Translating Lyrics

[Wattmann]

Use this thread to translate lyrics. Don't flame, don't badmouth, just translate away in peace.

I will start with Skálmöld's debut album, "Baldur". Over an unspecified amount of time, I will translate the lyrics into English. Just, don't push me.

The very first song is "Heima".

Víkingur á vorkvöldi
vakir yfir ánum.
Fullþroskaðar fífunar
fellir hann með ljánum.

Baldur heitir bóndinn
sem beitir þarna ljánum.
Friðartímar, falleg nótt,
fjölskyldan hans sefur.
Hæfilega heitan brodd
heimalningnum gefur.

Baldur heitir bóndinn
sem bústnu lambi gefur.

Gleður bæði goð og menn,
gæfan fylgir honum.
Víf hann á sem værðarleg
vakir yfir sonum.

Baldur heitir bóndinn
sem býr að þessum sonum.

Hann á þessa heiðnu jörð:
hæðir, tún og lækir
Baldur heitir bóndinn sem
bagga sína sækir.

Baldur heitir bóndinn
sem bagga sína sækir

Goðunum þakkar hann góðæristímana langa,
gjöfult er landið frá fjalli og allt út á skaga.
Langsverðið hans hefur lengi fengið að hanga
lóðrétt við síðu því engin er þörf á að draga.

Blikur á lofti og brátt gæti örlagavindur
blásið um sveitirnar hráslagalegur og kaldur.
Við Urðarbrunn Skuld núna örlagahnútana bindur
uggalausum manni og maðurinn sá heitir Baldur.


This is the dodgy translation:

viking in Vorkvöld (?)
he awakes above rivers (??)
fully ripe (fífunar? fields?)
he cuts with his scythe

the farmer's name is Baldur
as he puts (???) to the scythe
pacific, beautiful night (?)
his family sleeps
(hæfilegur?) hot point (acc)
gave the (heimalningnur - dat)

the farmer's name is Baldur
as plump lambs he gave (the scythe?)

Gleður bæði goð og menn,
gæfan fylgir honum.
Víf hann á sem værðarleg
vakir yfir sonum.

happiness they have asked from gods and men,
good fortune follows him,
his wife (??) (??) (værðarlegur, nt.)
he wakes over (the sons??)

[langover94]

The lyrics I'm posting below are from Céu da Boca by Ivete Sangalo

É de babaixá, é de balacubaca
(...)
Eu quero beijar a sua boca louca
Eu vou enfiar uva no céu da sua boca.

There is repeating of these lines, but the first and last lines from the lyrics above are problematic for me. I know that "babaixa" and "balacubaca" are from Yoruba, but I can't even begin to guess what they mean. Also, what exactly does it mean to "stick a grape" to the top of someone's mouth? O___O

[Taernsietr]

Argh! It hurts! My heart! My eyes!

I wouldn't be sure, but she might mean so as in putting a grape in someone's mouth, that is, the would-be romantic gesture.
As for the words you claim to be from Yorubá... I haven't the faintest of ideas.

Now please... go find some of the few good Brazilian artists out there...

[linguoboy]

"Sick of It All" by The Primitives (Badische Versiong)

Sag nit, ass s der Schbass macht
'S git keini Schdernli in dina Nacht
S git nit hia wos wirkli isch
Nit wos i schdele wott
Nit wu i wege dem bleibe muess
Und i han alles satt
I han alles satt

Sag nit, ass du himmlisch bisch
Wil dine Sunne nit gämmelig isch
S git nit hia wos wirkli isch
Nit wos i schdele wott
Nit wege dem i bleibe muess
Und i han alles satt
I han alles satt

S git nit hia wos wirkli isch
Nit wos i schdele wott
Nit wege dem i bleibe muess
Und i han alles satt
I han alles satt

Sag nit, ass s der Schbass macht
Sag nit, ass du himmlisch bisch

I han s satt
I han alles satt
I han s satt
I han alles satt
I han s satt
I han alles satt
I han s satt
I han alles satt

Originalversiong: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUZCz6Z3pfc

[hwhatting]

Fast alles verstanden. Was bedeutet "gämmelig"?

[linguoboy]

Fast alles verstanden. Was bedeutet "gämmelig"?

"Feurig"

[Aurora Rossa]

@Linguoboy: Somehow despite my monolingualism, I can't help but feel like that looks like an odd form of German.

[merijn]

I tried to translate this song before on a Radiohead forum, this is a more recent try:

nqunu

ungatholi imikhankanyo emikhulu,
ngeke yenzeke
uzipenda ube mhlophe
ugcwale nomsindo
kodwa kuzoba khona okungekho

usukutholile, kunyamalele
usukuzwa, awukuzwa
uphambuke endleleni

ngakhoke ungatholi imikhankanyo emikhulu
ngeke yenzeke
uyoya esihogweni ngenxa yento ingqondo engcolile yakho eyicabangayo

[hwhatting]

Fast alles verstanden. Was bedeutet "gämmelig"?

"Feurig"

Interesting. Do you know anything about the etymology of this word? The only phonetically similar Standard German word I can think of is the grooup of (ver)gammeln / gammelig, but the semantics are quite different ("seedy, scruffy").

[linguoboy]

Fast alles verstanden. Was bedeutet "gämmelig"?

"Feurig"

Interesting. Do you know anything about the etymology of this word? The only phonetically similar Standard German word I can think of is the grooup of (ver)gammeln / gammelig, but the semantics are quite different ("seedy, scruffy").

Here's a candidate from Grimm: http://woerterbuchnetz.de/DWB/?sigle=DW ... id=GG00634

@Linguoboy: Somehow despite my monolingualism, I can't help but feel like that looks like an odd form of German

"Sick of It All" by The Primitives (Badische Versiong)

[Christopher Schröder]

I've tried translating "I vow to thee, my country" into French for a Friend; it came out like this —

Je jure à vous, mon pays
Je jure à vous, mon pays,
Sur toute chose temporelle
Tout, entier, et parfait
Un amour éternel.
Qui ne pose aucune question,
Qui reste à l'épreuve,
Qui mettra sur l'autel
Sa vie comme preuve ;
Qui jamais n’hésitera
Qui vous rendra tout, quand même
Il faille faire, sans fléchir,
La sacrifice suprême.

Et d'un autre pays
J'ai toujours entendu —
Chéri par ceux qui l'aiment
Grand à ceux qui ont su.
Même sans compter ses armées
Même sans voir son roi
Son fierté est la souffrance
Son bastion, la foi.
Et âme par âme, silencieux
Son empire se croît —
Ses chemins mènent en douceur
Et à la paix, ses voies.

I had some Trouble with the second Verse, but overall, I like it well enough; I did have to change some Things to fit the Metre, though I tried to avoid doing so where I could.

[hwhatting]

Here's a candidate from Grimm: http://woerterbuchnetz.de/DWB/?sigle=DW ... id=GG00634

Yes, that looks likely. So the English "cognate" would be gamely,

[linguoboy]

Speaking of The Primitives, I'm also working on a Catalan version of "Secrets", but I haven't gotten beyond the chorus:

Tenim secrets
No ens toca res
Secrets--Anem sota el sol

Tenim secrets
No pots anar amb nos
Perquè els secrets no són per a tots
Secrets--no són per a tots!