Heather Alexander's March of Cambreadth

[suzilla]

The March of Cambreadth is a rousing war song popular with many Klingons.
It is a song about axes, swords, and killing your enemies.
The famous line of this song is "How many of them can we make die!"
The original version of the song was on the album "Pheonyx: Keepers of the Flame". This album is sadly out of print; however, a newer (and possibly better) version of this song can be found in the album "Midsummer".




[Edit - merged threads and changed thread title]

[Klythe]

I met Heather Alexander this last weekend at a convention.  On each of the first two days she performed an hour or two long sets (unfortunately I only was able to catch the end of the second set).  Very powerful and forceful music. On the third day she ran a panel about anthropomorphism. it was very interesting, what I was able to catch of it...  It was a pretty busy con for me!   She is very down to Earth, open and honest about herself.  It was very good to meet her.

    I will have to get her newest album when it comes out.
 

[suzilla]

I am so glad you have met Heather! She has the soul of a Klingon...

Her latest album is 'Enchantment', and my fave songs on there are 'Rock and Gold', and 'Yo Ho'. Although I think I actually prefer the version of Rock and Gold that is on the limited promo album...

She sings with passion and spirit, and is in real life a wonderful person. I am hoping to see her on the east coast again sometime...

[Klythe]

Hehe, well, so far "Animals All the Same" is my favourite.   Oh, yeah I met her again last weekend at Anglicon...  She said I had an ugly mug.  Higher praise a Klingon could not ask for.     Un fortunately I couldn't attnd her actual concert, because we were setting up and running our Klingon Version of "The Weakest Link" at the same time.  But I saw her the next day at the Convention Casino when she played a few songs while people gambled awat their fake convention money...

   Uffington Horse is going to be in San Jose, CA at a anthropomorph Convention(the same one where she wrote 'Animals all the Same" the year before) the weekend of Jan 15...  If anyone happens to be in California around that time...  Her concert schedule has a few events outside the Pacific Northwest.  Check it periodically to see if she may be doing an event in your area.  

    I am just so lucky to be living  smack dab in the middle of the Heatherlands  ^.^
 

[suzilla]

I am unfortunately far from the Heatherlands
So I am desperately hoping that Shoreleave or some other con on the eastcoast will hire her again.

Heather was telling us the story of how she wrote 'Animals all the same' at that Con. It is a good story - a song written in one night, and a very well written song indeed!

Now if we can persuade Heather to do some REAL Klingon music!
I think she would do a fabulous job. I could see her performing at a Klingon Feast or two
And I think she would make an awesome klingon too!

[El Payaso Malo]

I found this song I like, called "The March of Cambreadth" by Heather Alexander. Since it sounded so Klingon, I decided to translate it. I don't feel right putting the English lyrics here, so they are here: http://www.heatherlands.com/seafire/lyrics/lyricdetails.php?RECORD_KEY(songs)=id&id(songs)=38

And for those who want to hear it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCrnF844_ww

Klingonists more skilled than I, please feel free to offer an criticism you deem constructive. This is a practice run as well as showing appreciation to great writing.

I took a few liberties with a few words (call it poetic license, or whatever), but I tried not to as much as possible. For example, I used jach ("yell; cry out") as if it were jatlh ("speak; say"). Some changes I had intended to make, I decided not to implement, such as modifing Sargh ("sark; equine creature") with be' ("woman; female") to translate the word "mare." I decided against that one because I wasn't sure how it would be received, and I haven't seen that word used to describe anything but a person. Tell me what you think of that one. Any changes or liberties done to syntax or grammar are probably mistakes, as I tried to make that as correct as possible. Conveying some ideas is difficult, and translation sure wears me out.

I hope you enjoy it, and please, tell me what you think. 

qambIr'etlh yItlI'ghach
boch 'obmaQ'ej betleH joplu'
bochbogh may'luch wab chuSqu'
tlhej yoD boch qettaHvIS Sarghmey
jeghmeH chaH petaQvetlh tISuv
ramjep Sargh 'Iw Sargh Doq je
puHvam bopolmeH yISuv
gheb yIrIl ghIq jagh 'ar wIHeghmoHlaH yIjach

ra'taHghach yIpabchu'
'Iwchaj SuD yIbIrmoH
yISuvchu' 'ej SuHeghDI' yImev
HoSmaj mevmoHlu'DI' Qatlch HoSmaj
bIttaHghach 'oy' je tIbuSHa'
yISuv 'ej Sumaw'DI' yImev
juS Hoch Ha'DI'baH jay' 'e' yIbot
jagh 'ar wIHeghmoHlaH

be'pu'lI' puqpu'lI' je tIQanchu'
ghe'torDaq taHqeqvam tIDoHmoH
tuH veS Sov DIghojmoH
Daqvam lughoSQo'
yoDlIj yI'lo' 'ej yablIj yI'lo'
yISuv 'ej yImev HeghDI' Hoch
chalDaq joqwI' yIpepmoH
jagh 'ar wIHeghmoHlaH

DaH jajlo''e' 'oH poHvam vaj bIvangnIS
may' QoQmo' yIyIt
noH wIQap 'ej ruppu'ghach maDIl
tIqDaq qa'Daq je wa' marur maSuvDI'
ramjep Sargh 'Iw Sargh Doq je
puHvam bopolmeH yISuv
gheb yIrIl ghIq jagh 'ar wIHeghmoHlaH yIjach

boch 'obmaQ'ej betleH joplu'
bochbogh may'luch wab chuSqu'
tlhej yoD boch qettaHvIS Sarghmey
jeghmeH chaH petaQvetlh tISuv
ramjep Sargh 'Iw Sargh Doq je
puHvam bopolmeH yISuv
gheb yIrIl ghIq jagh 'ar wIHeghmoHlaH yIjach

[Qunchuy]

I found this song I like, called "The March of Cambreadth" by Heather Alexander. Since it sounded so Klingon, I decided to translate it...

If you were monitoring the tlhIngan-Hol email discussion group (hosted by the Klingon Language Institute) you'd have seen a recent conversation about it. Start here: http://www.kli.org/tlhIngan-Hol/2010/August/msg00008.html

Klingonists more skilled than I, please feel free to offer an criticism you deem constructive. This is a practice run as well as showing appreciation to great writing.

I typically decline to comment on translations of poetry. In this case, I have an extra reason to recuse myself from giving critiques:

  http://qonos.alcaco.net/bommey/qemretlh-may-bom

[El Payaso Malo]

I hadn't seen that in the discussion group. I wonder if mine is up to muster?

I wasn't requesting critiques, only stating they were welcome. It is more difficult to improve otherwise.

I take it that is your attempt? No doubt better than mine. It is super late now, so I'll read it after i wake up.

It seems I have subscribed to this discussion group a few days ago, but I didn't examine the page in depth at the time, expecting the email would be enough. I see now that there are several years worth of archived material, which I do not doubt to be rich and insightful. I will examine in greater detail later. Is this discussion group still used much? Because I haven't gotten any emails from it. Maybe i signed up incorrectly.
 

[qurgh_]

The KLI comes and goes in spurts. There will be several weeks of high activity, and then it'll die off for a month, followed by more activity, etc etc.

It's the best place to ask language questions, IMO, especially if you want to get your message to the most Klingon speakers in one go.