loQ maw' ngoDvam 'a teH... (matlhejchuqtaH maH vIneH neH)
The sentiment of this song seems very un-Klingon. But recently a popular Terran imitation of it got caught in my head, and while it was looping there endlessly, the original Klingon lyrics revealed themselves to me, so I figured I’d share them here. qamuSHa'qu'bej bangwI' 'ach meq vISovbe' 'ej not qa'uchHa'qangbej 'e' vIlIjlaHbe' toH vay' Dataghpu'mo' quSDaq ba' maqIHchuqDI' chothlu'moHpu' 'e' Datu''a' teHba' ngoDvam vaj teH matlhejchuqtaH maH vIneH neH I certainly really love you my love but I don’t know the reason And I cannot forget that I will definitely never be willing to let go of you Well because you have started something it is obvious (lit: it sits in a chair) Did you notice that when we met for the first time you made me tempted This fact is obviously true, so it is true I only want us to keep accompanying each other toH jIHvaD potlhbe'qu' ghochlIj ta'meylIj joq matay'taH maH qaStaHvIS jaj naQ 'e' vIpoQ wa'logh neH machopchuqpu'mo' qaS Hoch muDuQlaHchu'taH parmaqvam not 'e' vISov loQ maw' ngoDvam 'a teH matlhejchuqtaH maH vIneH neH Well your destination and/or your accomplishments are really not important to me I demand that we be together during the entire day Everything happens because we bit each other just one time I never knew that this love could perfectly move me emotionally (lit: stab me) This fact is a little crazy but it’s true I only want us to keep accompanying each other jIHvaD bImonchoHpu' choghelpu' bImI'qangchoH'a' SoHDaq murItpu' DeSDu' murItchu'mo' jIlajnISba' You started to smile at me You asked me “are you willing to begin dancing” Arms summoned me to you Because they summoned me perfectly I obviously must accept DaH HIQoy bangwI' vogh DajaHDI' qatlhejmeH pa' vIjaH je matay'taHvIS SoH jIH je bangwI' jISaHbe' toH vay' Dataghpu'mo' quSDaq ba' maqIHchuqDI' chothlu'moHpu' 'e' Datu''a' potlhbe' ta'lIj 'ej reH matlhejchuqtaH maH vIneH neH Now hear me my love When you go somewhere I will go there as well in order to accompany you While you and I are together my love I don’t care Well because you have started something it is obvious (lit: it sits in a chair) Did you notice that when we met for the first time you made me tempted Your accomplishments are not important and I only want us to keep accompanying each other In case it it’s not obvious what Terran song these lyrics go with, this should be a sufficient clue: when reconstructing these original Klingon lyrics, I wasn’t sure what the scope of “only” was in the line “I only want to be with you”. Does it mean I want to be with only you (and nobody else)? I want only to be with you (and I want nothing else)? Something else? I found it hard to resist the opportunity to say “vIneH neH”, so that kind of forces a meaning of “I merely want to be with you”, which may or may not be what the Terran version intended.
I think it’s even MORE ambiguous than you do, because it could also mean “I don’t want to actually DO anything with you. I just want to meditate and attain Oneness with the Universe in your presence. I only want to BE with you. If I’m not with you, I can get stuff done, but in your presence, there is no “doing". There is only “being". As for the interpretation that it means that I have no desire other than to be with you, which is likely what the song means, to me that just sounds icky in a clingy way that, at the very LEAST, disrespects other valid desires, like eating or urinating, or avoiding environmental hazards, like extreme temperature, or high wattage electricity passing through my body, or nuclear radiation; or desires for respect among members of my community, or financial security, or wisdom, or basic math skills, or confidence when navigating the bus routes, etc. This is why I never translate poetry. charghwI’ vaghnerya’ngan rInpa’ bomnIS be’’a’ pI’.
On Mar 4, 2019, at 9:06 AM, Daniel Dadap <daniel@dadap.net> wrote:
In case it it’s not obvious what Terran song these lyrics go with, this should be a sufficient clue: when reconstructing these original Klingon lyrics, I wasn’t sure what the scope of “only” was in the line “I only want to be with you”. Does it mean I want to be with only you (and nobody else)? I want only to be with you (and I want nothing else)? Something else? I found it hard to resist the opportunity to say “vIneH neH”, so that kind of forces a meaning of “I merely want to be with you”, which may or may not be what the Terran version intended.
participants (2)
-
Daniel Dadap -
Will Martin