Source: Brothers Grimm, Kinder- und Haus-Märchen, 7th edition 1857, no. 152 (public domain), text from de.wikisource.org. Proper names stay unchanged (Hinterpommern, Farther Pomerania).
Literal: PL = ma, NOT = ne, REQ = vo, QUOTE = re, NEAR = hi, FAR = da, Q = ka, FUT = vi, STILL = ku, ALREADY = ti, ALSO = mo, ADV = adverb ending. Compounds with hyphens.
Es war einmal ein Hirtenbübchen, das war wegen seiner weisen Antworten, die es auf alle Fragen gab, weit und breit berühmt. Der König des Landes hörte auch davon, glaubte es nicht und ließ das Bübchen kommen. Da sprach er zu ihm „kannst du mir auf drei Fragen, die ich dir vorlegen will, Antwort geben, so will ich dich ansehen wie mein eigen Kind, und du sollst bei mir in meinem königlichen Schloß wohnen.“ Sprach das Büblein „wie lauten die drei Fragen?“ Der König sagte „die erste lautet wie viel Tropfen Wasser sind in dem Weltmeer?“ Das Hirtenbüblein antwortete „Herr König, laßt alle Flüsse auf der Erde verstopfen, damit kein Tröpflein mehr daraus ins Meer lauft, das ich nicht erst gezählt habe, so will ich euch sagen, wie viel Tropfen im Meere sind.“ Sprach der König „die andere Frage lautet wie viel Sterne stehen am Himmel?“ Das Hirtenbübchen sagte „gebt mir einen großen Bogen weiß Papier,“ und dann machte es mit der Feder so viel feine Punkte darauf, daß sie kaum zu sehen und fast gar nicht zu zählen waren und einem die Augen vergiengen, wenn man darauf blickte. Darauf sprach es „so viel Sterne stehen am Himmel, als hier Punkte auf dem Papier zählt sie nur.“ Aber niemand war dazu im Stand. Sprach der König „die dritte Frage lautet wie viel Secunden hat die Ewigkeit?“ Da sagte das Hirtenbüblein „in Hinterpommern liegt der Demantberg, der hat eine Stunde in die Höhe, eine Stunde in die Breite und eine Stunde in die Tiefe; … … dahin kommt alle hundert Jahr ein Vögelein und wetzt sein Schnäblein daran, und wenn der ganze Berg abgewetzt ist, dann ist die erste Secunde von der Ewigkeit vorbei.“ Sprach der König „du hast die drei Fragen aufgelöst wie ein Weiser und sollst fortan bei mir in meinem königlichen Schlosse wohnen, und ich will dich ansehen wie mein eigenes Kind.“
There was once a little shepherd boy who was famous far and wide for the wise answers he gave to every question. The king of the country heard of it too, did not believe it and sent for the boy. Then he said to him: “If you can answer the three questions I am going to put to you, I will look upon you as my own child, and you shall live with me in my royal castle.” The boy said: “What are the three questions?” The king said: “The first is this: how many drops of water are there in the ocean?” The shepherd boy answered: “Lord King, have all the rivers on earth stopped up, so that not a single little drop runs from them into the sea that I have not counted first, and I will tell you how many drops are in the sea.” The king said: “The second question is: how many stars are there in the sky?” The shepherd boy said: “Give me a big sheet of white paper,” and then with his pen he made so many fine dots on it that they could hardly be seen and could scarcely be counted at all, and your eyes swam if you looked at them. Then he said: “There are as many stars in the sky as there are dots here on the paper; just count them.” But nobody was able to. The king said: “The third question is: how many seconds does eternity have?” Then the shepherd boy said: “In Farther Pomerania stands the Diamond Mountain; it is an hour's walk high, an hour wide and an hour deep; … … every hundred years a little bird comes there and whets its little beak on it, and when the whole mountain has been worn away, then the first second of eternity is over.” The king said: “You have solved the three questions like a wise man, and from now on you shall live with me in my royal castle, and I will look upon you as my own child.”
ruler speak to sheep-person-small QUOTE I ask FUT three question to you. QUOTE you become FUT child I, and you live FUT with I in house-powerful-person I, if you answer all three question
Da sprach er zu ihm „kannst du mir auf drei Fragen, die ich dir vorlegen will, Antwort geben, so will ich dich ansehen wie mein eigen Kind, und du sollst bei mir in meinem königlichen Schloß wohnen.“
Then he said to him: “If you can answer the three questions I am going to put to you, I will look upon you as my own child, and you shall live with me in my royal castle.”
Notes (4)
The relative clause “I am going to put to you” has become a sentence of its own.
The fi clause comes at the end and applies to both main clauses before it.
“Look upon you as my child” = become my child. mi nile tu si pina mi would mean “I love you as my child loves you”, because si always compares with the subject.
sheep-person-small answer QUOTE REQ you close all river in world! QUOTE PL water-small come STILL NOT from PL river to sea after thing NEAR. QUOTE and I count all water-small in sea, and I speak FUT to you, that quantity Q water-small be-located in sea
Das Hirtenbüblein antwortete „Herr König, laßt alle Flüsse auf der Erde verstopfen, damit kein Tröpflein mehr daraus ins Meer lauft, das ich nicht erst gezählt habe, so will ich euch sagen, wie viel Tropfen im Meere sind.“
The shepherd boy answered: “Lord King, have all the rivers on earth stopped up, so that not a single little drop runs from them into the sea that I have not counted first, and I will tell you how many drops are in the sea.”
Notes (5)
The address “Lord King” is left out.
“Stop up” = vulagene (close).
“So that not a drop … that I have not counted first” is broken up into three simple sentences.
ku ne = no longer.
“How many drops are in the sea” is an indirect question: de + duvu ka.
sheep-person-small speak QUOTE REQ you give paper big white to I! he make many point small on paper through feather after thing NEAR. PL point much small-be. PL person can NOT counting PL it, and PL eye PL person hurt, if PL person see PL it
Das Hirtenbübchen sagte „gebt mir einen großen Bogen weiß Papier,“ und dann machte es mit der Feder so viel feine Punkte darauf, daß sie kaum zu sehen und fast gar nicht zu zählen waren und einem die Augen vergiengen, wenn man darauf blickte.
The shepherd boy said: “Give me a big sheet of white paper,” and then with his pen he made so many fine dots on it that they could hardly be seen and could scarcely be counted at all, and your eyes swam if you looked at them.
Notes (4)
The quotation comes at the end of the sentence; “and then he made …” is a new sentence.
“Pen” = lugabipa (bird's feather), meaning the quill pen.
“So many …, that …” is split into simple sentences. “You, one” = ma mela.
sheep-person-small speak QUOTE quantity star same-be quantity point which be-located on paper NEAR. QUOTE REQ you count PL it! but zero person can counting PL point
Darauf sprach es „so viel Sterne stehen am Himmel, als hier Punkte auf dem Papier zählt sie nur.“ Aber niemand war dazu im Stand.
Then he said: “There are as many stars in the sky as there are dots here on the paper; just count them.” But nobody was able to.
Notes (3)
Comparing quantities: “the number of stars is the same as the number of dots” (duva = the quantity, lute = to be the same).
It would not work with si: si only takes a noun, and “on the paper” would belong to the whole sentence (the stars would be on the paper). So the relative clause je fale he rifa hi.
“In the sky” is left out, otherwise the prepositional phrase would come before the verb.
sheep-person-small speak QUOTE mountain stone-hard be-located in Hinterpommern. QUOTE height it and width it and opposite-height it same-be distance which PL person walk through one hour
Da sagte das Hirtenbüblein „in Hinterpommern liegt der Demantberg, der hat eine Stunde in die Höhe, eine Stunde in die Breite und eine Stunde in die Tiefe; …
Then the shepherd boy said: “In Farther Pomerania stands the Diamond Mountain; it is an hour's walk high, an hour wide and an hour deep; …
Notes (4)
diamond = botatada (stone + hard), a new term. “Diamond Mountain” = taka botatada (mountain of diamond), like bedanamisa geda in text 6.
“An hour” as a measure of distance = the distance you walk in an hour. je is the object in the relative clause (je + noun + verb).
“Depth” = vutara: “deep” and “low” are one idea (vutari).
QUOTE bird-small come once to mountain NEAR through hundred year, and it sharp-make mouth-bird it self on mountain. QUOTE hour-small-small first time-whole finished-be, if mountain whole be-missing ALREADY
… dahin kommt alle hundert Jahr ein Vögelein und wetzt sein Schnäblein daran, und wenn der ganze Berg abgewetzt ist, dann ist die erste Secunde von der Ewigkeit vorbei.“
… every hundred years a little bird comes there and whets its little beak on it, and when the whole mountain has been worn away, then the first second of eternity is over.”
Notes (4)
“Every hundred years” = pavo … ru bolu basa (once in a hundred years). di nalu bolu basa would also work, but is harder to understand.
“Whet” = venumene (sharp + -en-: sharpen), beak = pevabipa (mouth + bird): two new terms.
“Worn away” = the whole mountain is already gone (vufale ti).
ruler speak QUOTE you answer all three question like clever-person. QUOTE REQ you live with I in house-powerful-person I from time NEAR! QUOTE you same-be child I
Sprach der König „du hast die drei Fragen aufgelöst wie ein Weiser und sollst fortan bei mir in meinem königlichen Schlosse wohnen, und ich will dich ansehen wie mein eigenes Kind.“
The king said: “You have solved the three questions like a wise man, and from now on you shall live with me in my royal castle, and I will look upon you as my own child.”
Notes (4)
“Like a wise man”: si compares with the subject: you answer as a wise man answers. wise man = banara (clever + -ar-).
“From now on” = ko lusa hi (from now).
Request and statement are in separate sentences (different kinds of sentence).
“As my own child” = lute pina mi (are my child), like “He is my friend”.