nophi lue mawha lokue
Discussion and Bed
William Morris opens News from Nowhere in a political meeting full of interruption, conviction, and familiar bad temper. The narrator leaves by underground railway, walks home through a winter night, lies awake with his failures, and finally sleeps into the book's future England. This translation follows the whole chapter. The narrator says plainly that a friend spoke; reportative ti marks the story's events as secondhand wherever "says our friend" interrupts the telling, until Morris hands the story to the first person. The optative su holds the wish that turns the chapter: if only he could see one day of the society they argued about.
Each block below carries four lines: the Phi sentence, its word-by-word gloss, an English rendering derived from the Phi, and Morris's own wording. The two English lines make gains and limits visible without asking the reader to take either on trust.
The report
melu tha mua shalimo ta shero reshi thorelu shareo to ki nai tho haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: friend DECL.COMP LOC alliance one night fast converse discuss PST PFV be DECL.COMP.CLOSE speak.
Literal English: (A friend says that one night at the alliance there had been a brisk, conversational discussion.)
morris: Up at the League, says a friend, there had been one night a brisk conversational discussion,
punoa moluki wireo philo hina so po kelu.
Word-by-word gloss: society transform future day what FUT POT become.
Literal English: (What might happen on the day after society's transformation?)
morris: as to what would happen on the Morrow of the Revolution,
mua shareo lumae soli phirae melu lo newu seroli punoa wireo remo ru kema to sherewa.
Word-by-word gloss: LOC discuss end SOME different friend PL new mature society future think INTS strong PST claim.
Literal English: (At the discussion's end, various friends strongly put forward their thoughts on the future of the new, fully developed society.)
morris: finally shading off into a vigorous statement by various friends of their views on the future of the fully-developed new society.
"Up at the League" refers to a continuing association, so it takes shalimo, alliance. A meeting, lona, would name only the event. Existing reshi and moluki supply the brisk pace and the social transformation.
Morris sets the scene "one night," which becomes the plain temporal adjunct ta shero. His "there had been" asks for completion at a past reference point, to ki rather than bare to.
"The Morrow of the Revolution" is a particular next day rather than a vague future. The phrase wireo philo, tomorrow, belongs to punoa moluki, society's transformation. The standalone hina turns the disputed topic into a direct question, so po makes the future possible rather than certain, and kelu, become, lets the event happen without requiring a dedicated English-shaped verb.
The discussion is reshi thorelu shareo, brisk ordinary conversation rather than formal dialogue. At the end, soli phirae melu makes the contributors various rather than merely few, and ru kema sherewa gives their statements Morris's vigour. Their subject is packed into newu seroli punoa wireo remo: thoughts about the future of the new, fully developed society.
No discourse marker fits Morris's "finally," which marks culmination rather than cause, contrast, addition, or example. The temporal phrase mua shareo lumae supplies the turn instead.
shalimo lonaThe alliance meeting
shai shareo thena punoa moluki nai shareo noeli to ti manolu.
Word-by-word gloss: CONC discuss thing society transform be discuss warm PST REP stay.
Literal English: (The friend reports that, although the discussion's subject was society's transformation, it remained warm and good-natured.)
morris: Says our friend: Considering the subject, the discussion was good-tempered;
wheli miona lona nela pheo thumela shareo lo miona keno to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: ANY person meeting COORD POST teach discuss PL person custom PST be.
Literal English: (Public meetings and discussions after teaching were customary for them.)
morris: for those present being used to public meetings and after-lecture debates,
lu lo miona lo wiso remo ma sheluo. whekai lo miona li soli shemu tha nuawe haolu tho to mesatu. mawha miona tha lo miona lo wiso remo so sheluo tho ho po remo.
Word-by-word gloss: COND PL person PL RECP think NEG listen. CONTR PL person RESTR SOME moment DECL.COMP together speak DECL.COMP.CLOSE PST try. NONE person DECL.COMP PL person PL RECP think FUT listen DECL.COMP.CLOSE ASSUM POT think.
Literal English: (If they did not listen to one another's thoughts, they nevertheless tried to speak all at once only some of the time. No one could reasonably expect them to listen to one another's thoughts.)
morris: if they did not listen to each others' opinions (which could scarcely be expected of them), at all events did not always attempt to speak all together,
lu lo miona lo whu lo shia kaeli thena shareo. mua nawea punoa tha theula miona nuawe haolu tho keno nai.
Word-by-word gloss: COND PL person PL REL PL 3SG like thing discuss. LOC respect society DECL.COMP UNIV person together speak DECL.COMP.CLOSE custom be.
Literal English: (If people discuss a subject that interests them, it is customary in respectful society for everyone to speak together.)
morris: as is the custom of people in ordinary polite society when conversing on a subject which interests them.
sheno wi shao himo miona mua lona to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: ADD two three-group HUM.CLF person LOC meeting PST be.
Literal English: (Also, six people were at the meeting.)
morris: For the rest, there were six persons present,
thelao theli miona lue shalimo phirae phanoi to shua.
Word-by-word gloss: CONS EACH person ABL alliance different portion PST come.
Literal English: (Consequently, each person came from a different section of the alliance.)
morris: and consequently six sections of the party were represented,
mua ta shao ta shalimo phanoi lo karami whakeru remo ru kema nela wiso phirae to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: LOC one three-group one alliance portion PL authority object think INTS strong COORD RECP different PST be.
Literal English: (In four sections of the alliance, the views that objected to authority were strong and differed from one another.)
morris: four of which had strong but divergent Anarchist opinions.
whu melu ru sano lue ta shalimo phanoi miona mua shareo thorui pai maeli to ti meilo.
Word-by-word gloss: REL friend INTS know ABL one alliance portion person LOC discuss beginning NEAR quiet PST REP sit.
Literal English: (The friend reports that a person from one section of the alliance, whom they know very well, sat almost silent at the discussion's beginning.)
morris: One of the sections, says our friend, a man whom he knows very well indeed, sat almost silent at the beginning of the discussion,
whekai shia pheo laeno shemu muo shareo to se natu.
Word-by-word gloss: CONTR 3SG POST long moment INTO discuss PST PASS pull.
Literal English: (However, after a long while they were drawn into the discussion.)
morris: but at last got drawn into it,
shia mua shareo lumae to ru theisa kapura.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG LOC discuss end PST INTS loud shout.
Literal English: (At the discussion's end, they shouted very loudly.)
morris: and finished by roaring out very loud,
shia roe thiku nila tha theula phirae miona tawimo nai tho to ru keloa haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG INS small see DECL.COMP UNIV different person foolish be DECL.COMP.CLOSE PST INTS rough speak.
Literal English: (Contemptuously and very harshly, they said that all the others were foolish.)
morris: and damning all the rest for fools;
The friend reports that the discussion stays good-tempered in spite of its subject. Shai carries the concession, and noeli describes emotional warmth rather than temperature. Conditional lu keeps Morris from flatly asserting that nobody listened, while the assumptive claim concedes that nobody could reasonably expect it. Morris's dry "ordinary polite society" becomes nawea punoa, respectful society; custom keno supplies the ordinary part. The room does not immediately improve its case.
The voice that finally rises was not loud from the start. With pai maeli before the Slot 1 stack, the man sits nearly silent at shareo thorui, the discussion's beginning. He comes lue ta shalimo phanoi, from one section of the alliance, which keeps Morris's political structure without turning the man himself into a section. Contrastive whekai opens the change, pheo laeno shemu lets the long interval pass, and past passive to se natu keeps the sense that he was drawn in.
The outburst is ru theisa kapura, a forceful shout at great volume, at the discussion's end. The established composition thiku nila reports the contempt in Morris's "damning"; its parts say "see as small." Ru keloa makes the speech very harsh. This distinction lets Phi report contempt without adopting the man's judgement. Peaceful speech does not require a spotless narrator.
The headcount and its consequence occupy separate sentences. Additive sheno opens the census, and thelao links it to what follows. Each person comes from a different shalimo phanoi, alliance section. The six sections are therefore present without shalori, a verb for people who act on behalf of others, not ideas that happen to be in a room.
nurakoThe railway
pheo thena kohura mosha to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: POST thing noise period PST be.
Literal English: (After that, there was a period of noise.)
morris: after which befel a period of noise,
pheo thena maeli mosha to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: POST thing quiet period PST be.
Literal English: (After that, there was a quiet interval.)
morris: and then a lull,
shia sui maeli wei lo melu sha pao sho to ru noeli haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG DUR quiet DAT PL friend QUOT.COMP goodbye QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST INTS warm speak.
Literal English: (During the lull, they said goodbye to the friends very warmly.)
morris: during which the aforesaid section, having said good-night very amicably,
shia kau whu mua whalo silawo sileta lumae phanoi nai womu to sonu wepu.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG ALL REL LOC large village sun end portion be home PST alone go.
Literal English: (They went alone to their home in the western part of the great town.)
morris: took his way home by himself to a western suburb,
punoa lo mia to kawhera. thelao lo mia roe nurako to wepu. ha wepu keno to kelu.
Word-by-word gloss: society PL 1SG PST coerce. CONS PL 1SG INS railway PST go. PROX go custom PST become.
Literal English: (Society coerced us. Consequently, we travelled by railway, and the journey became a habit.)
morris: using the means of travelling which civilisation has forced upon us like a habit.
shia mua whu phou muila wepu nurako rolutha to meilo. rolutha phea sulae heshowa sawa lokue to nai. sheloi whu reshi wepu miona nela whu nuloe ma nai miona thoa shia to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG LOC REL BELOW earth go railway wagon PST sit. wagon AS warm gas wash place PST be. MANY REL fast go person COORD REL content NEG be person AMONG 3SG PST be.
Literal English: (They sat in a railway carriage that travelled below the earth. The carriage was like a place for bathing in warm vapour. They were among many hurried and discontented people.)
morris: As he sat in that vapour-bath of hurried and discontented humanity, a carriage of the underground railway,
shia phea lo phirae miona sukaro to nai. shia phea lo phirae miona nuloe to ma nai.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG AS PL different person hot PST be. 3SG AS PL different person content PST NEG be.
Literal English: (Like the other people, they were hot. Like them, they were discontented.)
morris: he, like others, stewed discontentedly,
whau shia nupira to phaelo shia sheloi ru welao nela kithela themore ki themio. shai lo themore mua shia thumai lo lumae to ruemi shia mua noshi shareo lo shia to ki sahu.
Word-by-word gloss: SIMUL 3SG shame PST feel 3SG MANY INTS good COORD valid argument PFV reflect. CONC PL argument LOC 3SG finger PL end PST lie down 3SG LOC near discuss PL 3SG PST PFV forget.
Literal English: (While they felt shame, they reflected on the many very good and valid arguments. Although the arguments had been at their fingertips, they had forgotten them in the recent discussion.)
morris: while in self-reproachful mood he turned over the many excellent and conclusive arguments which, though they lay at his fingers' ends, he had forgotten in the just past discussion.
whekai ha korua kire wei shia keno to nai. thelao shia mua ha teku thimu li to manolu.
Word-by-word gloss: CONTR PROX heart shape DAT 3SG custom PST be. CONS 3SG LOC PROX short time RESTR PST stay.
Literal English: (But this frame of mind was familiar to them. Consequently, they stayed in it only a short time.)
morris: But this frame of mind he was so used to, that it didn't last him long,
lao shia roa miso kophinu to phaelo shia teku luroi to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: BECAUSE 3SG AROUND REFL disgust PST feel 3SG short nervous PST be.
Literal English: (Because they felt disgusted with themself, they were briefly uneasy.)
morris: and after a brief discomfort, caused by disgust with himself
korua thero shia to ki pilu. ha wei shia we keno to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: heart fire 3SG PST PFV take. PROX DAT 3SG ALSO custom PST be.
Literal English: (Heart-fire had taken hold of them. This too was familiar to them.)
morris: for having lost his temper (which he was also well used to),
shia shareo si themio.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG discuss IPFV reflect.
Literal English: (They kept musing on the discussion.)
morris: he found himself musing on the subject-matter of discussion,
whekai shia nuloe to si ma nai. shia mua korua nuhe to si phaelo.
Word-by-word gloss: CONTR 3SG content PST IPFV NEG be. 3SG LOC heart sadness PST IPFV feel.
Literal English: (But they were still discontented. They still felt sadness in their heart.)
morris: but still discontentedly and unhappily.
shia wei miso sha su mia wireo punoa ta philo li nila. su mia shia li nila sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG DAT REFL QUOT.COMP OPT 1SG future society one day RESTR see. OPT 1SG 3SG RESTR see QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: (They said to themself, "If only I could see just one day of the future society. If only I could see it.")
morris: "If I could but see a day of it," he said to himself; "if I could but see it!"
sui shia lo phelui norelu nurako rolutha mua shia nurako lokue to te wepu.
Word-by-word gloss: DUR 3SG PL word form railway wagon LOC 3SG railway place PST CESS go.
Literal English: (As they formed the words, the railway carriage stopped at their station.)
morris: As he formed the words, the train stopped at his station,
thalo ruela lue nurako lokue kau shia womu teku to nai. shia womu sio luphore la leo whu mioru ma nai whu lo suro panoru repha to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: walk path ABL railway place ALL 3SG home short PST be. 3SG home BESIDE river ATTEN ABOVE REL beautiful NEG be REL PL rope support bridge PST be.
Literal English: (The walk from the station to their home was short. Their home stood beside the river, a little above a bridge that was not beautiful and was supported by ropes.)
morris: five minutes' walk from his own house, which stood on the banks of the Thames, a little way above an ugly suspension bridge.
Morris calls railway travel something civilisation has forced upon "us." Phi keeps that pronoun: society coerced lo mia, and the railway journey became habitual. The man then sits in a carriage of whu phou muila wepu nurako, the railway that runs below the earth. Morris's vapour-bath survives as sulae heshowa sawa lokue, a warm vapour-washing place. Hurried and discontented people crowd around him, and he shares both their heat and their discontent.
The forgotten points are themore, arguments, judged ru welao nela kithela, very good and valid. Nupira is a feeling, so whau ... phaelo lets him feel self-reproach while he reflects. Morris leaves the arguments ready at the ends of the man's fingers; concessive shai then admits that he forgot them anyway in the noshi shareo, recent discussion. His familiar mood lasts only a short time. Disgust with himself causes a brief uneasiness, and korua thero shia to ki pilu, heart-fire had taken him. Negated nuloe says that he is not content, while mua korua ... phaelo places the sadness in his heart without making the person his feeling.
The wish is the chapter's first direct quotation. First-person mia sits inside sha ... sho; su makes the longing audible and wei miso gives it its only listener. Both cries sound, with the second pointing back to the society through shia. The train stops as he forms the words. A short walking path leads from the station to his home beside the river, a little above a bridge supported by ropes. Morris supplies the five-minute measure, the engineering label, and the names Thames and London in the source witness.
shero mioruThe beautiful night
shia mue nurako lokue to thiru.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG OUT.OF railway place PST exit.
Literal English: (They left the railway station.)
morris: He went out of the station,
shia nuloe to si ma nai. shia mua korua nuhe to si phaelo.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG content PST IPFV NEG be. 3SG LOC heart sadness PST IPFV feel.
Literal English: (They were still discontented. They still felt sadness in their heart.)
morris: still discontented and unhappy,
shia sha su mia shia li nila. su mia shia li nila sho to si maeli haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG QUOT.COMP OPT 1SG 3SG RESTR see. OPT 1SG 3SG RESTR see QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST IPFV quiet speak.
Literal English: (They kept saying quietly, "If only I could see it. If only I could see it.")
morris: muttering "If I could but see it! if I could but see it!"
melu tha phoe shia wea luphore laeno thalo whu nuloe ma nai whoa korua kire lue shia to ke lepa. tumoa lue shia we to ke lepa tho haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: friend DECL.COMP ANT 3SG TOWARD river long walk REL content NEG be whole heart shape ABL 3SG PST INFER fall. heavy ABL 3SG ALSO PST INFER fall DECL.COMP.CLOSE speak.
Literal English: (The friend says that, before they had walked far towards the river, their whole discontented frame of mind seemed to fall away. The heaviness seemed to fall away too.)
morris: but had not gone many steps towards the river before (says our friend who tells the story) all that discontent and trouble seemed to slip off him.
shila thorui shero mioru to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: winter beginning night beautiful PST be.
Literal English: (The night at winter's beginning was beautiful.)
morris: It was a beautiful night of early winter,
haowu pheo sukaro tholupi nela whu pothu nurako rolutha pe neri to nai. thelao ha newai to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: air POST hot room COORD REL stink railway wagon SUFF cool PST be. CONS PROX fresh PST be.
Literal English: (After the hot room and the stinking railway carriage, the air was cool enough to feel fresh.)
morris: the air just sharp enough to be refreshing after the hot room and the stinking railway carriage.
howeli mua teku luera thimu lue sileta lumae wea nitho to ki la rato.
Word-by-word gloss: wind LOC short past time ABL sun end TOWARD north PST PFV ATTEN turn.
Literal English: (A short time before, the wind had turned a little from west towards north.)
morris: The wind, which had lately turned a point or two north of west,
howeli waero nuwi to ki ka kelu.
Word-by-word gloss: wind sky clear PST PFV CAUS become.
Literal English: (The wind had made the sky become clear.)
morris: had blown the sky clear of all cloud
li ta sola wi thiku neparu piloe thue waero to reshi wepu.
Word-by-word gloss: RESTR one DISJ two small cloud spot THROUGH sky PST fast go.
Literal English: (Only one or two small cloud-flecks went swiftly through the sky.)
morris: save a light fleck or two which went swiftly down the heavens.
lunei limu mua waero kesho to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: moon young LOC sky middle PST be.
Literal English: (A young moon was halfway up the sky.)
morris: There was a young moon halfway up the sky,
whau shia kau womu wepu shia lunei ki nila.
Word-by-word gloss: SIMUL 3SG ALL home go 3SG moon PFV see.
Literal English: (As they went home, they caught sight of the moon.)
morris: and as the home-farer caught sight of it,
lunei thoa raelu serao welamu lo loremi phea whu se tiwa thena to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: moon AMONG tall old elm PL branch AS REL PASS tie thing PST be.
Literal English: (Among the branches of the tall old elm, the moon was like a thing tied there.)
morris: tangled in the branches of a tall old elm,
shia whu shia mua to whano lokue to po ma ru halemu.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG REL 3SG LOC PST stand place PST POT NEG INTS remember.
Literal English: (They could hardly call to mind where they were standing.)
morris: he could scarce bring to his mind
lokue mua whalo silawo shuna to nai. shia to rohemi nela mioru to ma nai.
Word-by-word gloss: place LOC large village edge PST be. 3SG PST wear down COORD beautiful PST NEG be.
Literal English: (The place was at the edge of the great town. It was worn and not beautiful.)
morris: the shabby London suburb where he was,
shia tha shia phea whu mua nirelo whu thoa lo kosha nai lokue nai miona nai tho to phaelo. ha lokue sheo whu shia to ki sano wuero kosha lokue mo nirelo to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG DECL.COMP 3SG AS REL LOC pleasant REL AMONG PL field be place be person be DECL.COMP.CLOSE PST feel. PROX place THAN REL 3SG PST PFV know far field place CMPR pleasant PST be.
Literal English: (They felt as if they were in a pleasant place among fields, more pleasant than the distant countryside they had known.)
morris: and he felt as if he were in a pleasant country place--pleasanter, indeed, than the deep country was as he had known it.
The night is at shila thorui, winter's beginning. After sukaro tholupi, the hot room, and the carriage whu pothu, which stinks, the air is pe neri, cool enough, and therefore fresh. Phi does not borrow the English sensory meaning of "sharp" for tiso, whose physical sense belongs to edges. The wind has lately turned a little from sileta lumae, the sun's end, towards north. Morris gives the exact points; Phi keeps the recent change and direction. Only one or two small cloud-flecks cross the cleared sky.
As the man goes home, whau makes his glimpse of the moon simultaneous with the walk rather than a separate event. The young moon hangs at waero kesho, the sky's middle, like a thing tied among the branches of a tall old elm. Its limu and the tree's serao, young and old, keep the quiet contrast in Morris's image. The worn, unbeautiful place is at the great town's edge, then almost drops out of memory. He feels like a person in pleasant country among fields, a place more pleasant than the distant countryside he has known. Morris's line gives London and its local category "suburb"; Phi does not turn either into universal geography.
luphoreThe river
shia mua luphore kerime ki kamo.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG LOC river shore PFV arrive.
Literal English: (They arrived at the riverside.)
morris: He came right down to the river-side,
shia to teku manolu.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG PST short stay.
Literal English: (They lingered for a little while.)
morris: and lingered a little,
shia leo mulu moru lunei keru luphore to somela.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG ABOVE low wall moon bright river PST observe.
Literal English: (They looked over the low wall at the moonlit river.)
morris: looking over the low wall to note the moonlit river,
luphore pai raelu lunisa to nai.
Word-by-word gloss: river NEAR tall tide PST be.
Literal English: (The river was near high tide.)
morris: near upon high water,
luphore kau mola sorui to rato. shia to keru tiripe.
Word-by-word gloss: river ALL island circle PST turn. 3SG PST bright quiver.
Literal English: (The river eddied towards the island and quivered with light.)
morris: go swirling and glittering up to Chiswick Eyot:
shia whu phou shia mioru ma nai whu lo suro panoru repha to ma morae.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG REL BELOW 3SG beautiful NEG be REL PL rope support bridge PST NEG sense.
Literal English: (They did not notice the bridge below them, which was not beautiful and was supported by ropes.)
morris: as for the ugly bridge below, he did not notice it
shia ra thena to ma remo.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG DIST thing PST NEG think.
Literal English: (They did not think of it.)
morris: or think of it,
whekai shia ta shemu wea luphore lumae luma sima holume to ti phaelo.
Word-by-word gloss: CONTR 3SG one moment TOWARD river end lamp thread loss PST REP feel.
Literal English: (But for one moment, so the friend reports, they felt the absence of a line of lamps downstream.)
morris: except when for a moment (says our friend) it struck him that he missed the row of lights down stream.
shia wea womu ponu to rato.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG TOWARD home door PST turn.
Literal English: (They turned towards their house door.)
morris: Then he turned to his house door
shia muo womu miso to ka koema.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG INTO home REFL PST CAUS enter.
Literal English: (They let themself into the house.)
morris: and let himself in;
whau shia ponu tapu shia lo ru seloi nela kithela themore nela wireo nila to sahu. ra lo thena noshi shareo to ki ru lilea.
Word-by-word gloss: SIMUL 3SG door close 3SG PL INTS insightful COORD valid argument COORD future see PST forget. DIST PL thing near discuss PST PFV INTS clarify.
Literal English: (As they closed the door, they forgot the highly insightful, valid arguments and the foresight. Those things had greatly clarified the recent discussion.)
morris: and even as he shut the door to, disappeared all remembrance of that brilliant logic and foresight which had so illuminated the recent discussion;
lue shareo mu thena to manolu.
Word-by-word gloss: ABL discuss zero thing PST stay.
Literal English: (From the discussion, nothing remained.)
morris: and of the discussion itself there remained no trace,
li whu nuwi ma nai soliru to manolu.
Word-by-word gloss: RESTR REL clear NEG be hope PST stay.
Literal English: (Only an unclear hope remained.)
morris: save a vague hope,
soliru mua nosa nirelo ki kelu.
Word-by-word gloss: hope LOC now pleasant PFV become.
Literal English: (The hope had now become pleasant.)
morris: that was now become a pleasure,
shia whu shea nela therilu phelu philo ki soliru. shia whu hiso nai philo we ki soliru. shia whu seniku phena phelu philo we ki soliru.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG REL peace COORD rest hold day PFV hope. 3SG REL clean be day ALSO PFV hope. 3SG REL smile kind hold day ALSO PFV hope.
Literal English: (They hoped for days of peace and rest, for clean days, and for days of smiling kindness.)
morris: for days of peace and rest, and cleanness and smiling goodwill.
The bridge below the man is not beautiful, and ropes support it. This preserves the visible structure without misnaming the whole bridge as a rope. Morris gives it two denials, and Phi does too: he neither notices it nor thinks of it. One exception interrupts the calm for ta shemu, a single moment. Reportative ti returns because Morris inserts "says our friend." What strikes the man is the holume, loss, of a luma sima, a line or thread of lamps, wea luphore lumae, downstream towards the river's end.
The homecoming has three acts: he turns towards his door, lets himself in, and forgets as the door closes. The highly insightful, valid arguments and the foresight already named in the carriage vanish. Lilea says that these had greatly clarified the recent discussion; literal keru, brightness, does not borrow the source's cognitive use of light. Nothing remains except an unclear hope, which has now become pleasant, for days of peace, rest, cleanness, and kindness that smiles.
nulae nela remoSleep and the waking night
shia nua ha korua muo nuwera ki lepa.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG COM PROX heart INTO bed PFV fall.
Literal English: (In this state of heart, they tumbled into bed.)
morris: In this mood he tumbled into bed,
shia phea keno to pa reshi nulae.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG AS custom PST INCH fast sleep.
Literal English: (As was their custom, they fell asleep quickly.)
morris: and fell asleep after his wont, in two minutes' time;
whekai shia whuo keno pheo teku shemu we to nowae.
Word-by-word gloss: CONTR 3SG WITHOUT custom POST short moment ALSO PST awaken.
Literal English: (But contrary to their custom, they woke again a short while later.)
morris: but (contrary to his wont) woke up again not long after
ha kuewa ru waeli thena soli shemu whu welao nulae miona we wakomi.
Word-by-word gloss: PROX strange INTS conscious thing SOME moment REL good sleep person ALSO surprise.
Literal English: (This strange state of complete wakefulness sometimes surprises even those who sleep well.)
morris: in that curiously wide-awake condition which sometimes surprises even good sleepers;
lo mia tha lo mia theula remori ru tiso nai tho phaelo.
Word-by-word gloss: PL 1SG DECL.COMP PL 1SG UNIV reason INTS sharp be DECL.COMP.CLOSE feel.
Literal English: (We feel that all our reasoning faculties are intensely sharp.)
morris: a condition under which we feel all our wits preternaturally sharpened,
theula whu lo mia mua theula luera thimu muo to koema nuhe remo tiwa wea ha ru tiso remori miso na pesa. sheno lo mia lioru nupira nela holume wea ha ru tiso remori miso na pesa.
Word-by-word gloss: UNIV REL PL 1SG LOC UNIV past time INTO PST enter sadness think tie TOWARD PROX INTS sharp reason REFL NEC push. ADD PL 1SG life shame COORD loss TOWARD PROX INTS sharp reason REFL NEC push.
Literal English: (All the miserable tangles we have ever entered push themselves upon this intensely sharp reason. The shames and losses of our lives do so as well.)
morris: while all the miserable muddles we have ever got into, all the disgraces and losses of our lives, will insist on thrusting themselves forward for the consideration of those sharpened wits.
shia mua ha thena tei pai kaeli thorui to si ti ruemi.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG LOC PROX thing UNTIL NEAR like beginning PST IPFV REP lie down.
Literal English: (In this state, so the friend tells it, they lay on until they had nearly begun to like it.)
morris: In this state he lay (says our friend) till he had almost begun to enjoy it:
lo shia tawimo phoa nophi shia monelu ki ka kelu.
Word-by-word gloss: PL 3SG foolish do story 3SG amused PFV CAUS become.
Literal English: (The story of their foolish acts amused them.)
morris: till the tale of his stupidities amused him,
shia neo miso whu se tiwa lo sima to ru nuwi nila.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG FRONT REFL REL PASS tie PL thread PST INTS clear see.
Literal English: (Before them, they saw the tied threads very clearly.)
morris: and the entanglements before him, which he saw so clearly,
lo sima wei shia muo whu shia monelu ka kelu nophi miso pa selomi.
Word-by-word gloss: PL thread DAT 3SG INTO REL 3SG amused CAUS become story REFL INCH weave.
Literal English: (The threads began to weave themselves into a story that amused them.)
morris: began to shape themselves into an amusing story for him.
shia ta teli haoni ki hea. pheo thena shia wi teli haoni ki hea. pheo thena shia ta shao teli haoni ki hea.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG one bell voice PFV hear. POST thing 3SG two bell voice PFV hear. POST thing 3SG one three-group bell voice PFV hear.
Literal English: (They heard the bell sound once, then twice, then three times.)
morris: He heard one o'clock strike, then two and then three;
pheo thena shia we to pa nulae.
Word-by-word gloss: POST thing 3SG ALSO PST INCH sleep.
Literal English: (After that, they slept again.)
morris: after which he fell asleep again.
Morris then widens from one sleepless man to all of us. The condition is kuewa, strange, and ru waeli, thoroughly awake, even for a good sleeper. In this use, English "curiously" means strangely; kuelo would instead describe an inquisitive state. What makes the condition so unnerving follows: every remori, reasoning faculty, feels intensely sharp. Each miserable remo tiwa, confusion or thought-tangle, insists on presenting itself to that reason for consideration. One long coordination would turn tiwa into a predicate, so the shames and losses take their own sentence. The night appears to have kept records, though nobody recalls asking it to.
The lying awake carries another parenthetical "says our friend," so ti returns. He stays there until he has nearly begun to kaeli, enjoy, the state. The story of his foolish acts then makes him monelu, amused. His entanglements become tied threads that weave themselves into an amusing story. Separate pheo thena clauses preserve the sequence of one, then two, then three voices of the bell without naming clock hours; Morris gives the exact hours in the source witness. Inchoative pa then brings the long night back to sleep. Mercifully, Morris does not ask the bell for a fourth opinion.
The report continues
melu tha shia lue ra nulae we to nowae tho haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: friend DECL.COMP 3SG ABL DIST sleep ALSO PST awaken DECL.COMP.CLOSE speak.
Literal English: (The friend says that from that sleep they woke once more.)
morris: Our friend says that from that sleep he awoke once more,
pheo thena shia thue whu ru wakomi lo rulami to wepu.
Word-by-word gloss: POST thing 3SG THROUGH REL INTS surprise PL adventure PST go.
Literal English: (After that, they went through truly surprising adventures.)
morris: and afterwards went through such surprising adventures
shia tha lo thena wei lo mia wemi nela we theula miona se na shane tho remo.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG DECL.COMP PL thing DAT PL 1SG ally COORD ALSO UNIV person PASS NEC tell DECL.COMP.CLOSE think.
Literal English: (They think the adventures should be told to our allies and to everyone else.)
morris: that he thinks that they should be told to our comrades, and indeed the public in general,
thelao shia tha shia mua nosa lo thena shane tho repora.
Word-by-word gloss: CONS 3SG DECL.COMP 3SG LOC now PL thing tell DECL.COMP.CLOSE propose.
Literal English: (Therefore, they propose to tell these things now.)
morris: and therefore proposes to tell them now.
whekai shia sha lu mia roe mia haoni lo thena shane. mia tha ha mo welao so nai tho remo. mia phea whu lo rulami to ki wepu wemi so haolu. mia ra wemi lo phaelo sheo theula phirae muila miona mo shelomu. mia shia lo rinu sheo theula phirae muila miona mo shelomu. thelao phirae keiro sheo ha keiro wei mia mo kethua so nai. ha keiro wei mia mo woeli so nai sho haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: CONTR 3SG QUOT.COMP COND 1SG INS 1SG voice PL thing tell. 1SG DECL.COMP PROX CMPR good FUT be DECL.COMP.CLOSE think. 1SG AS REL PL adventure PST PFV go ally FUT speak. 1SG DIST ally PL feel THAN UNIV different earth person CMPR understand. 1SG 3SG PL want THAN UNIV different earth person CMPR understand. CONS different way THAN PROX way DAT 1SG CMPR hard FUT be. PROX way DAT 1SG CMPR natural FUT be QUOT.COMP.CLOSE speak.
Literal English: (But they said, "If I tell these things in my own voice, I think that will be better. I will speak as though I were the ally who went through the adventures. I understand that ally's feelings better than every other person in the world. I understand that ally's desires better than every other person too. Therefore, another way would be harder for me than this one. This way would be more natural.")
morris: But, says he, I think it would be better if I told them in the first person, as if it were myself who had gone through them; which, indeed, will be the easier and more natural to me, since I understand the feelings and desires of the comrade of whom I am telling better than any one else in the world does.
The final quotation performs the handoff to the first person. Conditional lu keeps the better choice conditional: if he tells the story in his own voice, that will be better. The phrase roe mia haoni, with my voice, states Morris's grammatical choice in ordinary words, and wemi identifies the person who went through the adventures as the ally in question. His feelings and desires receive separate comparisons, each against every other person in the world. Phi renders "easier" relationally by saying another way would be harder than this one, then states that this way would be more natural. From the next chapter onward, the report has become the traveller's own testimony.
Translation limits
The Phi follows every event and claim in Morris's chapter, including its political friction, unpleasant carriage, exacting self-reproach, and sly narrative handoff. Reportative ti keeps the friend's account visible. The repeated wish sits inside sha ... sho under su, and the last quotation changes the grammatical person in which the rest of the journey will be told.
| Source detail | Phi treatment |
|---|---|
| The League and its political sections | shalimo names the continuing alliance, while shalimo phanoi names a section within it. Morris supplies the historical label Anarchist; Phi says that the opinions object to authority. |
| Civilisation and compulsory railway travel | punoa names the social order, kawhera states its coercion of the travellers, and nurako names the railway. |
| London's suburb, the Thames, and Chiswick Eyot | Phi places the house at the western edge of a great town, beside a river and above a bridge supported by ropes. Morris's wording supplies the local names and the engineering label suspension bridge. |
| Five minutes, compass points, and clock hours | Phi gives a short walk, a slight turn from west towards north, and three successive bell voices. The source lines supply the conventional measures. |
| Vapour-bath, swirling water, and a row of lamps | These compose as a warm vapour-washing place, circular turning with bright quivering, and a thread of lamps downstream. |
| First-person narration | roe mia haoni, with my voice, states the narrator's choice; conditional lu makes that choice the condition for a better telling, and phea lets him speak as the ally who underwent the adventures. |
No new root is required. The chapter draws freely on the Commons, Household, Philosophical Reasoning, and Systems modules where Morris's meeting, room, argument, and railway call for them. The modules earn their shelf space here: nobody should have to describe a railway carriage as merely a rather organised box.