Ulte yora’tu leiu . . . And the winner is . . .

Ma smuk,

As most of you know, to celebrate LN’s second anniversary the Community organized a second Na’vi Writing Contest. The theme this time was “Teri fwa fmal fìlì’fyati ayawne: On keeping this beloved language alive” and the categories were once again poetry and prose. (If you missed the original announcement that included the judging criteria, you can find it here.)

The judges have now sent me the winning entries, and as I did last year, I’m delighted to announce the names of the winners and share their wonderful work with you.

I’m continually impressed with the quality of the Na’vi coming out of the Community. Perhaps you can imagine how gratifying it is for someone like me to see the language he developed used for communication in such elegant, creative, and moving ways. Awngeyä li’fyari ayngeyä tìyawn oeru teya seiyi nìngay.

Txana irayo to the judges who worked so diligently to adjudicate the entries fairly—and to everyone who submitted poems and prose. Even if you didn’t win this time, I hope you found the process valuable and enjoyable. Ulte kxawm zìyeva’u ngane tìyora’ zìsìtay!

And now to the winners. This time the two top entries in each category were so close, the judges didn’t feel there was enough difference to distinguish them. So we have two winners in each category. Seykxel sì nitram to Alyara Arati, Blue Elf, Ikran Ahiyìk, and Lance R. Casey. Your work is reproduced below, in alphabetical order of your names.

Note: The question came up about how to say “poem” in Na’vi.

The answer is simple: It’s way, the word that usually means “song.” Since among the Na’vi, poetry is generally sung or recited in a melodic way, poetry and song are considered the same thing. This is true in a number of earth languages as well.

If to avoid confusion you need to distinguish a spoken poem from a song, the expressions are:

way a plltxe ‘spoken poem’
way a rol ‘song’

If you need to refer specifically to the words of a poem or the lyrics of a song, it’s what you expect: wayä aylì’u.

 

Poetry by Alyara Arati

A moving expression of what Na’vi has meant to this poet.

keftxo ’armefu,
tsngarmawvängìk nì’awtu
ayfayìvaru,
krr a lì’fyati
oel rolun, alu Na’vi
a tìtxen soli
elturu oeyä
sì’efursì txe’lanä,
a lalmu syä’ä.

ha fmoli oe
fìlì’fyati nivume
hufwa nì’awve
säsulìn nì’aw
lolu talun ke spolaw
oel mi futa tsaw
tsolun zeykivo
ke’uti oeru keng txo
nivew tsat frato.

slä ’uo lolen
a teri oer ke lolu ’en,
ngian tsrolanten
oeru nìtxan nang:
ke tsolun oe ftivang
’ivong na syulang.
tengkrr ftolia
tsawl slolu mì oey vitra
Na’viyä fpìlfya.

fìlì’fyar, tafral,
lu txanwawea ayral
ulte oeti fmal
fì’ul Eywapxel.
set ’efu oe seykxel
nì’ul fa pamrel
a oer stum swok lam
taluna sleyku nitram
oet, sì txantslusam.

za’u ta txe’lan
aylì’u atxanatan;
nìngay lu txantsan.
fìlì’fya frakrr
layu pum tìyawnä oer;
sar fì’ut tengkrr
hu Yawntu aNawm
oe plltxe mì sìvawm
ulte oet Pol stawm.

oel spaw tsat talun
leNa’via srungit tsun
oe mi rivun,
alu fwa mì oey
vitra mipa tìtstew rey,
a fya’o aswey
lu fte pivllngay
oer fwa lu oe nìngay
pxan tì’i’avay.

mi leykeratem
fìlì’fyal oet nìme’em
mìfa oey ronsem;
pxiset fì’ut kin
oel na unil akalin.
new piveng nìtxin
san Na’vi ’ivong
fa fìpamrel natkenong;
oet nìngay zerong.

 

Prose by Blue Elf:

Why this author likes Na’vi . . . and what will keep it alive.

Lì’fya leNa’vi—peu lu tsaw? Pum a sar sutel a ta Eywa’eveng a mì ayrel arusikx alu Uniltìrantokx. Mawkrra tsole’a oel tsayrelit alo a’awve, fpìl oel futa oel tsivun nivume fìlì’fyati. Rolun oel pängkxotsengit alu LN.org a tok pxaya tutel alahe a foru lu säfpìl asteng. Set oe leiu ’awpo ayfokip.

Pelun sunu oeru fìlì’fya? Tse . . . pam lì’fyayä lu lor, ke steng pamur pumä alahe. Tìsusar fìlì’fyayä lu ’o’, hufwa pxaya tutel fpìl futa sute a tsakem seri lekye’ung lu. Krro krro ngerop oel vurit ulte yem tsat ne pängkxotseng awngeyä fte ayhapxìtu alahe tsivun ivinan tìtxulat oeyä. Nìteng fmoli oe pamrel sivi aylì’ur alor (alu “poems” nì’ìnglìsì). Fìkem ke seri oe keng fa oeyä lì’fya letrrtrr! Ha – srake ayngal spaw futa yawne lu oeru lì’fya leNa’vi?

Ke lu oe nì’awtu. Mipa sute new nivume lì’fyat awngeyä eylanä a ta Eywa’eveng – tse’a oel tsat mì numtseng leNa’vi alu Ngaynume a skxakep sngìyä’eiyi nìmun ye’rìn. Fì’u tsranten, lì’fya rey krr a sute new nivume pumit ulte terkup krr a fkol ke sar tsat.

Slä txopu ke si oe fwa lì’fya leNa’vi tayerkup. Vaykrr fko payängkxo fa pum, vaykrr awngal nìwotx paryey nìprrte’ fralì’uti amip a ngop awngeyä nawma karyu Pawlìl, vay tsakrr frawzo.

’Ivong Na’vi!

 

Prose by Ikran Ahiyìk:

How this author has been changed by a language and a community.

Txonmì awew, ’amefu wew, ulte oe spxin slu.
Txonmì awew, ’amefu sang, talun ramun ayngat aftxavang.

Pxìm päpeng oe san fwa sutehu pängkxo lu tsranten. Lu tsranten, oer anìm nìpxi, slä kem ke sami nìyawr. Txankrr wolan, oeri kxa tstu soli, parmey furia tuteo kivä pivlltxe oer. Krro krro fpìl futa sweylu txo fìfyat leykivatem, slä ke tsamun oe.

Frakrr oel fpìl futa oer lu syayvi, talun lì’fyat leNa’vi oel rolun. Lu oer skxom asìltsan, ulte tsun oe nivume nìtxan. Natkenong, ayfya’ori a lì’fyat txula, tsun oe nivume fìtseng nì’aw fa fìlì’fyat nivume. Faysänume lesar lu ulte furia ayfya’ot a lì’fyat alahe txula oe nume, faysänume srung si nìtxan. Slä lu ’awa lun a lu tsranten pumto aham: lu kosman fte ’uot amip sivar, ulte lu ’o’ fte tsive’a futa frapo wou . . .

Frakrr oel fpìl futa oer lu syayvi, talun fìolo’it kop oel rolun. Krr a fìlì’fyat oe nerume, lu oer srung ayngeyä. Tsun oe ’ivefu sang, alu vewng tutel alahe. Txo fìtìsangluke, nì’aw ’efu wew alu oet txìng. Fì’ut oel ve’kängì nìtxan, nìteng oet ’eykefu keftxo. Tsatxonmì ayngal aylì’ufa oeti vamewng, oe ayngaru seiyi irayo.

Tam tam, nìawnomum ke’u swey ke slu kawkrr. Nìkeftxo, krro krro kawtu oehu pivängkxo krr a oel lì’fyaviot poltxe . . . Tsole’a futa zìma’uyuo hum fìlunfa. Tì’efumì oeyä, sweylu txo fkol ke txivìng kawtut. Lu oe tìkenong ulte spaw futa lu tuteo asteng. Kawtut ke txivìng kawkrr a fìkem tsun frapoti stivarsìm ulte fpeykìl futa awnga lu ayhapxì olo’ä a’aw.

 

Poetry by Lance R. Casey:

Why study a language like Na’vi? This poet has an answer.

Pelun

Aynga pawm san Pelun, pelun
fìlì’fya sunu ngar?
Peul ’eykefu ngat nitram
krr a plltxe aylar?

Ayhemlì’uvi porpamsì
ke lu lekye’ung srak?
Fìlì’fya unil lu nì’aw –
ke tok kifkeyit pak!

Ha sweylu txo ayteleri
letsranten fko fpivìl;
ayut lesar nì’aw ngivop
frapey tìronsrelìl!

Lu skxawng frapo a ke tse’a:
fì’u a kan’ìn ngal
fìlì’fyati lu yaymak sìk.
Oe ’eyng fìfya tafral:

Ke tsun aynga kivame txo,
tsakrr lu kop kakrel –
fkol nume lì’fyaot a krr
’erefu fko seykxel.

Hifkeyur lì’fya si piak
nì’eylan nìlkeftang;
ftxey ta’leng ean lu, ftxey neyn,
kaw’it ke tsranten nang!

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17 Responses to Ulte yora’tu leiu . . . And the winner is . . .

  1. Tirea Aean says:

    inb4 the rest to say Seykxel sì nitram Ayeylanur a Lu Alyara Arati, Blue Elf, Ikran Ahiyìk sì Lance R. Casey! 😀

  2. Prrton says:

    Txanwawea aylì’u alor nìwotx! Pamrel soli a fraporu seiyi irayo atxan. Yawnea fìlì’fyaolo’ vay set rerey a fì’u teya si oer frato. Zìsìtayä tìleynìri sreferuyey ohe li nìprrte’. Vivar ’ivong Na’vi!

  3. SGM (Plumps) says:

    Seykxel sì nitram awngeyä ayyora’tur!

    Mìftxele, fwa lì’u a slu winner nì’Ìnglìsì lu yora’tu eltur oeyä tìtxen si. Fpamìl oel futa lirvu *yora’yu.

    Ayway lor lu nìtxan nìngay.

    Zene oe mivllte awngeyä ’eylanhu alu Prrton: Vivar ’ivong Na’vi!

  4. Wm Annis says:

    The next question, of course, is, “how do you say ‘rhyme scheme'”?

  5. Blue Elf says:

    Fìtìwusem lolu tìlen nawm sì kosman (ulte ke peng tsaylì’u taluna oe flolä :)). Furia pxaya tsamsiyul aylì’uä fpole’ sneyä pamrelit ne tìwusem pamrelsiyuä, ‘eykefu nitram oeti.
    Really, I was afraid a little that not enough people send their works, but fortunately I wasn’t right. Another proof that Na’vi language is living. What more to wish ourselves?
    My congratulation goes to other winners, all works are great and I love very special phyme pattern of Alyara Arati’s poem (I was sure you win, Alyara :)).
    Ma pxeylan, pxengaru tsulfä !

  6. The word ‘here’ at the end of the first paragraph is not a link! 🙁

  7. Ftiafpi says:

    Congratulations to all the winners! As a judge I enjoyed reading each entry and it was very hard to choose between such fine submissions. Thank you everyone who participated and hopefully we can see you again next year. ‘Ivong Na’vi!

  8. Dawid Dahl says:

    This is so cool. Congratulations to the winners!

  9. Pingback: 2011 Na’vi writing contest results » Numeyuä Atan

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