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 (2012 version)

Nandini, aiya! Quante súlur
na tyaruvar ven alasse! [bis]
Ven senna lú
ná sinome,
cuilelmo túra ná mótale.
Nandini, aiya! Quante súlur
na tyaruvar ven alasse!

‘Gårdsvättar, hell! Fyllda glas må bereda oss glädje! Kort är oss tiden härstädes, stor 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.

Tuca ni Earna

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

Translated into Quenya by Findegil / Björn Fromén (2012 version)

Tuca ni earna, tá cara nio tár,
aran or laire, or lóme!
Níte ná i litse, milmenya ve nár,
írimo víne ve laure.
Nessi hostaine i fá lungatar,
tuca ni earna,
tá hara ter lóme tenn’ aure!

‘Take me to [the] sea, then make of me a king, ruler 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; take me to the sea, then stay through the night until day[break]!’

Notes:

*tuca imperativ of tuc-‘draw, bring’
*earna allative ‘seaward, to the sea’; short for *earenna, as earnil, earnur from earendil, earendur (PE 17, p.152)
*cara, hara imperative of car- ‘make’ and har- ‘stay’
*ni-o adverbial genitive of ni ‘I, me’
*írimo ‘fair one’s, darling’s’, genitive of a nominalized írima ‘desirable, lovable’
*nessi plural of nesse ‘sweet smelling, scent’, appearing in alanesse ‘pipeweed’ (PE 17, p.100)
*hostain-e passive participle plural ‘gathered, collected’
fá ‘lower air’ (BLT I App.s.v.Vilna)
*lunga-ta-r present plural ‘make heavy’

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!

 

Rusco ranya or i helce

(The traditional Swedish dance song Räven raskar över isen.)

Translated to Quenya by Elros

Rusco ranya or i helce,
Rusco ranya or i helce,
Ar ece men,
Ar ece men,
I linde vendion lire.

Sin care vende menissen ya
se vanta, hare ar taruva
Ar ece men,
Ar ece men,
I linde vendion lire.

Rusco ranya or i helce,
Rusco ranya or i helce,
Ar ece men,
Ar ece men,
I linde yonyoron lire.

Sin care yonyo menissen ya
se vanta, hare ar taruva
Ar ece men,
Ar ece men,
I linde yonyoron lire.

‘The fox wanders over the ice, and may we please sing the song of the girls. This does the girl [do] in the places where she walks, sits and stands. And may we please sing the song of the girls.’ The second verse replaces vende ‘girl’ with yonyo ‘boy’.

This nonsensical song is traditionally sung and danced during Christmas celebrations. Each verse is accompanied by movements where the dancers perform typical actions of the people described (girls curtseying, boys bowing). An endless number of verses can be spontaneously added, describing the behaviour of different people (common examples being bakers, chimney sweeps etc.).