Tasaran

A High-elven adaptation of Goethe’s ”Erlkönig”.
The metre is that of Galadriel’s Lament (”Namárie”).

Man nortea ter lóme vailima?
Nás atar as hínarya picina.
Hépas rancoryanen i yondo mai,  /1/
ye varna ar lauca sina caumanen.

“Mallo nurtatye, vinyamo, i cendele?”  /2/
“Tatanya, manen lá cenitye Tasaran,  /3/
 i Tasaran riéva, landacollava?”
“Hinya, áva ruce tó! nás límen hisweo.”  /4/

”Á tule, mene asinye, melda vinyamo!
Ta lelye tyaliessen astye tyaluvan;
fárasse caltar lóteli mimírime,
tyen amilinya same laurelarmali.”

“Tatanya, manen lá hlaritye ta
i milyave nin líra Tasaran?”
“Na senda, hara senda, vinyamo!
I súre lussa parce lasselis.”

“Nai arni mínuvatye, yondo vanima!
Seldenyar, astarindi, tye mai asyuvar;  /5/
tye tulyuvante merendenna lómeva,
liltante tenna loritatya lindenen.”  /6/

“Tatanya, manen lá cenitye te,
selderyar Tasaran mí lumbule?”
“Cénanyes, hinya, cénan aqua sa:
sindi ilcar tás linyenwe tasari.”

“Tye melin, vanietya nin anírima,
ar qui avatye, naracáve niruvan.”
“Tatanya, sí, tatanya, mápala
nin naice Tasaran atyárie!“

I atar rúca, linta norteas,
en rancoryatse i yondo yaimea.
Mardanna tenyas urda mótale;
i yondo rancoryatse -- fírie.


*Tasaran haplology of   *tasar-aran.  German Erlkönig is literally ‘alder-king’, but ‘willow-king’ for a sinister woodland spirit seems to me more in tune with the legendarium. Also, what the boy sees as Erlkönig’s daughters looks to his father like old willows.

/1/*hep- ‘hold, keep’ < KHEP- ‘retain, keep, keep hold of’ (VT 41, p.6)
/2/*mallo ‘from what’
/3/ manen ‘why [is it that]’, *‘how come’
/4/ límen ‘band’ (QL)
/5/*astarindi ‘attendants’ (pl. of astarindo ‘one standing beside as supporter’ )
/6/ tenna loritatya ‘until your slumbering’, ‘until you fall asleep’ (lor- ‘to slumber’ [QL])

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Erlk%C3%B6nig