The Relay Museum

Teiz Azidara kja sjiv

Zridan ya reiv kja galkivo,
au rriken veora syulnein kheiag,
zeu byanan sja rrudhl ka pour neo sjav.
Kjei muven reiv kja galkivo.
Veo thlik, sjeir zjavag, au rrelj muv.
Sam nuelrou plik sen vuelrou plik,
sam nuelfei yagh sen vuelfei yagh,
kleilroe vuelghoum yavagka roeljneim.
Youvadue duenein, youroevue wurrma veoi.

Azida talks about the future

The moon was wandering in the forest,
and it created all living things;
they dwelled under the stars.
Then the moon rested in the forest.
It danced and became dizzy, so it rested.
Going from this branch to that branch,
going from this pain to that pain,
it frees the mind.
They will be born again, and their souls will depart again.

teiz       Azida-ra  kja sjiv
talk-about Azida-ERG the future-ABS

Azida is a name. Basic Gjarrda word order is verb-subject-object, although
either the subject or the object may precede the verb. In the case of
transitive verbs, like "talk about", the subject takes the ergative case
(ERG) and the object takes the absolutive case (ABS). ("Teiz" is actually a
ditransitive verb meaning "tell", but in this case, the indirect object in
the dative case is omitted.)

1. zrid  -an        ya  reiv     kja galki -vo,
   wander-PAST:IMPF the moon-ABS the forest-LOC

Intransitive verbs, such as "wander", have a subject in the absolutive
case. The locative case in this instance expresses the place where an
action occurs. The definite article for "moon" is ordinarily inanimate, but
in this case an animate article (ya) has been used.

2. au         rrik  -en        veo-ra  syul-nein khei -ag,
   and [then] create-PAST:PERF it -ERG all -CLAS exist-thing-ABS

Jarrda uses classifiers to connect numbers and a few other adjectives with
nouns: "nein" is the classifier for animal, as opposed to vegetable or
mineral. Thus, "syulnein kheiag" means "all (animate things) that
exist".

3. zeu   byan -an        sja  / rrudhl   ka  pour     neo   sjav.
   where dwell-PAST:IMPF as-for is-under the star-ABS which are-many

This syntax is a bit tricky since "under" is really a verb in Gjarrda. A
literal translation is "As for where [they] lived (were dwelling), [it] is
under the stars", but English would just say "They lived under the
stars".

4. kjei muv -en        reiv     kja galki -vo.
   then rest-PAST:PERF moon-ABS the forest-LOC

5. veo    thlik, sjeir  zjavag,   au  rrelj muv.
   it-ABS dance  become dizzy-ABS and so    rest

There isn't any significance to putting the subject of "dance" at the
beginning; it's only there for metrical reasons.

6. sam       nuel-rou  plik       sen   vuel-rou  plik,
   come-from this-CLAS branch-ABS go-to that-CLAS branch-ABS

Vuel is distant "that" as opposed to "that near you" (in case that
makes a
difference). The classifier "rou" adds no significant meaning in this case
(i.e., "rou" is just the classifier ordinarily used with "plik").

7. sam       nuel-fei  yagh     sen   vuel-fei  yagh,
   come-from this-CLAS pain-ABS go-to that-CLAS pain-ABS

8. kleil-roe  vuel-ghoum yavag-ka  roelj-neim.
   free -CAUS that-CLAS  event-ERG think-spirit-ABS (i.e., "mind")

The causative suffix turns the adjective-like verb "free" into a transitive
verb "to free".

9. you  -vad  -ue       due -nein,     you  -roev  -ue       wurr-ma  veoi.
   again-birth-FUT:PERF PLUR-CLASS-ABS again-depart-FUT:PERF soul-ERG their

"Vad", which means "give birth to", is here used without a subject,
which
in English would require the passive voice; i.e., "(they will) be born
(again)". Note that this word for "they" (duenein) means "more than
one
animal (as opposed to vegetable or mineral)". "Nein" is the same
classifier
as used in line 2. "Wurr" is a Kayatal word for a spiritual entity that
survives after the death of a living being (i.e. "immortal soul").