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
