The Daeron Ragbag

This page contains various shorter texts by the members of the Mellonath Daeron.

Contents

Elentári

(A Elbereth in Quenya)

Translated by Erestor / Fredrik Ström

An earlier version of this translation has been published on TolkLang.

A Elentári Tintalle
silmarin penda mírea
menello alcar eldion!
Haiyanna palantírina
aldarembie endorillor
Fanoiolosse, len linduvan
nive ear, simen nive earon!

Nandini, aiya!

(Hej Tomtegubbar in Quenya)

Translated by Findegil / Björn Fromén


Nandini, aiya! Quante súlor
nai tyaruvar men alasse! [bis]
Men sinta lú
ná sinome,
cuilelmo melca ná mótale.
Nandini, aiya! Quante súlor
nai tyaruvar men alasse!

'Gårdsvättar, hell! Fyllda glas må bereda oss glädje! Kort är oss tiden härstädes, mäktig vårt livs möda. Gårdsvättar, hell! Fyllda glas må bereda oss glädje!'

'Farm-sprites*, hail! Be it that full goblets shall cause to us merriment! To us short time is in this place, of our lives [lit. life] mighty is [the] toil. Farm-sprites, hail! Be it that full goblets shall cause to us merriment!'

*) nandini are properly 'fays of the country', but cf. the related Goldogrin nandor 'farmer' (BLT I, p.261).

This is perhaps the best known of the many traditional Swedish Christmas carols. It is also a typical snapsvisa, sung at the table before taking a snaps, a shot of vodka to prepare the digestion for the high-fat traditional food that follows. The song is about tomtar, mythological Swedish farm-gnomes, who drink and make merry. The original Swedish lyrics go:

||: Hej tomtegubbar slå i glasen
och låt oss lustiga vara. :||
En liten tid vi leva här,
Med mycken möda och stort besvär.
Hej tomtegubbar slå i glasen
och låt oss lustiga vara.

Varda Tintalle

by Gildir / Per Lindberg

Varda Tintalle, ai Varda Tintalle, nai elenilyar vanye tintiluvar!
Vanwa ná Valinor, Endoresse vantamme.
Varda, lirimme sí lindelya oiale sanda!

'Elbereth Gilthoniel, ah Elbereth Gilthoniel, may you stars sparkle fair!
Lost is Elvenhome, here in Middle-earth we wander.
Elbereth, we now sing your song forever abiding!'

This song is a three-part canon which can be repeated as long as you like. It was first heard at the XXVII Middle-earth New Year celebration in Forodrim. The melody is available as arrangement in a MIDI file.

Túcin' Earenna

(The chorus of "Ta mig till havet", a song by the popular Swedish singer Peter Lundblad)

Translated into Quenya by Findegil / Björn Fromén

Túcin' earenna, a tyare ni tár,
aran or laire, or lóme!
Níte ná i litse, milmenya ve nár,
írimo nése ve laure.
Hostaine nísier i fá lungatar,
a mare earenna nin
mennai i lóme ontuv' aure!

'[After having] taken [me] to [the] sea, make me king, lord over [the] summer, over [the] night! Moist is the sand, my yearning like fire, [the] fair one's youth like golden light. Gathered fragrances make the air heavy; stay by the sea with me until the night begets [a new] day!'

Notes:

*túcina 'brought, taken', perfect participle of tucin, modifies the accusative (direct object) ni 'me';
*earenna allative 'seaward, to the sea, close upon the sea'
*a tyare, *a mare imperative of tyar- 'make (=cause to become)' and mar- 'abide'
*írimo 'fair one's, darling's', genitive of a nominalized írima 'desirable, lovable'
*hostain-e perfect participle plural 'gathered, collected'
*nísie-r 'fragrance-s', constructed from Nísim(aldar) and Nísi(nen) on the pattern of hísie: Hísime, Hísi(lóme)
fá 'lower air' (BLT I App.s.v.Vilna)
*lunga-ta-r present plural 'make heavy'
nin dative 'for me, with regard to me', here used in the sense 'together with me'
mennai conjunction 'until' (Marquette 3/9/13, as quoted in VT 14)
*ontuva 'will beget', future tense of onta-

Swedish original:

Ta mig till havet och gör mig till kung,
kung över sommarn och natten!
Sanden är fuktig och kvinnan är ung,
galen av längtan är jag.
Dofterna samlas och luften blir tung,
ta mig till havet och
stanna tills natten blir dag!