Wow, HI, that alphabet is amazing!

Anyway, I think I found it. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

"I am frightfully sorry" he said. "Go at once! Ever since that night at Bree we have been such a nuisance to you. But it is the way of my people to use light words at such times and say less than they mean. We fear to say too much. It robs us of the right words when a jest is out of place."

(Merry to Strider in the Houses of Healing.)

Correct, Elanor, well done!! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

You know, I think what Merry says here about the hobbits is also true for most of the Swiss. You can't say anything lofty or solemn in our dialect. We don't even say "Ich liebe dich" but "Ich ha di gärn" (I'm fond of you)! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]
(May I ask you which country you come from, in addition to your corner of the Shire?)

[ March 14, 2003: Message edited by: Guinevere ]

I'm British, but I do speak a few languages. I lived in south Germany for a while too, and I found that some of your SwissGerman sounded similar to the dialect that some of my friends spoke.

Anyway, I don't think there has been any Welsh here yet! How about this quote?

The quote itself is dead easy, once you know a word or two. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Hmmm... Could it be from Bilbo's verse?
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost

If it is then I think that there should be 'coll' instead of 'goll'... But mark this: I don't know Welsh at all! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Nassty! How do they guess so easy? [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] You're right of course.

The word for lost is 'coll', but the c mutates to a g after the preposition 'ar'. Welsh is strange that way...

Thanks! Fyi, it was far from easy! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
Well, Finnish hasn't been used for a while so here goes:
There it is. I would so have liked to use my own dialect but that might have made it a bit too difficult (even for some native Finnish speakers!). [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Could we have a little clue perhaps? I can't get any of those words... [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

Ok, you get what you wished. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
merkkinä='as a sign'
ylittää='pass (over something)'
en='I...not'(negation in the 1.pers.singular)
tiellä='to the road'

Hope those help but don't make it too easy. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Aragorn, upon finding the beryl on the road to Rivendell.

LePetitChoux, I was just waiting for you to show up! And of course you're right! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
Please give us a new puzzle to solve.

I'll try my French now...
Please don't laugh!

OOh, that sounds SO familiar.... [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img]

I believe that would be:

Many is the chances bizares of the world, and the iade will often come with hands of paures, when wise ones fail.

This may not be what you wanted, but that is the translation of your french.

[img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] It's good old Gandalf.

I could translate that quite well, and also guessed it was Gandalf who said it, but could you please tell me where and to whom he said it? I've been searching in my books for hours and it drives me crazy that I wasn't able to find it! [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Guinevere, I'm not able to help you much I'm afraid. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] I found it in my little book of quotes - for a while last year I was reading with a notebook next to me, and wrote down the things I liked. And stupidly there are some where I forgot to write down where they came from. All I can say is that it was towards the end of my book, so it would probably be from RotK. Also, the full quote had "said Mithrandir" in it, not "said Gandalf". I started looking for the actual place in the books the other day, and I can't find it either. [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] Le Petit Choux? Can you elaborate further?

Le Petit Choux? Do you want me to give more detail? Or would you like me or Keyla to continue?

Sorry! I've been skiing! Fun fun fun! Aaaaanyway, Elanor, you gave the exact quote, but you were SO close, Keyla! Ah well, better luck next time, eh?
[img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

So, Elanor, please do continue. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

And today I have at last found where this quote is from:
It's in the Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power" and Mithrandir says it to Elrond at the first meeting of the White Council !! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Go ahead, Elanor!

Thanks Guinevere, no wonder I couldn't find it! [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Anyway...

That would be Frodo's line about Tom Bombadil (addressed to Goldberry)
Once again I'm not sure if this is the exact quote, please correct me if I've made a mistake. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Word perfect Annunfuiniel. Over to you. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Why thank you, Elanor! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
Ok, don't laugh now but I try Latin for change...
Hmm, let's hope that contains even partially correct forms! [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] Otherwise it should be very easy...

What the...
I am linguistically challenged [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]
Able for Russian or possibly Hebrew, but how do you people know Latin? [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

Well, I have never learnt Latin, but I know Italian, and being in a medical profession a lot of Latin words are familiar to me.

So , I conclude that this must be the first line of the barrow-wights incantation: Am I right?

You most certainly are, Guinevere! The idea with that quote indeed was that it could be solved without a degree in Latin (which I don't have). Please proceed. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
And GaladrieloftheOlden, you know Russian and Hebrew?! [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] Wow, you beat me there! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] Well, I really don't know any French or Welsh either but in those languages were the quotes I have guessed here... [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Well, I know Russian, but I have only a small knowledge of Hebrew. Because at my school, I've been studying it for almost 7 years, and can still hardly piece together a sentence. [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] But even that doesn't help here, as I think nobody is planning to put up a quote in Hebrew or Russian... [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

Actually, Galadriel OTO, there have been quite a few Russian quotes. I think we have a few Russian speakers around on the Downs. I love the variety we get here. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Well, for variety's sake I'll bring another Italian quote (Though my French is better than my Italian...)

Is there really no one who can understand this? I thought it would at least make sense to those who know French and Latin... [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] (and where is HerenIstarion?)

Well, here are some clues:

davvero= indeed
luoghi= places
sebbene= though

This has been driving me crazy for over a week now. I can translate many of the words, but I can't find the whole quote! [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] I must be nearly there, it'll turn up any day now...

Some more clues needed?

Ci dentro= in it
forse= perhaps
crescere= to grow [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Very nice of you to remember me :)

That was Haldir:

At last! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] Of course it is correct.

I was sure you could translate it, Heren Istarion! (you probably wouldn't have needed any clues, being such a language genius...)

Thanks

All Western languages are in a way related. It may be more noticeable for a stranger's eye, but obscure-oscuro, pericolo-peril and so forth hit at once. And "il mondo" is almost common word, isn't it? So just a bit of hard looking at

I suppose you to go on with the new one, since I won't appear here for several weeks from now on again (to be honest, I specially turned up to celebrate the BD B-Day), and I do not wish this thread to die out. So it's you again to serve :)

Thank you

So... who goes? [img]smilies/confused.gif[/img]

~Menelien

Well, since Italian wasn't intelligible to anyone but HerenIstarion, how about a French quote again? (I know there are several people here who know French!)

Uh... never taken French in my life, but hey, I'm trying.
To love?
Allies? [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]
Sauron=Sauron
Same word. Could this be from the movies?

~Menelien

No, Galadriel, it's from the books. FotR to be precise. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

peu d'amour= little love

alliés avec Sauron = in leage with Sauron

I know there were several people on this thread who know French. Where are they?? [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[ May 08, 2003: Message edited by: Guinevere ]

I can not stand the temptation. That was Aragorn on Caradhras: