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This is a fable of Aesop. This translation subtracts the gender of the parent and the offspring and alters the “enemies” frame to a “life-burden” frame; even so, its core message retains its integrity.
nedebosh
stick [nede (number: one) + bosh (wood)] {AB}
menedebosh
faggot; bundle of sticks [
thamesho
to wrap [tham (circle) + mesh (across) + o (around)] {SH}
The Father and His Sons
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words: “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.”
The Father and His Sons
Thul i Shem Betha
Thul
Parent
i
And
Shem
Offspring
Betha
X1 + POSSbirth
Parent and Her/His Offspring
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks. Bíide thi thul merashon i menárashon shem hin hinedenehé wáa. When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words: “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.”
Úyahú rathad dóshon be rashon benethoth dibóonan, nanédeshub ban be woduthel wodadem rathalethu rashishidethuth benedim; hiwan, dibó be benedim mebel ben menedebosheth bedimehé. Úyahú methóbel ben beth bedim, dóham be beth oma benethasha, nade nodim, i dibó be benedim methen ben bethehé. Meduthen ben beth do benethanan woho, izh methad ra ben. Id rathamesho be menedebosheth, i nedóham be nedebosheth nedenal, nade nodim, oma shemetha bethasha, i methen ben beneth dozhenal. Id di be benedim dáanenan hin: “Bíidi bere ril mezhelith nan, shem letha, i meshishid nan úwanú meden nan hin hineth, ébere mezhe nan i menedebosh hi; aril olob ra dosh wíthu naneth wa. Izh, shinesha, bere ril menárashon nan hin hineden, ébere aril naneth methen dosh wíthushub zhehóo methen nan nedebosheth hin dozhenal.”
Bíide
DECL + NARR
thi
Have
thul
Parent
merashon
PL + NON + Peace = Quarrel
i
And
menárashon
PL + CONT + Quarrel
shem
Offspring
hin
hinedenehé
Demo>5
Demo>5 + ASSOC + EMBED
EachOther>5 + ASSOC
wáa.
TRUSTED
Úyahú
CONJtime
rathad
NON + BeAble
dóshon
CAUSEto + Peace
be
X1
rashon
Quarrel
benethoth
X>5 + POSS + OBJ
dibóonan,
Speak + REQ = Request + INSTR
nanédeshub
BEGIN + Intention = Decide
ban
Give
be
X1
woduthel
REL + Use + Make = BeUseful
wodadem
REL + Picture
rathalethu
NON + BeGood = BeBad + PARTV
rashishidethuth
NON + BeUnited + PARTV + OBJ
benedim;
X>5+ GOAL
hiwan,
Demo1 + PURP
dibó
Speak + MAND = Command
be
X1
benedim
X>5 + GOAL
mebel
PL + BringTake
ben
X>5
menedebosheth
#>5 + Wood = Faggot + OBJ
bedimehé.
X1 + GOAL + EMBED
Úyahú
CONJtime
methóbel
PL + JUST + BringTake
ben
X>5
beth
X1 + OBJ
bedim,
X1 + GOAL
dóham
CAUSEto + BePresent = Put
be
X1
beth
X1 + OBJ
oma
Hand
benethasha,
X>5 + POSSbirth + PLC
nade
nodim,
BEGIN + SRC
FINISH + GOAL
From First to Last
i
And
dibó
Command
be
X1
benedim
X>5 + GOAL
methen
PL + Break
ben
X>5
bethehé.
X1 + OBJ + EMBED
Meduthen
PL + TRYto + Break
ben
X>5
beth
X1 + OBJ
do
BeStrong
benethanan
X>5 + POSSbirth + INSTR
woho,
#All
izh
But
methad
PL + BeAble
ra
NEG
ben.
X>5
Id
AndThen
rathamesho
NON + Wrap = Unwrap
be
X1
menedebosheth,
Faggot + OBJ
i
And
nedóham
AGAIN + Put
be
X1
nedebosheth
#1 + Wood = Stick + OBJ
nedenal,
#1 + MANN
nade
nodim,
BEGIN + SRC
FINISH + GOAL
From First to Last
oma
Hand
shemetha
Offspring + POSSbirth
bethasha,
X1 + POSSbirth + PLC
i
And
methen
PL + Break
ben
X>5
beneth
X>5 + OBJ
dozhenal.
BeEasy + MANN
Id
AndThen
di
Speak
be
X1
benedim
X>5 + GOAL
dáanenan
Word + INSTR
hin:
Demo>5
“Bíidi
DECL + DIDACT
bere
If…
ril
PRES
mezhelith
PL + BeAlike + Think = AgreeThink
nan,
YouLove>5
shem
Offspring
letha,
I + POSSbirth
i
And
meshishid
PL + BeUnited
nan
YouLove>5
úwanú
CONJpurp
meden
PL + Help
nan
YouLove>5
hin
hineth,
Demo>5
Demo>5 + OBJ
EachOther>5 + OBJ
ébere
…Then
mezhe
PL + BeAlike
nan
YouLove>5
i
And
menedebosh
Faggot
hi;
Demo1
aril
FUT
olob
BlowTrauma
ra
NEG
dosh
Burden
wíthu
Life + PARTV
naneth
YouLove>5 + OBJ
wa.
MYPERC
Izh,
But
shinesha,
#2 + PLC = OnTheOtherHand
bere
If…
ril
PRES
menárashon
PL + CONT + Quarrel
nan
YouLove>5
hin
hineden,
Demo>5
Demo>5 + ASSOC
EachOther>5 + ASSOC
ébere
…Then
aril
FUT
naneth
YouLove>5 + PATIENT
methen
PL + Break
dosh
Burden
wíthushub
Life + PARTV + PASSV
zhehóo
BeAlike + FOCUS
methen
PL + Break
nan
YouLove>5
nedebosheth
Stick + OBJ
hin
Demo>5
dozhenal.”
BeEasy + MANN
A parent has many offspring that quarrel and keep quarrelling with each other. When s/he is unable to pacify their quarrels through requests, s/he decides to give them a useful picture of the badness of disunity; to this end, s/he commands them to bring her/him a faggot of sticks. When they had brought it to her/him, s/he puts it their hands, from first to last, and commands that they break it. They try to break it using all their native strength, but they cannot. And then s/he unwraps the faggot, and again puts the sticks singly in the hands of her/his offspring, and they break them easily. And then s/he speaks to them didactically using these words: “If you, my beloved offspring, agree-in-mind and are united in order to help each other, then you and this faggot will be alike; the burdens of life will not harm you. But if you continue to quarrel with each other, you will be broken by the burdens of life just as you easily broke these sticks.”
Thul i Shem Betha
Bíide thi thul merashon i menárashon shem hin hinedenehé wáa. Úyahú rathad dóshon be rashon benethoth dibóonan, nanédeshub ban be woduthel wodadem rathalethu rashishidethuth benedim; hiwan, dibó be benedim mebel ben menedebosheth bedimehé. Úyahú methóbel ben beth bedim, dóham be beth oma benethasha, nade nodim, i dibó be benedim methen ben bethehé. Meduthen ben beth do benethanan woho, izh methad ra ben. Id rathamesho be menedebosheth, i nedóham be nedebosheth nedenal, nade nodim, oma shemetha bethasha, i methen ben beneth dozhenal. Id di be benedim dáanenan hin: “Bíidi bere ril mezhelith nan, shem letha, i meshishid nan úwanú meden nan hin hineth, ébere mezhe nan i menedebosh hi; aril olob ra dosh wíthu naneth wa. Izh, shinesha, bere ril menárashon nan hin hineden, ébere aril naneth methen dosh wíthushub zhehóo methen nan nedebosheth hin dozhenal.”
We introduce a new idiom here in the form of the word “shinesha” (on the other hand) [shin (#2) +