Mêlázêla - Prayers

The following texts are prayers to the gods of Dombellus, which were originally created as a way to roleplay divine spellcasting in a LARP. While prayers on Dombellus vary from individual to individual and from location to location, poems like these are frequently used in various rituals and ceremonies across the continent of Azallasto, so the style below is representative of a typical Azallan or Zolduan prayer ceremony. Priests who are fluent in Mêlázêla often compose their own prayers or modify popular ones for a given circumstance.

The prayers include glosses and smooth translations for each line, as well as recordings of me reciting/singing the text. I use DEP to gloss ë, meaning that it marks dependent clauses, although I'm not sure this is the right way to describe it. Really, ë indicates that a second clause follows with some connection to the current one; I'm not sure if dependent clauses even exist in Mêlázêla. Anyway, I'm not sure what notation to use for this, so I'll use DEP for now. In cases where tones have been shifted due to tone differentiation, the text itself uses the shifted versions while the gloss below uses the dictionary forms. Similarly, trill reduplication has been changed to full reduplication in the glosses for convenience.

Poetic Forms

The prayers below use specific Mêlázêla poetic forms: the ùdëla, a type of free verse with relatively few restrictions apart from requiring each phrase to end in a different tone in ascending order, commonly used in prayers; and the médàlï, a strict format with 15-syllable phrases which requires the 8th and 14th syllable to be rhymed at least in quality, often used for battle hymns. (Other forms likely exist, but these are two of the most popular.) The Celestial text for the LCC11 Relay is now out of date, but was a médàlï. See the entries for ùdëla and médàlï in File:Celestial Dictionary.pdf for more information on these styles.

Fíle û ná hâ ó ùvu "All the angels' weapons glow" (médàlï)

Text and Recording

Fíle û ná hâ ó ùvu

Chúngè lé ô zònu tí?

Sëku lé jî búò mú chî

Dúà lé û núzì o.

De ô ná hâ pÿ ê chéfî

Këtûshí â, chèngî tí?

Shè û bó hâ vï dógê chí

Dûhu chî shídâí o.

Shè lé û ná hâ ó ùjó

Häzûshí â, älô tí?

Ùdá â, dövê ménàza

Góngè hâ chí, mêlá o.

Fíle û ná hâ ó ùvu

Chúngè lé ô önu tí?

Sëku hâ chí ènu gèdí

Dûlu hâ chí kâí o.

Gloss

fíle	û	ná	hâ	ó	ùvu
angel	TOP	melee_weapon	all	NOM	glow

"All the angels' weapons glow"

chúngè	lé	ô	zònu	tí
enemy	PL	NOM	be_in_front_of	Q

"Are those enemies ahead?"

sëku	lé	jï	búò	mú	chî
wicked	PL	GEN	blood	MASS	ACC

"The blood of the wicked"

dúà	lé	û	núzì	o
archangel	PL	TOP	passively_taste	AFF

"Is tasted by the archangels."

de	ô	ná	hâ	pÿ	ë	chêfï
light	NOM	melee_weapon	all	LOC	DEP	battle

"There's light upon the weapons as they battle"

Këtûshí	â	chéngî	tí
Azalla	VOC	teach	Q

"Azalla, will you teach us?"

shè	û	bó	hâ	vï	dógê	chî
1	TOP	blessed_weapon	all	INS	weak	ACC

"With our blessed weapons we guard the weak"

dûhu	chî	shídâí	o
innocent	ACC	physically_protect	AFF

"And protect the innocent."

shè	lé	û	ná	hâ	ó	ùjó
1	PL	TOP	melee_weapon	all	NOM	shining_thing

"All our weapons are shining"

Häzûshí	â	älô	tí
Zoldu	VOC	show	Q

"Zoldu, will you show us the way?"

ùdá	â	dövê	ménàza
sun	VOC	blind	ignite

"O Sun, you blind and ignite"

góngè	hâ	chî	mêlá	o
demon	all	ACC	beautiful	AFF

"All the demons, it is beautiful."

fíle	û	ná	hâ	ó	ùvu
angel	TOP	melee_weapon	all	NOM	glow

"All the angels' weapons glow"

chúngè	lé	ô	önu	tí
enemy	PL	NOM	be_directly_underneath	Q

"Are these enemies beneath us?"

sëku	hâ	chî	ènu	gèdí
wicked	all	ACC	stand_on	strike

"We stand atop the wicked and strike them"

dûlu	hâ	chî	kâí	o
soul	all	ACC	actively_morally_perceive	AFF

"And judge all their souls."

Këtûshí â "O Azalla" (ùdëla)

Text and Recording

Këtûshí â

Ùmo jï umö û fá o

Këtûshí â

Ngále chí êä pavû hÿ tí ë

Këtûshí â

Shè chî sénu-sénù pavü vê

Këtûshí â

Dókè hé pàla jëhè tí

Këtûshí â

Pàla jëhè tí, lädô hé tè

Këtûshí â

Tüné chî älô pavû ho hÿ o

Gloss

Këtûshí	â
Azalla	VOC

"O Azalla"

umö	jï	umö	û	fâ	o
sage	GEN	sage	TOP	2	AFF

"You are a sage among sages"

Këtûshí	â
Azalla	VOC

"O Azalla"

ngále	chî	êä	pavû	hÿ	tí	ë
foolish_act	ACC	forgive	give	FUT	Q	DEP

"If you will please forgive our follies"

Këtûshí	â
Azalla	VOC

"O Azalla"

shè	chî	sénu~sénu	pavû	vê
1	ACC	FREQ~shelter	give	IMP

"Please continue to shelter us"

Këtûshí	â
Azalla	VOC

"O Azalla"

dókè	hé	palä	jëhé	tí
home	DAT	return	bring	Q

"Will you bring them back home?"

Këtûshí	â
Azalla	VOC

"O Azalla"

palä	jëhé	tí	lädô	hé	tè
return	bring	Q	kin_member	DAT	NEG.Q

"Won't you bring them back, back to their loved ones?"

Këtûshí	â
Azalla	VOC

"O Azalla"

tünê	chî	älô	pavû	hö	hÿ	o
door	ACC	show	give	can	FUT	AFF

"Please, you can show them the way"

Shè lé jï hâbý â "O our friend" (ùdëla)

Text and Recording

Shè lé jï hâbý â, hâbý â

Mòlo chî jévô chí kâí o

Ä vê, Këtûshí â, Këtûshí â

Lö û lamë chî hé chití tè ë

Vëhu ö dûlu chî dähé-dähé hŷ ë

Fâbé lö chî palä pavü vê

Shè lé jï hâbý â, hâbý jï hâbý â

Fá û ladö chî më vê, ä pavû tí

Ä vê, Këtûshí â, umö jî Këtûshí â

Fá û héêéî chí âlá tè

Ä vê, Këtûshí â, gòde jî Këtûshí â

Fá ö dûlu hâ chí kâí o

Gloss

shè	lé	jï	hâbý	â	hâbý	â
1	PL	GEN	friend	VOC	friend	VOC

"O our friend, our friend"

mòlo	chî	jévô	chî	kâí	o
special_one	ACC	important_one	ACC	actively_morally_perceive	AFF

"You are special and important to us"

â	vê	Këtûshí	â	Këtûshí	â
actively_perceive_at_range	IMP	Azalla	VOC	Azalla	VOC

"Listen, O Azalla, O Azalla"

lô	û	lamë	chî	hé	chití	tè	ë
3	TOP	kin_group	ACC	go	return_self	NEG.Q	DEP

"If they do not return to our community"

vëhu	ô	dûlu	chî	dähé~dähé	hÿ	ë
sorrow	NOM	soul	ACC	FREQ~enter	FUT	DEP

"Our souls will remain filled with sorrow"

fâbé	lô	chî	palä	pavû	vê
thus	3	ACC	heal	give	IMP

"So please heal them"

shè	lé	jï	hâbý	â	hâbý	jï	hâbý	â
1	PL	GEN	friend	VOC	friend	GEN	friend	VOC

"O our friend, our friend"

fá	û	lädô	chî	më	vê	â	pavû	tí
2	TOP	kin_member	ACC	join	IMP	actively_perceive_at_range	give	Q

"Join your kin, will you please listen?"

â	vê	Këtûshí	â	umö	jï	Këtûshí	â
actively_perceive_at_range	IMP	Azalla	VOC	wise_one	ADJZ	Azalla	VOC

"Listen, O Azalla, O wise Azalla"

fá	û	héî~héî	chî	âlá	tè
2	TOP	very.many~tears	ACC	magically_perceive	NEG.Q

"Do you not see our abundant tears?"

â	vê	Këtûshí	â	gòde	jï	Këtûshí	â
actively_perceive_at_range	IMP	Azalla	VOC	agapé	ADJZ	Azalla	VOC

"Listen, O Azalla, O loving Azalla"

fá	ô	dûlu	hâ	chî	kâí	o
2	NOM	soul	all	ACC	actively_morally_perceive	AFF

"It is you who judges all souls"

Umö â "O wise one" (ùdëla)

Text and Recording

Umö â, shè chî chéngî pavû o

Kèlá hè, chyshì ó âbé dä o jï,

Jêhé vê, shè û kí chî fahä-fahä vê

Shè hé ngìzé chî ólô pavû tí?

Nùle lè ó nìngó hâ chí nÿhi tè?

Jû hä chî mélâ vï zágŷ o

Gloss

umö	â	shè	chî	chéngî	pavû	o
wise_one	VOC	1	ACC	teach	give	AFF

"O wise one, you kindly instruct us"

kèlá	hé	chyshì	ó	âbé	dä	o	jï
blessed.papercrafts	ALL	chisa_angel	NOM	come.to.understand	REM.PST	AFF	REL

"Toward the divine papercrafts, which angelic scholars have long understood,"

jëhé	vê	shè	û	kí	chî	fahä~fahä	vê
guide	IMP	1	TOP	mulberry	ACC	FREQ~nurture	JUS

"Guide us; let us continue to nurture the mulberry tree"

shè	hé	ngízê	chî	òlô	pavû	tí
1	DAT	truth	ACC	whisper	give	Q

"Will you please whisper truth to us?"

nùle	lé	ô	nìngó	hâ	chî	nÿhi	tè
architect	PL	NOM	joy	all	ACC	build	NEG.Q

"Is it not the architects who build all joyous things?"

jû	hâ	chî	mêlá	vï	zàgŷ	o
quill	all	ACC	beauty	INS	bless	AFF

"You bless all our quills with beauty"

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