Let's learn Quenya on the Downs

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Alassë Estel

Cardi úva ea mis astalda pan tai nar úlaitanë.

"Deeds will not be less valiant because they go unpraised".

And when the men have died in battle and honour, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more.

Carda should form the plural cardar (cardi would be a Telerin plural).

"will not be" is a complex one; it looks like the prefix lá- is actually a weird verb "not to be", attested in the form lanye, "I am not". The future form is lauva, "will not be".

I actually have no idea how I'd write "less"; I can't seem to find a useful adjective. What is mis? If forced, I'd do something like "not completely", alaqua.

Astalda is good for "valiant".

Pan may be the best word for "because". It looks like Tolkien actually discarded it, but the best alternative is something like cenai, "if it be that".

"they are unpraised" is another complex one. úlaita is good, but I think you want it as a passive participle (ie, an adjective like "named", "sung", "built". A built house, an unpraised deed). That means it can just sit after the pronoun and get the "are" in by implication. So it would be úlaitaina, and tai appears to be a decent pronoun.

So I would have said: Cardar lauva alaqua astalda pan tai úlaitaina.

hS