Ralph Dumain: "The Autodidact Project": Specimens of Esperanto (Mostly From Poems)

Specimens of Esperanto (Mostly From Poems)
That Illustrate its Unique Expressive Qualities
Based on its System of Word-Building

compiled by Ralph Dumain

(1) Sándor Szathmári, from "Maŝinmondo" [Machine-world]:

Saluton, li diris, enpaŝante.
Greetings, he said, as he stepped in [literally: in-step-ing-ly].

(2) Eŭgeno Miĥalski, from "Perlas per la belo stelo-stilo":

Amo de l'universeca koro . . .
Love from the universalistic heart

      sonparfumas                                   en versaĵ-incenso
      sound-perfume-present/tense/verb in verse-thing-incense-noun
      sound-perfumes in a verse-incense

(3) Ralph Dumain, from "Sun/lun-alektiko" [Sun/moon dialectic]:

Ĉu vi sunnutrus min per via
query you sun-feed-conditional/verb I-direct/object by/means/of you-adj.

lunfrandaĵ'?
moon-delectable-thing

Would you [i.e., were you going to] sun-feed me with your moon-delicacy
[more elegant though inexact translation: moon-candy]?

(4) E. Miĥalski, from "Dediĉo al L. Ivn":

      se trovos                       vi   en ĝi ver-koton
      if find-future/tense/verb you in it truth-mud-noun-direct/object
      If you find in it truth-mud (dirty truth)

(5) R. Dumain, from "Mia deksepa jaro" [My 17th year]:

Tiuj superprezaj pratagoj,
that-plural above-price-adj.-plural primordial-day-noun-plural

tiuj Faberĵeaĵoj.
those Faberge'-thing-noun-plural

Those priceless ancient of days, / those Faberge's.

(6) E. Miĥalski, from "Papilio" [Butterfly]:

      Nur vi, nur sola vi -   Only you, only you alone
      ja estas amo, vero,     indeed are love, truth,
      eterna poezi',              eternal poetry,
      eterna junlibero!         eternal freedom of youth!

(7) E. Mihĥalski, from "Heine-ecaĵo" [Heine-ness-thing-noun = Heine-esque poem], part III:

Disburĝonis kaŝtanaj la floroj
disperse-burgeon-past/tense/verb chestnut-adj.-plural the flowers

kun kreiv-geedziga polen',
with creative-both/sexes-spouse-cause-adj. pollen

ĝi miksiĝis kun niaj odoroj
it mix-become-past/tense/verb with our odors

en mistera pasia solen'.
in mysterious passionate celebration

      Approximate translation:
      The flowers blossomed chestnutty all over the place
      with creative marriage-making [nuptial] pollen,
      it became all mixed up with our smells
      in a mysterious passionate celebration.

(8) E. Miĥalski, from "Ajno" [Anna]:

      Rapide.                                     Quickly.
    Streĉvervas muskoloj...         Muscles stretch energetically.
      Posthorizontas la suno.       The sun stands behind the horizon.
    Krepuskas la kor'                  The heart goes into twilight
      en sopiro.                                  in yearning.
    Golgotas la vivo.                      Life Golgotha-cizes.
    Nigras du krucoj.                   There are two crosses in black.

(9) William Blake [English original, first stanza of poem]:

      I feared the fury of my wind
      would blight all blossoms fair and true,
      and so my sun it shined and shined
      and my wind it never blew.

Esperanto translation by Ralph Dumain:

      Pro mia venta furioz'                Because of my windy fury,
      forvelkus ĉiu flor' fidela,           would wither away every flower faithful,
      do restis mia vent' sen blov'   so remained my wind without a blow
      kaj mia suno ĉiam hela.            and my sun always bright.

14 October 1989

Esperanto Study Guide / Esperanto-Gvidilo

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Uploaded 21 May 2005