A Surprise Package - Ri-gishu New'a'lek

The other day, while checking my PO Box before shopping for baking supplies, I was surprised to find something unusual - I was to go to the desk to pick up a parcel. I didn't remember ordering anything other than zines lately, so I was honestly quite confused. I signed for the package, and they brought out a box wrapped in brown paper - I looked at the return address smiled one of the biggest smiles that I have smiled in a very long time.

It was a package from my dear friend T'Puhku in Germany, to whom I had been sending Star Trek books and with whom I run the Vulcan Language tumblr.

I hurried through my shopping and ran home, not even taking off my shoes and hat before sitting on the floor and unwrapping and opening the package.

Onside was a chocolate Nicolaus (she explained to me that every December 6th, people from German-speaking countries put a boot in front of their door, which is then filled with these exact chocolate santas, nuts, mandarins, and small presents. I found that absolutely fascinating, and I munched on his head while I read it. I then did some further research online.), a cashmere pashmina handmade in the Nepalese Himalayas (one of the softest things I have ever owned, I actually slept with it last night), a bumper sticker, and the small canvas with art and writing.

The bumper sticker is in the Vulcan language, and says "Vath-hali t'nash-veh ek'tal-hali T'Khasi" which translates to "My other vehicle is a Vulcan Science Vessel". I don't have a car to put it on, but it looks just as dashing on my wall.

The painting that she did for me is definitely my favorite, however - it says "Sochya eh dif" (Peace and long life) in Traditional Vulcan Calligraphy (vanu-tanaf-kitaun) and has an idic in the corner. I love everything about it - the colors, the design, the texture! She even sent a little eisel with it, so I had no problem finding a place to display it - it is now on the shelf right next to my bedroom door, beside my dead bird and a framed photograph of Richey Edwards. It is truly a place of honor.

(insert preferred holiday greeting here)

T'Laina

"J" is not a letter.

J is for... J!

J is not a letter - not in the Vulcan language, anyway.

A lot of people spell Vulcan words according to the Federation Standard pronunciation and alphabet. For instance:

T'hy'la instead of t'hai'la (the letter "y" is not used as a vowel in vulcan)
Eit'jae instead of eit'dzhae

X is not in the Vulcan alphabet either, but seems to have been used in words regardless. The correct spelling, for example, of "Xon" would be "Kson" when using Vulcan symbols.

The Vulcan alphabets, as taught by the Vulcan Language Institute:

Traditional Golic Vulcan:
S T P K R L A D O E V U H G Ch I N Z M Y F W B Sh Th Kh Zh Ts Dzh Ks

Modern Golic Vulcan:
S T P K R L A Sh O U D V Kh E H G Ch I N Zh M Y F Z Th W B

Yeht'es t'Nash-veh - My Truth

From now on, I will be posting any Vulcan translations on Vibrant Oxymoron's new sister blog, "Yeht'es t'Nash-veh". Not only will I continue translating Star Trek related literature and transcripts, but I will also be translating miscellaneous material that I enjoy, or material that has been requested..

If you would like to request material to be translator or have any questions, you may comment here or email me at vibrant.oxymoron@gmail.com.

What if the Manic Street Preachers were on Vulcan? Die in the Summertime Translated

As many of you may know, I am utterly obsessed with the Manic Street Preachers - and have been for years. There is absolutely nothing about them I do not admire. The quality I admire most was/is in Richey Edwards - a god-like lyrical ability.

Two things have been taking up most of my time lately: the Vulcan Language, and the Holy Bible (album). While listening to "Die in the Summertime", I decided to try translating it into Vulcan.

Each line has three rows. The first row is my translation, and the second row is how my Vulcan translation translates back into English literally. The third line is the original.


Tev-tor svi'falek-wak - Die in the Summertime

Sash-thes-tor mal t'nash-veh k'zhar'es felu
(Etch leg of this one with rust(y) nail)
(Scratch my leg with a rusty nail)

K'la'tusan hakausu
(With mourning healing)
(Sadly it heals)

Kur-tor isachya t'nash-veh - hi sa-to'ovau kur-tukh
(Color hair of this one, but outward grow(s) dye)
(Color my hair, but the dye grows out)

Ri hafau nash-veh nodo-tangu
(Not stay this one fixed ideal)
(I can't seem to stay a fixed ideal)

-

Bikuvlar t'kan-wak korsovau - sok'i eh k'mol-kom
(Pictures of childhood redeem, clean and with serenity)
(Childhood pictures redeem, clean and so serene)

Gla-tor nash-veh shal ri k'vashaun zehlar
(See this one self not with destroying lines)
(See myself without ruining lines)

Ovsot gadlar - lehman pi'gelar vi'pilashlar
(Total days, throwing sticks in streams)
(Whole days throwing sticks into streams)

-

Ki'ukrau nash-veh ni irak fi'vla
(Have crawl(ed) this one so far on side)
(I have crawled so far sideways)

Naglanshau nash-veh neik-ha'gel-ulidarlar t'fereikan
(Recognise this one dim marks of creation)
(I recognise dim traces of creation)

Aitlu nash-veh tev-tor - tev-tor svi'falek-wak
(Want this one die, die in summer season)
(I wanna die, die in the summer time)

Aitlu nash-veh tev-tor
(Want this one die)
(I wanna die)

-

Razh svi'ha'kiv t'nash-veh kurau ruhm solek
(Hole in life of this one stain(s) even soil)
(The hole in my life even stains the soul)

Netakidau khaf-spol t'nash-veh - pi'khaf-spol-gaya goh
(Reduce heart of this one, small pulse only)
(My heart shrinks to barely a pulse)

Pi'aushfa - vi'tcha yonuk-da-kuv
(Small animal, into curl quarter circle)
(A tiny animal curled into a quarter circle)

Kuv tun-tor du maut - pu-tor du ash'yalar t'eit'jae-sular
(If care you very, wash you feet of beg person)
(If you really care, wash the feet of a beggar)

Taluhk Nash-veh K'dular - Sarek heh Amanda - Neshuk Bes (Ink Drawing)

I have been absent from this blog for quite a while now, as I have been devoting myself to an ink drawing of Amanda and Sarek. I was originally going to have it finished for Valentine's Day, but I ended up focusing on the details with more intensity than I had originally planned.

Sarek and Amanda are my all-time favorite couple, for all of the reasons. Notice also, in the drawing, that I used a a common human interpretation of a heart for Amanda, and a realistic Vulcan heart for Sarek. It's symbolic and... stuff. It was done traditionally, using black pen-ink.

And now, without further ado...

Fun fact: Many people, for whatever reason, use the word "adieu" instead of "ado" in the phrase I used previously. "Ado" means fuss, or trouble - "adieu" means goodbye. "Without further goodbye" does not make sense in any context. This misuse may be known as an "eggcorn".

My Favorite Vulcans - Taluhk Vuhlkansular T'nash-veh - HQ

Vulcans I hold an affinity for (in no particular order, and for differing reasons):

Soval - ENT

Spock - TOS/TNG

Sybok - TOS (movies)

Sarek - TOS/TNG

Taurik - TNG

Vorik - VOY

Surak - TOS (ENT)

Saavik  - TOS (Movies) (Half Romulan)

T'Pau - TOS (ENT)

Syran  (Arev) - ENT

Unnamed Vulcan Master -VOY

Tuvok  - VOY

T'Pol - ENT

The Vulcan Anthem, Translated and Sung by T'Laina

This is somewhat in response to a post on the Star Trek Sci Fi blog HERE, where "Spacerguy" introduced to me the "Vulcan Anthem":

The lyrics are shown on the video. I did not quite understand at first why they mention "Koon-ut Ka-li-fee" (marriage act of challenge) within the anthem, but I suppose it is a tradition passed down from the times before Surak and is therefore an important part of Vulcan culture as a whole. The anthem would have been created only for Vulcan, without any thought having been given to out-worlders.

(I still have the sneaking suspicion that they included "Koon-ut Ka-li-fee" because that was one of the only Vulcan phrases they knew, but suspicion is not logical.)

I also feel that Mount Seleya would be more appropriate to mention than Vulcana Regar, as it has been one of the most important religious temples on Vulcan since the time of Surak.

On a more positive note, this is an absolutely beautiful song. The melody, I feel, captures the peaceful, haunting power of Vulcan. I am obsessed with it, listening to it on repeat. The one thing I would have like to have seen/heard is the lyrics sung in Vulcan. In fact, I have just taken this upon myself:

My Version: (With small alterations)

Dif-tor heh smusma (Live long and prosper)
Ashaya - sochya eh katra (Love, peace and soul)
Heya Seleya (Mount Seleya)
Maut Vaksurik (Very Beautiful)
Dif-tor heh smusma (Live Long and Prosper)
koon-ut Ka-li-fee (Marriage act of challenge)
Ozhika na'smusma'es na'mnu (Logic for prosperity for mastery)
x3

Ovsot mnu (Total mastery)

It was quite a dilemma, deciding whether or not to change the "Koon-ut ka-li-fee". For whatever reason, I decided to keep it in. I cannot explain.