Vreleksá

Kiri · Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 471 Location: Latvia/Italy

This is a great poem by R.Kipling, "If". I'd like you all to translate it in your conlangs, if you want to Smile

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

eldin raigmore · Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:35 pm Post subject:

You're right, that's a great poem, and probably good advice too; but the following is shorter:

"When in danger or in doubt,
Run in circles, scream, and shout."

Don't know who wrote it.
Laughing

_________________
"We're the healthiest horse in the glue factory" - Erskine Bowles, Co-Chairman of the deficit reduction commission

Kiri · Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 471 Location: Latvia/Italy

This is the way I rendered this to Latvian some years ago. Since the form is maintained, bits and pieces of the contents are lost, so yeah... it's not a completely direct translation. See if you can decipher it, based on what you have seen of Latvian thus far Smile

Radjards Kiplings - Ja

Ja tu spēj nezaudēt galvu, kad citi
Savējās zaudē un tev vainu krauj,
Ja tu spēj pats sevim ticēt, kad citi
Netic, bet arī šīs šaubas tiem ļaut,
Ja tu spēj nenogurt, kad tev liek gaidīt,
Ja, kad tev melo, tu spēj patiess būt,
Ja tu spēj neienīst, kad tevi ienīst,
Un neļauj pārējiem skaudīgiem kļūt.

Ja ļaujies sapņiem, bet neļauj tiem valdīt,
Ja domas nekļūst par virsmērķi,
Ja spēj gan Postu, gan Uzvaru baudīt
Un pret tiem attiekties vienādi,
Ja tu spēj paciest, ka patiesību
Viltnieki pārveido lamatās,
Vērot, kā lietas tiek izpostītas,
Un vēlreiz radīt no jauna tās.

Ja sakraut kaudzē spēj it visas balvas,
Un tūlīt riskēt ar visu to,
Zaudēt un atsākt no pirmējās spalvas,
Neminēt mūžam to – zaudēto,
Ja tu spēj sakopot ik nervu sevī
Tā, lai tie kalpo, kad viņu vairs nav,
Un, vairs nekas kad nav atlicis tevī,
Izņemot Gribu, kas "Turies!" sauc.

Ja tu spēj nezaudēt, saglabāt sevi,
Runāt ar masām un uzrunāt tās,
Naidnieks ne draugs nespēj sāpināt tevi,
Bet visi ļaudis tev uzticas,
Ja skaudrās sešdesmit sekundes nava
Pastaiga tukša, bet maratons īsts,
Viss, kas šeit atrodams - Zeme ir tava,
Un, kas vēl svarīgāk, tu būsi Vīrs!