27su
The wish
Every sentence so far has reported something: what is, what was, what someone made happen. su does none of that. It stands at the very front, where wa and no and lu stand, and turns the whole sentence into a wish. Nothing is claimed. Something is hoped:
SceneI
su thia welao nai.su thia wolu nai.su thia siora phelu.su lo thia shea phelu.
| new word | say it | it means |
|---|---|---|
| su | su | (at the front: may it be, let it be) |
| wolu | wo · lu | healthy |
| shea | she · a | peace |
May you be well. May you be healthy. May you have joy. May you all have peace. The sentences underneath are ordinary; the little word at the front changes what they are for.
SceneII
su pheralu lepa.su thepalu thuroa.su lo shiro laeno thimu whano.
May the rain fall. May the garden grow. May the trees stand a long time. A wish can be spoken over a field as easily as over a person, which is most of what people have ever done with wishes.
SceneIII
wheo sha su thia hiso ruela phelu sho haolu.phao sha su thia womu wireo turema sho haolu.
| new word | say it | it means |
|---|---|---|
| turema | tu · re · ma | return |
The elder says: may you have a clear path. The parent says: may you come home later. This is what people say at a door, and Phi says it with the same word every time.
SceneIV
su thia mia halemu.su mia thia halemu.
| new word | say it | it means |
|---|---|---|
| halemu | ha · le · mu | remember |
May you remember me. May I remember you. The two sentences are one word apart and the difference is the whole of what a parting is.