Some Short Poems

Finally we come to a few qlèqhe ditties which seem to have become attached to persons in our family. I am not entirely sure that you can reconstruct the original language at all, but at least I can write out the words that Puey has caught from the Void.
My dearest cousin Xataríyona used to sing a little song which I think you’ve heard many a time. In going through the notes that my esteemed Puey has captured of the abyss, I found what I think may be an earlier form of it.


Pós se léne? Káterína.
Pou thoulém’is? Stín Athína.
Póso pérnis? Ékató.
Ké ta résta? Páq’ató!
What’s thy name? Xataríyona.
Where do you work? In Athína.
How micklemuch do you make? An hundred.
And the rest? Iced cream!

And I would render that as the following, already familiar unto thee:

Píxhi
Eleven

Teiqhàfhlae Xeîtei’ eixing.

Xhyeis ókho tútlhi? Xataríyona.
Kháteqhe xhyoaqoas tú? Qir Athína.
Jhùrna xhyeixhroas khleiyùlkha tú? Íng tìjhwa xhroe.
Xhnoe xhyeis xhmérs? Fhlaê fhlaê!
‘Tis Xeîtei’s akutuq.

What’s your first name, ma’am? Xataríyona?
Where do you work? In Eréjet.
How many things do you earn? A sandthousand.
And what’s the rest? Lots of iced cream!

And the ditty above uses some rather marvelous words, fhlaê, ice cream, iced cream, gladet gladül, akutuq, from milk of Þe ejharqtaqéla ør axhlaxajáxa ør syarqtexèlya Milk Flower which is that most remarkable dish, a special of my natal land Jaràqtu, and the only contribution to health, alchemy, and life that the crazed Khateláqi have e'er accomplished. I mean, the Khatelèstan, as far as I can tell, have only one contribution unto Jaràqtu and all the Winter Empire, their prediliction to remaining friends with the Sweqhàngqu and their uncanny ability to breed beautiful goldenflaxed daughters who are thus highly prized by the Sweqhàngqu, see above, or some of their other allies. Perhaps this has something to do with why Puey loves Fhermáta and Akhlísa at least as much and doubtless more than he loves you. If the Khatelèstan though failed to have such lovely daughters, what use would they truly have in the Land? But I digress. The ditty above also uses the participles jhùrna those who earn someone or something and kháte, kháteqhe those who work, tian and ókho a woman’s first name, given by the Father and xhmérs remainder, snippets, Þe rest; et cetera, kai ta loipa, kaj tiel plu, e rets, minidibi and the relative pronoun inflexion xhyeixhroas khleî (xhrir) means How many things (of) and the object inflexion is added unto the second element, khleî.
The translation does of course have one one rather anomalous word of which I cannot account:

Athína Athína from Athína

My guess is that Athína must be some unattested, mythological term for Eréjet, the capitol of Qamélo. As far as I can tell all manner of oddments happen there, mercantilism and run amock Merchant classes and waterfalls tumbling down hundreds of leagues and sandcastles gigantic. Shall we continue unto the next stanza?

This is a little nonsense song that Khlís is wont to sing.

Xhíxhi
Twelve
Qlaxatu fh’aran’a neqto?
Qlaxatu fh’aran’a neqto?
Qlaxatu fh’aran’a neqto?
Qlátu fharànta khnèqto?
Qlátu fharànta khnèqto?
Qlátu fharànta khnèqto?
Qlátt tú fhàraqa. Khnèqta’ ó?
You, who are lightningbolts, are alive. One is an egg.
Qláta’ ú. Fhár tá. Khnèkhu tó?
One is ice. All things are war. You, dear one, numennod in agreement.
Qlàto tú fhárèqta khnèqta?
You who enter things and are eggs are loud.
Qlàti’ ú fhàraka tá khnèkhu.
Anywho who is an arch and all things and nods in agreement is a cloud.

Sometimes Kàrula says Qlaxatu fh’aran’a neqto and otherly qlátu fharànta khnèqto in accordance with the phonotactiξ of Language. I am not sure whether any of those utterances have any meaning, so sometimes she just strings together some rather odd sentences as you read above.
And the words she uses for the first part tend to be qlàti clouds and qlát those who are alive, living and qláta ice and qlàto those who loud, then she follows it with fhár wars; those who are strong and fhàraqa, fhafhàraqa lightening bolts and fhárèqta, fhárèqtamat those who enter someone or something and fharèqte words and fhàrka arches, and at last she tends to use either the words khnèqta eggs or khnèkhu those who nod, numennod in agreement although she may choose to modify the ending with a personal pronoun. Ah, younger siblings, they can be so creative. Or at least she can, the last younger sibling. Alas, that you grew up Siblingless in the Forbidden Gardens. You did miss out on so much joyry.

Oh, my Princess, we are coming to the end of this portion of poëtical translations that Puey has managed to capture at the edge of the Void of Language, and which I have done my best to copy and transcribe. I shall soon be making my leave of you, at least in epistle form. I do hope that I shall see you soon and that reading these humble words should give you some solace until back unto Jaràqtu-de you should come.
I am quite sure that when you find me I shall be incredibly busy. It’s not easy being the Sister to the future Emperor of Earth and Sea and Sky. Why I probably have more duties than you do; folk are always petitioning me and Mother for favors on behalf of Puey. Why the only duty you have is to bare an heir and not be too annoying if you can help it. I have a pretty good idea on the which of the slave girls I’ll be purchasing for Puey. One has to be so very careful about these things And I don’t think that you’ll notice that I’ve repeatedly raided your room and signed several hundred documents in your name and have no intention of e'er giving you back the signet ring. Oh yes, I think I’ll purchase golden haired maidens. Certainly Puey deserves a few, nuchal white maidens. I must say, oh my Princess, that you do have at least one endearing quality, and it would be your thwèmlat your white neck, surely one of the most exquisite signs of beauty among Færie maidens. Even I, when I first met you, thought, why her neck is quite white indeed. Of course we Sweqhàngqu maidens are known for having white necks. Mother has been adjusting my collar a bit so that I can show off my pyá jhpóng, the nape of my neck. I suppose this all has something to do that among the daughters of the Xhámi only our hands, ankles, face, hair, and neck remain uncovered. Although I do wonder, Princess, why in your notes I can find at least three different words for white neck maids, and these are fhalepyortlháqes and fhetsorqhàqtenu and khekhtàjhepong. Very odd, odd indeed. But it is your language. I’ve often noticed that Puey does admire Kàrula neck; she’ll no doubt rival and depose you one day. Hmmm. I should endeavour to perchase white necked love slaves for Puey. Anyway, here’s the last poem that I have found. It is a familiar one, for Puey has hummed it to you many times, even though he does not speak in the words of languages, and Fhermáta and Karuláta and I have sung it to you as a lullaby. Imagine my surprise to find out that this hushaby was far older than I could imagine, and that it must in some fashion have existed within the Void.

Tlhéxhi
Thirteen

Janayeilyoriênya teir!
Tsóriêna teirxhmi!
Tsóriêna teirxhmi!
Tsóriêna xhmir Éfhelìnye!
Tsóriêna teirxhmi!
Thou, dear one, art mine esteemed sunshine!
Good omens to dear thee!
Good omens to dear thee!
Good omens to Éfhelìnye!
Good omens to dear thee!
Janayeilyoriênya teir
Xá janayeilyoriênya’ ùwasu.
Uxeûxujo’ ur qoe jin tóxing
Eipejo pejor tlhoâ ker wthàsya.
Pàjeqúr qìfhis qìfhis teir ányarqloîyu
Kuxhroas kúlatser qlùwe khleit jin.
Jhafhuxhlitei khringìmemat xhroe
Janayeilyoriênya xhroa!
Thou, dear one, art mine esteemed sunshine
Oh mine esteemed, only sunshine.
Thou dearly enhappiest me
When it is a sky that is dirty grey, griseous.
Thou shalt nowhen ever gnow, beloved and dear one,
How much I dearly love thee.
Respectfully refuse to take away
Mine esteemed sunshine.
Tsóriêna teirxhmi!
Tsóriêna teirxhmi!
Tsóriêna xhmir Éfhelìnye!
Tsóriêna teirxhmi!
Janayeilyoriênya teir!
Good omens to dear thee!
Good omens to dear thee!
Good omens to Éfhelìnye!
Good omens to dear thee!
Thou, dear one, art mine esteemed sunshine!

Oh Éfhelìnye, in the jhweî kànxhixhi titìlpi lulkanto above one finds the words eilyoriênya sunlight, sunshine, solastals, howlsplann and khrìngime, khringìmemat those who remove, subtract, take away, benam, delete someone or something and kúl which means those who are such, of this kind or extent, to such a degree, talis, a cominal impersonal participle which we find with the relative pronoun inflexion kuxhroas kúlatser which means how much in an indirect question, adverbial phrase, and we also have the reduplication qìfhis qìfhis those who never are, are for nevermore; nowhen, yA, gavart and qloê, qloîyu those who are beloved, dear, narāmum, urpi and qlùwe those who love, gree-ah someone or something and qúr those who gnow, wot someone or something and tlhoâ the Starblossom, Starbloom; sky, firmament, welkin, welkin of dance and tsóriêna goodly omens, bird auguries, especialwise on one’s Starday and ùwasu those who are alone, only, neH, mob, nIteb, uttfield and uxeûxujo those who are happy, whhhimsical, whhhimsicoracal, ĥadûm, vimik and wthàsya those who are dirty grey, griseous, streaked ør mix’d with grey, k̃er, k̃rwos, maŋalaaq.

The only original text that I can find for the above consists of some stray lines of muddle which I think only correspond to the middle portions of the poem. It may be that one day we can find an origin to the beginning and end, when the bird omens are invoked, or perchance it is something that we the Sweqhàngqu Sisteren invented in order to help you to sleep.

Elye nalye’ árenya-‘ eresse.
Tyaralye ta nanya-‘ alassea.
Yasse p’anyare nar sinn’e.
Istum’alye’ úm’oro manen tye melan.
Am’á-‘ enyale’ árenya!
You are the light of my great star.
You alone are the light of my great star.
You make me happen when the sky is black.
You will nowhen know, my beloved, how many times I love you.
Refuse to take the light of the great star away!
Khom’áwom’wij xhokh.
Khom’áwom’wij nekh xhokh.
Jh’oqkhujh’mokhtakh qijtakht’ix jh’al.
Xarloq’ qamuxhkhá paq’loq’ xé t’axhom’ fh’angwi.
Khom’áwom’wij yingéxqkhóx!

I do hope to see you soon, my Sister by marriage. And I promise to start returning your books and clothing to you, just as soon as you promise to deliver on some promises which I have not yet actually conceived. I find it best to make make others promise to do my bidding before I realize what it is.

With all my love
Siêthiyal