mophira nela lo kalora
Schleicher's fable
A sheep sees three horses at work. The horses answer by showing the sheep what its missing wool has become. August Schleicher wrote this small fable in reconstructed Proto-Indo-European in 1868 and supplied his own German rendering beside it. That German is stored in texts/sources/schleicher_1868.txt; the controlled English at texts/sources/schleicher_1868_english.txt contains every claim and explanatory parenthesis used here.
This page gives that English source two Phi renderings. The close translation comes first. A new transmutation follows, written from the same source rather than repaired from an earlier Phi version. Each block has the Phi sentence, its exact gloss, a literal English back-translation, and the aligned source wording.
Close translation
The source asks Phi for two distinctions that ordinary departure and technical load cannot supply. tupeka is a burden borne by a living being; phesari is flight from danger or constraint. One Commons term also earns its place: phenori (ownership) gives Phi a practical relation inside Schleicher's title "master," which stays visible in English.
The sheep sees
whu mophi ma phelu mophira lo kalora to nila. shia mophi to ki se kati.
Word-by-word gloss: REL wool NEG hold sheep PL horse PST see. 3SG wool PST PFV PASS cut.
Literal English: (A sheep that held no wool saw horses. Its wool had been cut.)
schleicher-en: A sheep on which there was no wool (a shorn sheep) saw horses:
ta kalora tumoa rolutha to natu.
Word-by-word gloss: one horse heavy wagon PST pull.
Literal English: (One horse pulled a heavy wagon.)
schleicher-en: one pulling a heavy wagon,
ta kalora ta whalo tupeka to kolua.
Word-by-word gloss: one horse one large burden PST carry.
Literal English: (One horse carried a large burden.)
schleicher-en: one carrying a great load,
ta kalora miona to reshi kolua.
Word-by-word gloss: one horse person PST fast carry.
Literal English: (One horse carried a person swiftly.)
schleicher-en: and one swiftly carrying a human being.
The sheep speaks
mophira wei lo kalora to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: sheep DAT PL horse PST speak.
Literal English: (The sheep spoke to the horses.)
schleicher-en: The sheep said to the horses:
sha sui mia tha miona lo kalora ka wepu tho nila mia korua se peki. mia ru nuhe phaelo sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP DUR 1SG DECL.COMP person PL horse CAUS go DECL.COMP.CLOSE see 1SG heart PASS squeeze. 1SG INTS sadness feel QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("During my seeing the human being cause the horses to go, my heart is squeezed. I feel deep sadness.")
schleicher-en: "My heart is constricted in me (I am deeply grieved) as I see the human being driving the horses."
The horses answer
lo kalora wei mophira to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: PL horse DAT sheep PST speak.
Literal English: (The horses spoke to the sheep.)
schleicher-en: The horses said:
sha kona mophira. no sheluo sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP VOC sheep. IMP listen QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("Sheep. Listen.")
schleicher-en: "Listen, sheep.
sha lo mia ha ki nila. lo mia korua se peki. lao lo mia ha sano lo mia ru nuhe phaelo sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP PL 1SG PROX PFV see. PL 1SG heart PASS squeeze. BECAUSE PL 1SG PROX know PL 1SG INTS sadness feel QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("We have seen this. Our hearts are squeezed. Because we know this, we feel deep sadness.")
schleicher-en: The heart is constricted in us who have seen (we are deeply grieved, because we know):
sha whu lo mophira phenori phelu miona sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP REL PL sheep ownership hold person QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("The human being who holds ownership of the sheep.")
schleicher-en: the human being, the master,
sha ha miona wei miso lo mophira mophi sulae wethalu ka kelu sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP PROX person DAT REFL PL sheep wool warm garment CAUS become QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("This person makes the sheep's wool become a warm garment for themself.")
schleicher-en: makes the sheep's wool into a warm garment for himself,
sha wei lo mophira mawha mophi nai sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP DAT PL sheep NONE wool be QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("The sheep have no wool.")
schleicher-en: and the sheep have no wool.
sha whekai nosa wei lo mophira mawha mophi nai. lo mophira mophi se kati sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP CONTR now DAT PL sheep NONE wool be. PL sheep wool PASS cut QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("However, now the sheep have no wool. The sheep's wool is cut.")
schleicher-en: (The sheep, however, no longer have any wool; they are shorn;
sha lo kalora sheo lo mophira mo towe nai sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP PL horse THAN PL sheep CMPR well be QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("The horses are more well than the sheep.")
schleicher-en: they fare even worse than the horses.)
The sheep flees
pheo ha hea mophira kau kosha to rato. shia kau kosha to phesari.
Word-by-word gloss: POST PROX hear sheep ALL field PST turn. 3SG ALL field PST flee.
Literal English: (After hearing this, the sheep turned toward the field. It fled into the field.)
schleicher-en: Having heard this, the sheep turned aside (escaped) into the field.
shia to reshi pholeni.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG PST fast depart.
Literal English: (It departed quickly.)
schleicher-en: (It made off.)
Complete translation
mophira nela lo kalora
whu mophi ma phelu mophira lo kalora to nila. shia mophi to ki se kati. ta kalora tumoa rolutha to natu. ta kalora ta whalo tupeka to kolua. ta kalora miona to reshi kolua.
mophira wei lo kalora to haolu. sha sui mia tha miona lo kalora ka wepu tho nila mia korua se peki. mia ru nuhe phaelo sho to haolu.
lo kalora wei mophira to haolu. sha kona mophira. no sheluo sho to haolu. sha lo mia ha ki nila. lo mia korua se peki. lao lo mia ha sano lo mia ru nuhe phaelo sho to haolu. sha whu lo mophira phenori phelu miona sho to haolu. sha ha miona wei miso lo mophira mophi sulae wethalu ka kelu sho to haolu. sha wei lo mophira mawha mophi nai sho to haolu. sha whekai nosa wei lo mophira mawha mophi nai. lo mophira mophi se kati sho to haolu. sha lo kalora sheo lo mophira mo towe nai sho to haolu.
pheo ha hea mophira kau kosha to rato. shia kau kosha to phesari. shia to reshi pholeni.
Translation limits
| Schleicher's English | Phi rendering | Remaining difference |
|---|---|---|
| sheep on which there was no wool | sheep that held no wool | Phi uses ordinary possession rather than German's locative existence. |
| shorn | wool had been passively cut | The result and earlier event survive without a dedicated shearing verb. |
| pulling a heavy wagon | tumoa rolutha natu | The ordinary pull verb does not specify harness or traction. |
| great load | ta whalo tupeka, one large burden | tupeka centers what the horse bears; the source's broad load is slightly wider. |
| driving the horses | causing the horses to go | The causative preserves external agency but leaves its method unstated. |
| constricted heart and deep grief | squeezed heart and intense sadness | Phi separates the bodily image from Schleicher's emotional explanation. |
| the master | person who holds ownership of the sheep | The exact domination title stays in English; Phi states one practical relation inside it. |
| for himself | wei miso, for themself | Phi carries the reflexive benefit without grammatical gender. |
| no longer have wool | now have no wool, after earlier shearing | The time contrast is distributed across the story rather than lexicalized in one phrase. |
| fare even worse than the horses | horses are more well than sheep | Phi reverses the comparison because generic bad and worse are absent by design; the extra emphasis of even is not separately marked. |
| turned aside, escaped, made off | turned, fled, departed quickly | Three ordinary motion clauses preserve Schleicher's formal verb and colloquial explanation. |
Transmutation
The wagon is still heavy and the sheep still shorn, but the account of power changes. The source calls the human being master. Phi withholds that title and names two acts instead: coercion of the horses and exploitation of the sheep. It also refuses to rank one group as worse off than the other. Their burdens differ, and neither erases the other.
The animals at work
whu mophi ma phelu mophira lo kalora to nila. shia mophi to ki se kati.
Word-by-word gloss: REL wool NEG hold sheep PL horse PST see. 3SG wool PST PFV PASS cut.
Literal English: (A sheep that held no wool saw horses. Its wool had been cut.)
schleicher-en: A sheep on which there was no wool (a shorn sheep) saw horses:
ta kalora tumoa rolutha to natu.
Word-by-word gloss: one horse heavy wagon PST pull.
Literal English: (One horse pulled a heavy wagon.)
schleicher-en: one pulling a heavy wagon,
ta kalora ta whalo tupeka to kolua.
Word-by-word gloss: one horse one large burden PST carry.
Literal English: (One horse carried a large burden.)
schleicher-en: one carrying a great load,
ta kalora miona to reshi kolua.
Word-by-word gloss: one horse person PST fast carry.
Literal English: (One horse carried a person swiftly.)
schleicher-en: and one swiftly carrying a human being.
The sheep speaks
mophira wei lo kalora to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: sheep DAT PL horse PST speak.
Literal English: (The sheep spoke to the horses.)
schleicher-en: The sheep said to the horses:
sha sui mia tha miona lo kalora kawhera tho nila mia korua se peki. mia ru nuhe phaelo sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP DUR 1SG DECL.COMP person PL horse coerce DECL.COMP.CLOSE see 1SG heart PASS squeeze. 1SG INTS sadness feel QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("During my seeing the human being coerce the horses, my heart is squeezed. I feel deep sadness.")
schleicher-en: "My heart is constricted in me (I am deeply grieved) as I see the human being driving the horses."
The horses answer
lo kalora wei mophira to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: PL horse DAT sheep PST speak.
Literal English: (The horses spoke to the sheep.)
schleicher-en: The horses said:
sha kona mophira. no sheluo sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP VOC sheep. IMP listen QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("Sheep. Listen.")
schleicher-en: "Listen, sheep.
sha lo mia ha ki nila. lo mia ha sano. lo mia korua se peki. lo mia ru nuhe phaelo sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP PL 1SG PROX PFV see. PL 1SG PROX know. PL 1SG heart PASS squeeze. PL 1SG INTS sadness feel QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("We have seen this. We know this. Our hearts are squeezed. We feel deep sadness.")
schleicher-en: The heart is constricted in us who have seen (we are deeply grieved, because we know):
sha ha miona lo kalora kawhera. ha miona lo mophira pilora sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP PROX person PL horse coerce. PROX person PL sheep exploit QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("This human being coerces the horses. This human being exploits the sheep.")
schleicher-en: the human being, the master,
sha ha miona wei miso lo mophira mophi sulae wethalu ka kelu sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP PROX person DAT REFL PL sheep wool warm garment CAUS become QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("This person makes the sheep's wool become a warm garment for themself.")
schleicher-en: makes the sheep's wool into a warm garment for himself,
sha wei lo mophira mawha mophi nai sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP DAT PL sheep NONE wool be QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("The sheep have no wool.")
schleicher-en: and the sheep have no wool.
sha whekai nosa wei lo mophira mawha mophi nai. lo mophira mophi ro se kati sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP CONTR now DAT PL sheep NONE wool be. PL sheep wool HAB PASS cut QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("However, now the sheep have no wool. The sheep's wool is cut habitually.")
schleicher-en: (The sheep, however, no longer have any wool; they are shorn;
sha lo kalora nela lo mophira lo phirae tupeka kolua sho to haolu.
Word-by-word gloss: QUOT.COMP PL horse COORD PL sheep PL different burden carry QUOT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak.
Literal English: ("The horses and the sheep carry different burdens.")
schleicher-en: they fare even worse than the horses.)
The sheep leaves
pheo ha hea mophira kau kosha to phesari.
Word-by-word gloss: POST PROX hear sheep ALL field PST flee.
Literal English: (After hearing this, the sheep fled into the field.)
schleicher-en: Having heard this, the sheep turned aside (escaped) into the field.
shia to reshi pholeni.
Word-by-word gloss: 3SG PST fast depart.
Literal English: (It departed quickly.)
schleicher-en: (It made off.)
Complete transmutation
mophira nela lo kalora
whu mophi ma phelu mophira lo kalora to nila. shia mophi to ki se kati. ta kalora tumoa rolutha to natu. ta kalora ta whalo tupeka to kolua. ta kalora miona to reshi kolua.
mophira wei lo kalora to haolu. sha sui mia tha miona lo kalora kawhera tho nila mia korua se peki. mia ru nuhe phaelo sho to haolu.
lo kalora wei mophira to haolu. sha kona mophira. no sheluo sho to haolu. sha lo mia ha ki nila. lo mia ha sano. lo mia korua se peki. lo mia ru nuhe phaelo sho to haolu. sha ha miona lo kalora kawhera. ha miona lo mophira pilora sho to haolu. sha ha miona wei miso lo mophira mophi sulae wethalu ka kelu sho to haolu. sha wei lo mophira mawha mophi nai sho to haolu. sha whekai nosa wei lo mophira mawha mophi nai. lo mophira mophi ro se kati sho to haolu. sha lo kalora nela lo mophira lo phirae tupeka kolua sho to haolu.
pheo ha hea mophira kau kosha to phesari. shia to reshi pholeni.
Transmutation gap log
| Source detail | Phi treatment | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| driving the horses | lo kalora kawhera, coerce the horses | Neutral external causation becomes an explicit judgment about constrained choice. |
| the master | the human who coerces horses and exploits sheep | Phi refuses the domination title but exposes the relations that the title would otherwise compress. |
| garment for himself | warm garment for miso | The benefit still goes to the human; grammatical gender falls away. |
| sheep no longer have wool and are shorn | present absence plus habitual passive shearing | The transmutation makes the repeated material pattern explicit. |
| sheep fare worse than horses | horses and sheep carry different burdens | A ranking becomes non-equivalence. Neither burden minimizes the other. |
| turned aside, escaped | phesari, flee | The motive in escape receives one direct verb. |
| made off | departed quickly | The colloquial force survives without pretending that ordinary running means flight. |
| specialist vocabulary | pilora from Work and Commons | Exploitation earns its sharper optional term; all other forms are base or Commons phenori in the close translation. |
What changes between the two renderings
Both renderings begin with the same bodies under weight and end with the same sheep in flight. They part over how power should be named and whether suffering can be ranked.
| Moment | Close translation | Transmutation | Why they diverge |
|---|---|---|---|
| the horses' movement | A human causes the horses to go. | A human coerces the horses. | Translation preserves the source action without deciding its method. Transmutation judges the labor relation shown by the scene. |
| the master | A person holds ownership of the sheep; the exact title stays in English. | The title disappears, while coercion and exploitation are stated. | Canon refuses master as ordinary Phi vocabulary. Translation preserves its nearest practical relation; transmutation refuses its rank while retaining its power. |
| the wool | Wool becomes a garment for the human. The sheep have none. | The same transfer is evidence for exploitation. | Translation reports the material sequence. Transmutation evaluates who benefits and who loses protection. |
| repeated shearing | Sheep are shorn in the present explanation. | Their wool is habitually cut. | The transmutation turns a present condition into a recurring pattern. |
| worse than the horses | Horses are more well than sheep. | Horses and sheep carry different burdens. | Translation reconstructs the comparison without a word for worse. Transmutation refuses a single scale for unlike harms. |
| flight | The sheep turns, flees into the field, and makes off. | The sheep flees and departs quickly. | Translation gives each German expression a Phi motion. Transmutation keeps the escape but removes the doubled description. |
Solarpunk values
The wagon, garment, animal bodies, and wool form one material system. The close translation shows the transfers without approving them. The transmutation asks the question that an efficient inventory can miss: whose body carries the burden, and who receives the warmth?
Secular Buddhist philosophy
Both renderings begin ethical attention in the body, with a heart squeezed by what it sees. The transmutation changes the comparison of suffering. Sheep and horses do not need one common scale before either experience can be known, and the sheep's flight is neither praised nor condemned.
Art Nouveau aesthetics
Schleicher's line moves through curved backs, fleece, garment, and open field. The close translation follows each turn separately. The transmutation draws coercion and benefit along the same line, so the material curve does not become ornament detached from the bodies that make it possible.
Peace linguistics
Refusing master can hide domination as easily as it can deny honor. The close translation therefore leaves the source title visible and describes ownership inside Phi. The transmutation goes further: it withholds the title, then says kawhera and pilora. Phi judges the acts without erasing the person's humanity.
Pre-industrial wisdom
Wool, wagons, harnessed motion, and animal labor belong to old material knowledge. Nostalgia cannot do the accounting. The skill of making a warm garment and the burden placed on a living body are true at the same time.
The transmutation withholds the title and refuses to let the power vanish with it.