'

The Klingon version ends with

reH banglI', porghDaj yInmoHtaHvIS neH QuQDaj, HAMLET'e'.

translating "machine" as {QuQ}, so I just wondered... {QuQ} is defined in TKD as "engine", so is {jonta'}, and we also have {jo'} and {mIqta'}, both translated as "machinery".

I am not an expert for Shakespeare, and maybe I do not understand this line correctly, but what was the reason for this word choice? And what would you have chosen here?


--
Lieven L. Litaer
aka the "Klingon Teacher from Germany"
http://www.klingonisch.de
http://www.klingonwiki.net/En/Hamlet
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