There were a few ambiguities and places where I had to alter the text slightly. I put "translation footnotes" at the bottom, marked with asterisks.Vudissav uadlivdia lad'iskan sudialitilav suttakiili suttikaili, suttakiili suggavlaili, ku sunnasákuluili suklúkului.
Vudissav uadlivdia piikaatun; kasuilasipassav-vil piikaatuv piliv uaftiguadi.
Vudissav uadlivdia uafnaftatin* uaflakazzastanain la uavvaziin uafkatainPlastli, baaskaniki naaz "Naivudisfinkibu nazbin natabinnan ualiidiav**?
Naikastatlifinki*** pibiidiamav.
Plastli, niassitliniki tiKazianaz klaftassi tinaniiua.
Ku, naidanlaunilki plaifiuav uaftiguadi uazblu."*Uifniklan "uamilasnan ualakazzastanan lalastafnan"
**Uifniklan "nazbin punpuntasfa ualiidiafnan" lal "nazbin ualiidiafnan punpunnav"
***Lal, naipunpuntlifinki lal guaanaimitasfinki
Morphemic analysis
Vudis-la-va ua-dlivdia la-d'iaska-nan su-dialti-la-va sul-taki-i-li sul-tika-i-li, sul-taki-i-li sul-gavla-i-li, ku sul-nsaklu-i-li su-klu-klu-i
Vudis-la-va ua-dlivdia pi-ikaatu-nan; kasuilasi-pas-la-va-fil pi-ikaatu-av pi-li-av ua-pati-guadi
Vudis-la-va ua-dlivdia uaf-nfatas-i-nan uaf-lakazza-stana-i-nan la uaf-vazi-i-nan uaf-kata-i-nanPlastli, baaska-ni-ki naa-az "Nai-vudis-fin-ki-bu na-tabi-nan na-tabin-nan ua-liidia-av?
Nai-kasta-tli-fin-ki pi-biidiama-av
Plastli, nai-lassi-tli-ni-ki ti-Kazian-az klaf-tas-ki ti-nani-iua
Ku, nai-dan-launi-la-ki pi-laif-iua-av ua-pati-guadi ua-zablu*Uifniklan "ua-milas-nan ua-lakazza-stana-nan la-lasta-af-nan"
**Uifniklan "Na-tabi-nan punpun-tas-va ua-liidia-af-nan" lal "na-tabi-nan ua-liidia-af-nan punpun-la-va"
***Lal, nai-punpun-tli-fin-ki lal guaa-nai-mitas-fin-ki
Glossary
Baaska: Ask
Biidiama: Ground
Dan-: Continue
Dialiti: Capture
D'iskan: Wolf-like animal
Dlivdia: Winter
Fil: Not
Gavla: Ill, sick
Guadi: Plant
Ikaatu: Stone, rock
Kasuilasi: Grow, mature
Kata: Sharp
Kasta: Dance
Kazian: The Sun
Klaf: Be (equative)
Klu: Young
Ku: And
La: Or (inclusive)
Laif: Path
Lakazza: Mercy
Lal: Or (exclusive)
Lassi: See (Note: the one who sees is in the dative, while the thing being seen is absolutive)
Lasta: Bird, bat, flying squirrel, etc.. (any flying or gliding vertebrate)
Launi: Be located
Li: This
Liidia: Spring
Milas: Mouth
Mitas: Run
Naa: You singular, masculine
Nani: Mother
Nasaklu: Child
Nfatas (pl. naftati): Tooth
Pas: Able to
Pati-: Collective
Plastli: Therefore, so, because of this, for this reason
Pli: Relative clause marker, also introduces quotations
Punpun: Jump
-stana: Lacking
Taki: Person
Tabi: Boy, male slave
Tabin: Playful
Tika: Old
Uifniklan: Literally
Vudis: Resemble (X resembles Y, X = absolutive, Y = commitative)
Zablu: BeautifulGramatical morphemes
-af: Genitive
-av: Locative
-az: Dative
-bu: Yes/no question
-i: Plural
-iua: Your (singular)
Fa-: Past tense
-fin: You singular
Guaa-: Aimlessly, without a specific goal
-iua: Your (singular)
-ki: Nonpunctual aspect
-la: 3rd person nonsentient singular
la-: Gender 5 singular
-li: Instrumental
Na-: Gender 2 singular
Nai-: Future tense
-nan: Comitative
-ni: We (not a small number)
Pi-: Gender 7 singular
Su-: Gender 3 singular *or* antipassive
Sul-: Gender 3 plural
-tas: 3rd person sentient singular
-tli: May
ua-: Gender 6 singular
Uaf-: Gender 6 plural
-va: Habitual
Basic word order is VSO. Subordinate clauses are not marked, but all clauses must start with a verb, so that if a noun is followed by a verb, it is either a new sentence or a subordinate clause. Sentences are marked with periods, so there should be no ambiguity there. Auxilaries are suffixed to their verb. Verbal agreement is with the argument in the absolutive.When a verb is in the antipassive, the noun which would normally be absolutive (i.e., the patient) is marked with instrumental. In this particular text, that is the only use of the instrumental.
Any action which takes place in the future is marked with nai-, unlike in English where present tense is often used for future actions. The abscence of a tense prefix indicates present tense
The aspect suffix -ki requires some explanation. Arguably this has become a "default aspect". It is used whenever the indicated action is an action which is going on at the time indicated by the tense. This is almost obligatory with stative verbs and "to be".
Nouns may take multiple case suffixes. This occurs when one noun modifies another. The first case indicates the relationship to the head noun, while the second is agreement, thus _natabif uakibavaf_ (G2-boy-gen G6-forest-loc-gen) would be "of the boy in the forest".
Adjectives follow nouns, including demonstratives and numbers. Genitives (except genitive pronouns) come last. Reduplication in adjectives indicates "very" or "excessively"
Pati- is a difficult prefix. It can mean many things, primarily "group of", "category characterized by", "belonging to a group" (mostly with nouns like "spirit" or "goal"), "group of examples of X"
To avoid making certain ambiguities and alterations too harmful, I added "translator's notes"Winter is like a wolf who captures old people, ill people, and very young children.
Winter is like a rock; plants cannot grow on this rock
Winter is like sharp claws or merciless teeth*Therefore we ask you "Will you resemble a playful boy in the spring**?
May you dance*** on the ground. So may the sun, who is your mother, see us. And may beautiful plants continue to be on your route"*Literally "merciless bird's mouth" [there is no word for "beak". I struggled with this, and decided that the spirit of the text would best be served by "merciless teeth", but added this footnote to, hopefully, allow my successor to figure out what the original was. :-)]
**Literally "jumping boy of spring" or "boy of the jumping spring"
***Or jump or run in place [run without a goal]