[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: bI'reS

[Steven Boozer]

Klingon word: 	bI'reS
Part of speech: 	noun
Definition: 	beginning (of an opera, play, story, speech)
Source: 	HQ:v12n2p8
_______________________________________________

bI'reS qeylIS vaq molor
   ghIq qeylIS juHHom ghoS qotar
   'ej qeylIS mong 'uchchoH   [...] 
First, Molor taunts Kahless
  [remainder of translation unavailable] (PB

may' bI'reS bejtaHvIS mon 
   ghIq pum QaSDaj law' 'e' legh 
   ghIq qempa'QeH legh
  (i.e. Molor; [translation unavailable] (PB)

poH tuj bI'reS nungbogh wa' jaj qeylIS DIS chorghvatlh loSmaH jav qaStaHvIS. [sic] 
In the days that follow the summer solstice in the Year of Kahless 846. ('u'-MTK)

tera' DIS wa' Hut vagh Hut, bI'reS puv 'amerI'qa' 'ev chan 'ev X-wa'maH vagh. 
[untranslated]  (NASM “North American X-15”)

bI'reS nguSDI' Hutlhbogh wej muD Duj'a'mey motlh chenmoH loDnI'pu' 'ej waH. 
[untranslated] (NASM “1903 Wright Flyer”) 

(HQ 12.2:8-9):  There is a difference between the end of the performance of a song or opera or play, indicated by  making use of the verbs {van} and {ghang}, and the ending, or final portion, of a song or opera or play itself. For an opera, play, story, speech, and so on, the final portion is its {bertlham}. This word usually refers to the last aria or other musical portion in an opera, last speech in a play, last sentence or so of a story or an address. The {bertlham} of a well-known work is often well-known itself, as is its beginning ({bI'reS}) For a song—but only for a song—the final portion is its {'o'megh}. Parallel to {bertlham}, {'o'megh} is the final phrase or so of the song, one that brings the song to a definite conclusion. All songs have endings ({'o'meghmey}), some more elaborate or stirring than others … that portion of the song that comes at the beginning—a portion that is often so familiar that listeners know what song it is after hearing just that short portion—is the {namtun}.

(KGT 13):  An example of this is found in the story of Kahless and Lukara. Following the successful defense of the Great Hall at Qam-Chee, Kahless and Lukara engage in a brief conversation that marks the start of their epic romance. Students have been memorizing these lines and repeating them for so long, they have become part of the knowledge shared by all Klingons. One need only say the first line - "{mova' 'aqI' ruStaq}," a {no' Hol} way to say "today was a good day to die" - and everyone will know what is to follow. Interestingly, in the case of this particular conversation, the lines have been incorporated into a mating ritual that persists to this day, with the man and the woman taking the roles and repeating the {no' Hol} lines of Kahless and Lukara, respectively, as the prelude to a romantic encounter.

Another example is {'o meQ qul! 'o meQ chal!}, the {bI'reS} from the opera {qul tuq} (KCD).

PUN: Heb. *Be-reshit* (Hebrew name of the book of Genesis)

SEE:
poH tuj bI'reS 	summer solstice (n) ('u'-MTK)

SEE ALSO:
mung 		origin (n)
lut cherlu' 	prologue (n) PB
qa'vam 		genesis (origin of everything) (n)

tagh 		begin (v)

--
Voragh, Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
    Please contribute relevant vocabulary from the last year or two. I’ve fallen 
    behind in updating my files and adding cross-references for related words.