There Is Another Sky Greek
This was a Tauron-heavy episode. We got to see the Tauronian funeral ceremony (including a dirge version of the song Voices of the Dead), and Joseph Adama beginning to speak Tauron as he struggles with his heritage.
Joseph and Sam's conversation in the tavern:
- Joseph: You frakkin' .. πίνων βλάξ [pinōn blax] (or possibly πινομβλάξ [pinomblax], a coinage) (9:16)
This odd phrase seems to be meant to express something like "stupid drunk" or "drunk fool". I'm interpreting the first word or element as a participle of πίνω [pinō], to drink; the second is βλάξ, 'dolt' or 'slackwit'. It's possible the first element should be taken as deriving from πίνος [pinos] 'dirt, filth'. It's an insult either way. - Sam's reply: εἰ τι ἀποβάλλεις καὶ τίς ἄλλος εὕρισκει, τούτῳ προσήκει αἰώνιον [ei ti apoballeis kai tis allos heuriskei, toutōi prosēkei aiōnion]. (9:23)
If you lose something and someone else finds [it], it belongs to him forever.
This is an odd one stylistically. τίς ἄλλος is redundant; the two verbs in different persons in the protasis are really awkward; and the simple present conditional is not what I'd expect for a proverbial sort of statement. Perhaps Sam is making a very direct point. Note also that the phrase "in the desert" given in the subtitles does not occur in the Greek.
The Tauron funeral ceremony:
- Joseph to guests: χαίρετε [khairete] (a couple other words I could not catch) (34:06)
Χαίρετε just means "hello". - The coins given by Joseph and Willie echo the traditional payment to Charon the Ferryman to carry the souls of the dead across the river Styx. (38:48)
- During the funeral ceremony we hear another version of Voices of the Dead. Bear McCreary has posted a clip along with the lyrics of the full song in English on his blog, but the lyrics don't correspond exactly to either of the versions we've heard — so transcribing the Greek is still a problem:
αὕται εἰσι αἱ φωναὶ τούτων οὓς πεφιλήκαμεν, [hautai eisi hai phōnai toutōn hous pephilēkamen] (40:22)
οἳ οὐκέτι ἀλγήσουσιν, [hoi ouketi algēsousin]
[garbled passive form of συμπλέκω] τῷ ἀθανάτῳ καὶ τῷ αἰεί, καὶ τῷ αἰεί. [... tōi athanatōi kai tōi aiei]
In translation:
These are the voices of those whom we have loved,
who no longer will suffer,
entwined together with the immortal and the eternal, and the eternal.
David Reed | 05-12-2010 | permanent link
Running Alpha Centauri on Mac OS X
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is one of my favorite games. It came out in 1999, before Mac OS X existed and when Intel Macs were still heresy. Like so many great old games, it has not been updated for modern systems, and does not run out of the box on a new Mac. I used to play a Windows copy under emulation or via Boot Camp, but have found that it is actually possible to run the game on a modern Intel Mac with the original game disc and an unofficial Carbon beta in the following fashion.
- Download the Carbon beta from Brad Oliver's blog
- Decompress the archive (The Unarchiver can open StuffIt archives) and move the "SMAC Carbon" folder wherever you want it to live.
- Insert the Alpha Centauri for Macintosh CD. The installer will not run without Classic, making it useless on Intel Macs. However, all that needs to be done in order to install the game is to copy the Data folder from the game disc into the SMAC Carbon folder.
- Launch SMAC Carbon and hold down the Command key to bring up the Options window. I have been able to run the beta on 10.5 in full screen mode successfully, but on 10.6 a bizarre pointer bug emerges — the mouse (or trackpad in my case) works, but the pointer icon doesn't move — unless the game is run in windowed mode. I have also experienced crashes related to the game's movies, which may be remedied by turning them off in the Options window or telling the game not to change resolutions.
The game is quirky and does crash occasionally. It tends to hike the sound volume really high (really high — remove headphones while the initial crash-landing video plays). Animations hang for a few seconds or fail to display. Etc. (I've yet to attempt the allegedly working multiplayer). Despite these flaws, though, the game works enough to be playable on a new MacBook Pro with Leopard/Snow Leopard, letting me get my fix of Chaos Penetrator rushes.
David Reed | 05-12-2010 | permanent link
Reins of a Waterfall Greek
Willie in the Tauron tavern:
A rap song plays in the background of this scene some of whose lyrics are in Greek. The song is called "Voices of the Dead"; it can be heard in full at Bear McCreary’s blog. The lyrics run:
αὕται εἰσὶ αἱ φωναὶ τούτων οἳ διεπέρασαν τὸν ποταμὸν [hautai eisi hai phōnai toutōn hoi dieperasan ton potamon]
ἀκουσθεῖσαι ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνεμον, συμπλεχθεῖσαι (?) τῷ ἀθανάτῳ καὶ τῷ αἰεί. [akoustheisai epi ton anemon symplekhtheisai tōi athanatōi kai tōi aiei].
αὕται εἰσι αἱ φωναὶ τούτων οὓς πεφιλήκαμεν, [hautai eisi hai phōnai toutōn hous pephilēkamen]
οἳ οὐκέτι ἀλγήσουσιν, [hoi ouketi algēsousin]
οἳ ἐπανῆλθον ἐς τὸν βόρβορον. [hoi epanēlthon es ton borboron]
αὕται εἰσὶ αἱ φωναὶ τῶν τεθνηκοτων. [hautai eisi hai phōnai tōn tethnēkotōn]
In translation:
These are the voices of those who have crossed the river,
heard on the wind, entwined with the immortal and the eternal.
These are the voices of those whom we have loved,
who no longer will suffer,
who have returned to the mud.
These are the voices of the dead.
Sam, Larry, and Joseph at dinner:
- “All you do is σκευλιάζειν [skeuliazein].” (Sam to Larry) — it means "to complain".
- "Hey, ἀδελφέ μου [adelphe mou]" — Sam’s address to Joseph. It means "my brother".
David Reed | 05-12-2010 | permanent link
Caprica Greek Dialogue — “Rebirth”
On the memorial event:
- “Looks like the Graystone people gave some money. Should be εὐπατρίδης [eupatridēs].” εὐπατρίδης literally means something like “of good parentage”; hence, “aristocratic”, “noble”.
Sam Adama and Willie in Little Tauron:
- Sam: He was λιπαρός [liparos] — you know that word?
Willie: Not really.
Sam: It means, ah, “smooth”.
λιπαρός does mean “smooth”, “sleek”, “oily”. - The sign of the Tauron shop through whose window Sam throws a trash can reads “ποίοτητα εκτύπωσης σε λογικές τιμές“ [poiotēta ektypōsēs se logikes times] / “ΕΜΠΟΡΙΟ[Ν]” [EMPORION]. ΕΜΠΟΡΙΟΝ means “store”. The remainder of the sign appears to me to be Modern Greek, which I can’t translate.
Joseph Adama to Willie:
- “Δέσποινα [Despoina] Kolas called.” Δέσποινα means “Mistress” or “Lady”, i.e., a term of respectful address.
David Reed | 05-12-2010 | permanent link
Gravedancing Greek
While Sam observes the Graystone house:
- Sam: Because, σοφιστής [sophistēs], they're both in the house and there's two other people in there. (6:37)
σοφιστής means "expert, wise person", or a member of the Sophist school of teachers of rhetoric. Sam seems to be using it sarcastically, as in "wise guy" or "you who think you know so much", although he appears to be using a nominative form where I expected a vocative (unless I just misheard the word).
Bureau chief to Duram: You're wrong about this, I own your ὄρχεις [orkheis] (18:20).
ὄρχεις means "testicles".
The knucklebones game given to Willie Adama was in fact common in Greece and other parts of the ancient world.
Sam slips backstage at Backtalk with Baxter Sarno (29:44):
- Girl: There's a plastic bracelet for backstage visitors.
- Sam: οὐ δέομαι οὐδενὸς [ou deomai oudenos] plastic bracelet, but I could use that ID badge.
οὐ δέομαι οὐδενὸς means "I don't need no", i.e., "I don't need any" — the double negative is used in Greek as in Southern American English. - Girl: ἡδὺ τῇ σῇ εἰσόδῳ [hēdu tēi sēi eisodōi]
[May there be] pleasure in your visit.
As Sam and Joseph discuss Amanda Graystone's ride home:
- She was getting a little … ἐμπλήκτη [emplēktē] in the car. (38:35)
ἔμπληκτος means "stunned", "senseless", or "impulsive", "frantic". (The Liddell and Scott lexicon does not show a separate feminine form of this word; ἐμπλήκτη is what it would be).
David Reed | 05-12-2010 | permanent link
Caprica Greek Dialogue
Battlestar Galactica pulled a lot of verbal influence from the Ancient Greek world and language — Kara Thrace (the wild region north of Greece); Helo Agathon (a form of the word for “good” which was used as a name) and his wife Athena, the goddess; Lee “Apollo” Adama (the god); the Pythia, Apollo’s priestess at Delphi, etc, etc. In Caprica the Greek is even more obvious: The Tauronian language spoken onscreen is “real”, correct, Ancient Greek. I have tried to transcribe the Greek in the pilot episode and will continue to do so as time permits.
Sam Adama to Joseph, on the terrorist attack:
- “The guatrau [a word which does not appear to me to be Greek] has pledged to help us find the νόθος [nothos] who killed Shannon and Tamara.” νόθος means “bastard”.
- αἷμα ἀντὶ αἵματος. ἡ δίκη τῶν Ταυρωνείων. [haima anti haimatos. he dikē tōn Taurōneiōn.]
Blood for blood. The justice of the Tauronians. - μᾶλλον οὖν χρὴ διῶξαι τὴν ἡμῖν δίκην, ὦ ἀδελφὲ μου. [mallon oun khrē diōxai tēn hēmin dikēn, ō adelphe mou.]
The more then must we prosecute our own justice [or “justice for ourselves”], my brother.
Sam Adama to the Defense Minister (during the assassination):
- χαίρε, Ὦ Θεράπων. [khaire, Ō Therapōn.]
Hello, Minister. - The remainder of his speech is unclear. What I can discern runs something like "οὔποτε […] νόσφι[σαι?] ὄπισθε ἀνέρος ὄντινα φίλον ὀνομαστι …" (never turn away from a man who is "friend" by name). But there's a few words missing from that and it's hard to work out what forms he's actually using.
David Reed | 02-08-2010 | permanent link
