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4.2  The Crow and the Fox (Kárkase Hjélpa)

One day, a fox saw a crow with a piece of cheese in her beak sitting on a branch of a tree.
Tat-mo aϕéx-nóllo, hjélpa-wa bno-nótto tlúrdata-ja agó-nójse katuplézne-nópparus θróde-nóimo kárka-nu gίinun.
time=gen  day-temp,  fox=nom.act  mouth=loc  cheese-count.noun=nom.stat-and  tree-hand=upon  sitting.state=stat-gen  crow=acc  see<pst>

He thought ’Let me get that cheese for myself’ and walked up to the foot of the tree.
Al ”Térmo tlúrda-nu éze-ma ataznίire” la tebnénze, kátu-mo búkne-nógma gánen-smuldίirun.
quot  that-gen  cheese=acc  me-dat  take-coh  quot  think-iccl,  tree-gen  stalk-all  go-cmpd-stop<pst>

’Good day, oh crow!’, he said,
Al ”Ne, halíos-nójre, kárkale!” la taplénze,
quot  voc,  happiness<fut>=stat-imp,  crow-voc  quot  say-iccl,

’How well you are looking today!
al ”Benaϕéx-nol apéa-kampá-nójo lo!
quot  this-day-temp  good.state-appearence=stat  mp.delight

How shining are your eyes,
Φaujál-ejár amneϕálne-nójo lo!
eye<du>=nom.stat-top  int-brightness-int=stat  mp.delight

how glossy are your feathers!
Hwílmi-jar mnetlependé-nójo lo!
feather-gpl=nom.stat  int-shine-state=stat  mp.delight

Your voice must surely surpass the voices of other birds, just like your form does’
Ámo kánta-ja tóspamit-láha etémme-nójo kimmeká, prau-jásse emnetémme-nójo pakjúmne alló!
you-gen  shape-stat  bird-gpl-extr=than  rlsc-value-int=stat  because,  human.voice=nom.stat-and  rlsc-int-value-int=stat  ptcl.supposition  mp.delight

(In his flattery, the fox uses prau ’human voice’, not hau or bae ’animal voice’, and does not hold back on the intensifying affix mne.)

Oh crow, could you sing me a song so that I can call you the queen of birds!’
Ne, kárkale, éze-ma glanentá-nu glanίunere, tóspamit-nímo impérax-lámo tal-nu ámma sartánuna adéχse-mére!”
voc  crow-voc,  me-dat  sing-cmpd-count.noun=acc  sing<fut>-imp,  bird-gpl-extr=prtt  queen=thm-gen  name-acc  you-dat  caus-possession-att  possible.state=dst

The crow lifted her head in order to sing, but as she opened her beak, the cheese fell down and was taken by the fox.
Kárka-war glanendéo-mére parúx-nu salparússuin assé, bno-nu samϕrίjlun etáppawet, tlúrdata-ewár mulprús-mére penénze, hjélpa-zo dirógnet-mére ataznússuin.
crow=nom.act-top  sing-cmpd-state<fut>=dst  head=acc  caus-above-vr<pst>  cjprt,  mouth=acc  caus-open.state<pst>-vr  same.relative.time,  cheese-count.noun=nom.act  ground=dst  change-iccl,  fox-inst  irreversibility-int-extr=dst  take-pass<pst>

’That’s right, that’s what I wanted’, said the fox,
Al ”Palá-nójo lo! Bempá ané éze-mo deguis.” la hjélpa-war taplúin,
quot  good.state=stat  mp.delight!  this-state  cop  me-gen  action-shape<pst>  quot  fox=nom.act-top  say<pst>,

’In exchange for the cheese I shall give you a piece of advice for the future:
al ”Tlúrda-la kirassartanénze adéota-nu atát-nima táplιun:
quot  cheese-thm  exchange-iccl  advice-count.noun=acc  future.point=ext-dat  say<fut>:

Do not trust flatteres.’
Glichitápil-ja idóbne-nójre.”
sweet-sayer-nom.stat  distrust=stat-imp


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