The Book of the Nishan Shaman 04

Previous instalments: 1, 2, 3.

geli gisureki seci angga juwame muterakv, jain jabufi gisureme banjinarakv oho

geli [more]
gisureki seci [(he) wanted to say]
angga [mouth]
juwame muterakv [couldn’t open]
jain [joint of the jaws] dict. form: jayan
jabufi [stiffened and]
gisureme [speaking, words]
banjinarakv oho [didn’t appear]

He wanted to say something more, but he couldn’t open his mouth. His jaws stiffened and no more words appeared.

sencike tukiyeceme yasa hadanaha ergen yadafi,

sencike [chin] dict. form: sencehe
tukiyeceme [raised]
yasa [eyes]
hadanaha [fixed, stared] dict. form: hadahai – descriptive converb of hadambi [to nail, to fix the eyes on sth]
ergen yadafi [died, stopped breathing], ergen [life, breath], yadambi [to be poor, wretched]

His chin lifted, his eyes stared, and he breathed his last.

ahalji bahalji geren ahasi se kiyoo be xurdeme ukufi songgoro jilgan de, alin holo gemu uradumbi,

ahalji bahalji [Ahalji and Bahalji]
geren [each]
ahasi se [servants]
kiyoo be [sedan chair] acc
xurdeme ukufi [encircled]
songgoro [crying]
jilgan de [voices]
alin holo [mountain valley]
gemu [all]
uradumbi [pealed, echoed] reciprocative form of urambi [to sound, to echo]

Ahalji, Bahalji and the other servants encircled the sedan chair. Their crying voices echoed all over the mountain valley.

amala ahalji songgoro be nakafi geren baru hendume, belin age emgeri bucehe, songgoro de inu weijubume muterakv oho, giran be gaime jurarengge oyonggo

amala [after that]
ahalji [Ahalji]
songgoro be [cries] acc
nakafi [ceased and]
geren baru [to all]
hendume [spoke]

belin age [(our) master]
emgeri [already]
bucehe [died]
songgoro de [with (our) cries]
inu [surely]
weijubume muterakv oho [(we) can’t bring (him) back to life]

giran be [corpse] acc
gaime [take]
jurarengge [leave] dict. form: jurarangge
oyonggo [(is) important]

After that Ahalji ceased their cries and said to all of them, “Our master is dead. We can’t bring him back to life with our cries. Now it is important to bring his corpse home.”

bahalji sini beye geren be gaime belin age i giran be saikan hoxxome gajime elheo(elhei) jio, mini beye juwan moringga niyalma be gamame neneme julesi genefi musei yuwan wai mafa de mejige alanafi boode belin age be, fudere jaka sabe belheme geneki, seme alafi

bahalji [Bahalji]
sini beye [you]
geren be [everyone] acc
gaime [taking]
belin age i [(our) master’s]
giran be [corpse] acc
saikan [properly]
hoxxome* [cover and]
gajime [bring]
elheo [gently, slowly] dict. form: elhei
jio [come]

mini beye [I]
juwan [ten]
moringga niyalma be [horsemen, riders] moringga [on horseback, mounted]
gamame [taking]
neneme [be ahead]
julesi [forward]
genefi [(will) go]

musei yuwan wai mafa de [our old landlord]
mejige alafi [report news]
boode [home]
belin age be [master]
fudere [accompanying]
jaka sabe [things]
belheme [to prepare]
geneki** [go]

seme [said]
alafi [told]

“Bahalji, take everyone with you, cover our master’s corpse properly and bring it home riding slowly. I’ll take ten horsemen with me and and go forward to report the news to our old landowner, and prepare things that will accompany him.”

* hoxxome – Zakharov translates this verb as ‘to deceive, to delude, to tempt’, but also ‘to cover, to entangle’. The romanization I use as basis of the translation says that it should be hoxotolombi [to make into square] rather than hoxxombi, but the version with hoxxombi seems more reasonable.
** -ki voluntative form is sometimes used to indicate future actions

ahalji geren be gaime morin yalume, deyere gese feksime boo baru generengge hahi ofi, dartai andande boo i duka bade isinafi,

ahalji [Ahalji]
geren be [everyone]
gaime [taking]
morin [horses]
yalume [rode]
deyere gese [like flying]
boo baru [towards home]
generengge [going]
hahi ofi [increasing speed]

dartai andande [in a moment]
boo i [house’s]
duka bade [at the door]
isinafi [came]

Ahalji took the ten horsemen with him and rushed home. In no time they stood at the doors.

morin ci ebufi boode dosifi, yuwan wai mafa de niyakvrafi, damu den jilgan surume songgombi, umai seme gisurerakv,

morin ci [from horse]
ebufi [dismounted]
boode [into house]
dosifi [went]

yuwan wai mafa de [before old landlord]
niyakvrafi [knelt]
damu [but]
den [high]
jilgan [voice]
surume songgombi [cried out loud] dict. form: sureme

umai seme [at all]
gisurerakv [didn’t speak]

He dismounted from his horse and went into the house. He knelt before the old landowner, but then he cried out loud. He could not pronounce one word.

yuwan wai mafa facihiyaxame, tome hendume ere aha si ainaha, abalame genefi ainu songgome amasi jihe, eici sini belin age ai oyonggo baita de simbe julesi takvraha ainu songgome gisurerakv seme siran i fonjire de ahalji jaburakv kemuni songgoro de

yuwan wai mafa [old landlord]
facihiyaxame [grew impatient]
tome [scolding] dict. form: toome
hendume [said]

ere aha [servant]
si [you]
ainaha [what happened?]

abalame [hunting]
genefi [went]
ainu [why]
songgome [crying]
amasi [backwards]
jihe [came]

eici [or]
sini belin age [your master]
ai [what]
oyonggo baita de [with important matter]
simbe [you] acc
julesi [forward]
takvraha [sent]

ainu [why]
songgome [crying]
gisurerakv [don’t speak]

seme [said]
siran i [contiunually, one after another]
fonjire de [asking]
ahalji [Ahalji]
jaburakv [didn’t answer]
kemuni [even more]
songgoro de [cried]

The old landowner grew impatient and scolded him, “Servant! What happened? You went hunting and now you came back crying. Why? Has your master sent you forward with some important matter? Why are you crying? Why don’t you speak?” He asked his questions one after another, but Ahalji didn’t answer and cried even more.

yuwan wai mafa fancafi, tome hendume ere yeken akv aha ainu alarakv damu songgombi, songgoro de baita wajimbio sehe manggi,

yuwan wai mafa [old landlord]
fancafi [got irritated]
tome [scolding]
hendume [said]

ere yeken akv aha [(you) ignoble servant] yeken [capability], can be spelled yekerakv
ainu [why]
alarakv [don’t (you) speak]
damu [but]
songgombi [cry]

songgoro de [(with) cries/tears]
baita [matter]
wajimbio [finish]
sehe [said]
manggi [after]

The old landowner got irritated and scolded him, “You ignoble servant! Why don’t you speak, but only cry? You will not finish the matter with your tears!“

songgoro be nakafi emgeri hengkilefi, hendume belin age jugvn de nimeme beye dubehe, mini beye neneme mejige benjime jihe,

songgoro be [crying]
nakafi [stopped]
emgeri [once]
hengkilefi [kowtowed]
hendume [saying]

belin age [master]
jugvn de [on way]
nimeme [became ill]
beye dubehe [died] lit. body/vitality ended

mini beye [I]
neneme [first]
mejige [news]
benjime [to deliver]
jihe [came]

He stopped crying and kowtowed saying, “Our master became ill and expired on the way. I came first to report the news”

yuwan wai utulihe akv, ai jaka dubehe seme fonjirede, ahalji jabume waka, belin age beye akv oho sere gisun be yuwan wai emgeri donjire jakade uju ninggude akjan guwehe gese haji jui seme surefi uthai oncohon tuheke de

yuwan wai [landlord]
utulihe akv [didn’t understand]

ai jaka [what]
dubehe [ended]
seme [saying]
fonjirede [asked]

ahalji [Ahalji]
jabume [answered]
waka [no]
belin age [master]
beye akv oho [lost (his) life]

sere [said]
gisun be [words]
yuwan wai [landlord]
emgeri donjire [have listened]
jakade [and then]
uju ninggude [above (his) head]
akjan [thunder]
guwehe [sounded]
gese [like]
haji [beloved]
jui [son]
seme [saying]
surefi [yelled]

uthai [and then]
oncohon [facing upward]
tuheke de [fell down]

The landowner didn’t uderstand him. “What expired?” he asked. “Our master has lost his life” answered Ahalji. The landowner listened to him. Those words sounded like thunder above his head. “My beloved son!” he yelled and fell down facing upwards.

mama ekxeme jifi ahalji de fonjire jakade alame, belin age bucehe seme mejige alanjiha be donjifi, tuttu farame tuheke sehe manggi , mama donjifi yasa julergide talkiyan gilmarjiha gese menerefi, eme i jui seme emgeri hvlafi inu farame tob seme mafa i oilo hetu tuheke be

mama [old woman]
ekxeme [hastily]
jifi [came]

ahalji de [Ahalji]
fonjire [asking]
jakade [when]
alame [saying]
belin age [master’s]
bucehe seme [death]
mejige [news]
alanjiha be [came to report]
donjifi [heard]

tuttu [then]
farame [fainted]
tuheke [fell down]
sehe [said]

The mother came in hastily. “He fainted and fell down when he heard that you came to report your master’s death?” she asked Ahalji.

manggi , mama donjifi yasa julergide talkiyan gilmarjiha gese menerefi, eme i jui seme emgeri hvlafi inu farame tob seme mafa i oilo hetu tuheke be

manggi [after that]
mama [old woman]
donjifi [listened]

julergide [before (her)]
talkiyan [lightning]
gilmarjiha [flashed] dict. from: gilmarjaha
gese [like]
menerefi [paralyzed]

eme i [mother’s]
jui [son]
seme [saying]
emgeri hvlafi [shouted]
inu

farame [fainting]
tob seme [exactly] lit. saying ‘tob’
mafa i oilo [on the old man]
hetu [horizontally]
tuheke be [fell down]

She listened to his reply and it paralyzed her like lightning. “My son!” she shouted, and fell down fainting, right on the top of her husband.

takvrara urse golofi tukiyeme ilibufi, teni aituhabi, boo i gubci ere mejige be donjifi gemu songgocombi,

takvrara urse [servants] from takvrambi [to command] urse [people]
golofi [scared]
tukiyeme [to hold up]
ilibufi [rose]

teni [just then]
aituhabi [came] past tense + copula
boo i gubci [everyone in the house / all the inmates]
ere mejige be [this message]
donjifi [having listened]
gemu [all]
songgocombi [cried together] from songgombi [to cry] with -co- sufix meaning ” to do sth together” (cooperative verb)

Servants rose to hold them up. Those who came to the house and heard the message cried all together.

ere songgoro jilgan de toksoi urse gemu isandufi gari miyari seme ging songgocoro namxan,  bahalji songgome dosinjifi yuwan wai mafa de hengkilefi alame, belin age giran be gajime isinjiha

ere songgoro jilgan de [these crying voices]
tokso-i urse [villagers]
gemu [all]
isandufi [gathered together] from isambi [to gather] with –ndu– sufix meaning “to do sth together” (cooperative verb)
gari miyari seme [at the top of their voices] onomatopoeia expressing the sound of many people shouting together; dict. form: gar miyar seme
ging [at that moment] dict. form: jing
songgocoro [crying together]
namxan [at that point]
bahalji [Bahalji]
songgome [crying]
dosinjifi [came in]

yuwan wai mafa de [before old landlord]
hengilefi [kowtowed and]
alame [said]
belin age [master] here in genetive function
giran be [corpse]
gajime [bringing]
isinjiha [came]

Hearing these crying voices, all the villagers gathered together. When they were crying at the top of their voices, Bahalji came in crying, he kowtowed before the old landowner and said, “I brought the young master’s corpse”.

yuwan wai eigen sargan toksoi urse sasa, dukai tule belin age i giran be okdome boode dosimbufi, besergen de sindafi, geren niyalma ukulefi songgoro jilgan de abka na gemu durgembi

yuwan wai eigen sargan [landlord and his wife] lit. landlord husband-wife
toksoi urse [villagers]
sasa [all]
duka-i tule [before the doors]
belin age i [master’s]
giran be [corpse]
okdome [to welcome]
boode [to house]
dosimbufi [carried in]

besergen de [in bed]
sindafi [put]
geren niyalma [all the people]
ukulefi [surrounded] can be spelled ukufi

songgoro jilgan de [crying voices]
abka [heaven]
na [earth]
gemu [all]
durgembi [shake]

The landowner, his wife, and all the villagers came before the doors to welcome the master’s corpse. They carried it into the house, put it on the bed, and surrounded it. Their crying voices shook heaven and earth.

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