Here are several short texts in Khafos. All are translations from English, unless otherwise noted. The Khafos translation and the English source are shown side-by-side, and a morpheme-by-morpheme gloss of the Khafos follows. The following symbols and abbreviations are used in the glosses:
- Morpheme boundary = Clitic boundary . Boundary between multiple elements that correspond to one X1, X2 Separate parts of a single morpheme 1-6 Person-marking prefix or suffix Cir Circumstantial voice suffix Cnj Conjunctive suffix Cns Construct suffix DO Direct object-marking suffix or enclitic DDO Demoted direct object-indicating postposition F Future tense suffix Id Identity-marking enclitic Im Imperative suffix
IO Indirect object-marking suffix or enclitic L Interfix linking two person/number suffixes N Nonassertive prefix or infix P Plural suffix PN Proper noun-indicating particle Pos Possessive postposition Pr Present tense suffix Pst Past tense suffix Psv Passive voice suffix R Reduplication S Subject-marking enclitic Sub Subjunctive suffix
The story of the tower of Babel, from Genesis 11:1-9. Both the Khafos and English are my translations from the original Hebrew.
vavel gely mastolol-shy
telt ivil logosht epe safol lemek sovowh-vy. ehilishket ganlo sheh kho lafuf lheveshket geh shinar entril glih, vy khejishket iy glill. “sannutonh iystsetenkhef herelenh,” tenishteshk. sanno hnushohosht evne vy karonto hnushohosht vazolo. “vammotoglanh llileh, vy mastolono-jos khelneshfe siltyne linellywef, vy khinzetenh llileh, wa tumna jelehesrenkhen telt ivil klas,” tenishket. helime sulto lirsest we vammo mastolo-vy pek toglashkotuhkof mafaglanwon, vy helime “epe-lesh permegeh vy teltik epe-les safogoshk, vy ka-jos torsoshk, elly pyiytregenkhen shinmeneshken teieltenel tonoshkonwof shashk? sulto lirsenh ne safo-lash llomoronkhon, we taianjonshonushk safo hosh,” tenist. vy helime jeleheresteshk iy shell telt ivil klah vy najashkot vammotoglanoshkon. elly vammo gell vavel fongallot, sho iy telt ivil tesh safo-las llomorogoht helime, vy telt-lashk jeleheregeht helime sheh telt ivil klah.
The Tower of Babel
The whole world had one language and the same words. As they traveled from the east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar, and settled there. “Let’s make bricks and burn them thoroughly,” they said to each other. Bricks served for them as stone, and bitumen served for them as mortar. And they said, “Let’s build a city for ourselves, and let’s build a tower with its top in the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we become scattered all over the world.” God came done to see the city and the tower that the people had built, and God said, “Here’s one people with one language for all, and this is what they’ve begun to do, and now should nothing they propose to do be beyond them? Let’s go down and confuse their language, so one will not understand the language of the other.” And God scattered them from there all over the world, and they stopped building the city. Therefore it was called Babel, because there God confused the whole world’s language, and from there God scattered them all over the world.
‘The Tower of Babel’
‘For the whole world there was one language and the same words.’
‘While they were traveling from the east, they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.’
‘“Let’s make bricks and burn them thoroughly,” they said.’
‘Bricks served for them as stone and bitumen served for them as mortar.’
‘“Let’s build a city for ourselves, and a tower whose top is in the sky.’
‘and make a name for ourselves, lest be become scattered all over the word,” they said.’
‘God came down to see the city and the tower that the people had built,’
‘and God ... “There’s one people, and for everyone one language, and this they’re beginning to do,’
‘so should nothing that they may try to do be impossible for them?’
‘Let’s go down and mix up their language so that they won’t understand their language,” he said.’
‘And God scattered them from there over the whole world and they stopped building the city.’
‘So the city was called Babel, because there God mixed up the whole world’s language,’
‘and from there God scattered them all over the world.’
A poem by W. B. Yeats.
vorosho-shik
voroshoto tes vato glill voroshol-shy
moshantoshka mafaglash vy
“we fasashoh” krovash.
vy teltek voroshowh kangask zarol-shy
tantroglashohoshtof we analanlanshohosh,
elly se poshhapa lirel-as lilyshtef,
telte pural kangas iushmaka-zakhopsosh “peiegesh
o-joh stseleswensh
lla hiuh tumna
a i-vy khejjishk
lla klah, omoroshkofkof,
hammopso tstufrapso-vy kezel-joh.”
flor hafash jugwawof vy gufafluwof
elly voroshoto tes y pirel ipeshhesh
a se pirel-wy shne hafastof,
vy hungash shevente grivel glih,
vy hlush hafamna klas,
farala geshe fama-las weliysh,
“tef jellwe, tef jellwe, jellwe-my,
wohaliosht.”The Dolls
A doll in the doll-maker’s house
Looks at the cradle and bawls:
“That is an insult to us.”
But the oldest of all the dolls,
Who had seen, being kept for show,
Generations of his sort,
Out-screams the whole shelf: “Although
There’s not a man can report
Evil of this place,
The man and woman bring
Hither, to our disgrace,
A noisy and filthy thing.”
Hearing him groan and stretch
The doll-maker’s wife is aware
Her husband has heard the wretch,
And crouched by the arm of his chair,
She murmurs into his ear,
Head upon shoulder leant:
“My dear, my dear, O dear,
It was an accident.”
‘The dolls’
‘A doll in the dollmaker’s house’
‘looks at the cradle and’
‘cries “that is an insult to us”’
‘and the oldest of all the dolls
‘who had been kept to be shown’
‘and so had seen generations of his kind’
‘yells louder than the whole shelf “there is no one”’
‘who can report evil’
‘regarding this place, but’
‘the man and woman bring’
‘here, insulting us,’
‘a noisy and filthy thing.”’
‘She hears him groan and stretch,’
‘so the dollmaker’s wife is aware’
‘that her husband has heard the wretch,’
‘and she bends by the arm of the chair’
‘and murmurs in his ear’
‘with her head leant on his shoulder,’
‘“My dear, my dear, oh dear’
‘It was an accident.”’
An oft-translated fable by Aesop.
relevepe rivel-shy llesti-wi-vy
shut zaiashkagoht relevepe rivel llesti-vy gaha gaiaha kanganos ialopsoshof kho mlekhegeht ehile vy mele mirgel trolallot. kerelleshehesket gallla kennistenshyllen llih khafo hrolos lhy sulopsogoshon ialopsoshof khafo kangas.
relevepe rivel rukhofosht swe lemesh vy kho unlo-shy hlorogoshtoll ehile lemesh mirge shah, tseny kemesht shetinshen.
ne llesty kwipesre-hegzetest vy ehile mrityllet kennistenllyh tseny relevepe rivel tolosogjosht llesty vishehesk ialopsowof.
The North Wind and the Sun
The north wind and the sun were disputing which was the stronger, when a traveller came along wrapped in a warm cloak. They agreed that the one who first succeeded in making the traveller take his cloak off should be considered stronger than the other.
Then the north wind blew as hard as he could, but the more he blew the more closely did the traveller fold his cloak around him; and at last the north wind gave up the attempt.
Then the sun shone out warmly, and immediately the traveller took off his cloak. And so the north wind was obliged to confess that the sun was the stronger of the two.
‘The North Wind and the Sun’
‘Once the north wind and the sun were arguing over which was stronger than which,’
‘when a traveler came along covered in a heavy coat.’
‘The two decided that if one of them should make the traveler take the coat off before the other,’
‘they would agree that he was stronger than the other.’
‘The north wind blew as hard as he could, but however much he blew, the traveler wrapped the coat around himself more.’
‘In the end, he gave up trying.’
‘Then, the sun shone out warmly and the traveler immediately took it off.’
‘In the end, the northern wind had to admit that the sun was the stronger of the two of them.’
Another of Aesop’s fables.
shalopo-shy hasa-wi-vy
hasa-jos inhemzestef hlorolio shall malhogoh shalopo vy melesht nwile-jos snekinesht elly khejeshtis. peiehpest noparo-lash shyiyhyerenest tseny sho mafast sheveshtef nyiylekhepse grivel vengill ne ashast klash ne regzy shiyst geshe shesh telek shask. shovorsosht we jelenshens vy kho tanostull. rishtyll ne hwelhesht leme gevel klah ne mafasht grive sheveshtef vengill ishy-kfallotof elly hasa-las llilesh ifel ogzosht.
The Peasant and the Eagle
A peasant found an eagle captured in a trap, and much admiring the bird, set him free. The eagle did not prove ungrateful to his deliverer, for seeing the peasant sitting under a wall which was not safe, he flew toward him and with his talons snatched a bundle from his head. When the peasant rose in pursuit, the eagle let the bundle fall again. Taking it up, the man returned to the same place, to find that the wall under which he had been sitting had fallen to pieces; and he marveled at the service rendered him by the eagle.
‘The Peasant and the Eagle’
‘A peasant found an eagle caught in a trap’
‘and he much admired the bird, so he freed it’
‘It did not turn out to be ungrateful to the deliverer’
‘for he saw him sitting in front of an unsound wall’
‘and flew to him, and snatched a bundle from his head with its feet’
‘When he rose to chase it, it dropped it’
‘He took it, and then returned to the same place’
‘and then he saw that the wall he had been sitting in front of had fallen and broken’
‘so he marveled at the help he’d received from the eagle’
Another of Aesop’s fables.
tejishhe zajjal-shy
shut flesty khiljel-as tejishhersegeht zajja ne sekhek ewel-allok entisht fisrenshenes. zalaroshholloht kheshenllek. keierelleht zajja-lash hazo ronllok iatla keierelleht gepezwe fewsil-ash poloronllok. vorosho tenigeht mesy “meleh emepsenh shinme sham iatla joh hazo hllish vy kashkush galok glilymp elly humnapso-nretih unakomnoshof tejily zalal sham. fezif shinmenf khasmuk kennirsemehnemp vy warzumnak khewzimehnemp lhy pllerepse-egzefken jupsokhmof shinme hom.” zajja tejishhesht melre khasmuk tovashohoshkot vy kevrek warzumnawh khewzisheheshket. tumna llefesht kashk khiljel jos ewek pullanshot vy kho hofo hefelleht khinje ioyopah putrozallohtof unakonshullok swe lemesh.
The Lion In Love
A lion once fell in love with a beautiful maiden and proposed marriage to her parents. The old people did not know what to say. They did not like to give their daughter to the lion, yet they did not wish to enrage the King of Beasts. At last the father said: “We feel highly honored by your majesty’s proposal, but you see our daughter is a tender young thing, and we fear that in the vehemence of your affection you might possibly do her some injury. Might I venture to suggest that your majesty should have your claws removed, and your teeth extracted, then we would gladly consider your proposal again.” The lion was so much in love that he had his claws trimmed and his big teeth taken out. But when he came again to the parents of the young girl they simply laughed in his face, and bade him do his worst.
‘The Enamored Lion’
‘A lion once fell in love with a beautiful woman,’
‘and asked her parents if he could marry her.’
‘They didn’t know what to say. They didn’t want to give their daughter to the lion’
‘but they didn’t want to anger the king of animals.’
‘Eventually, the father said “We are very honored by your proposal’
‘but our daughter is tender and young, as you see’
‘so we fear that with the intensity of your love, you might harm her.’
‘I dare propose that your claws be removed and your teeth be extracted,’
‘then we will gladly reconsider your proposal.’
‘The lion was so much in love that he had his claws trimmed and his big teeth extracted’
‘but he met the young girl’s parents again’
‘and they only laughed,’
‘bidding him do them what harm he could.’