[CC] Li, a language game (fwd) (I love this - Alan)

[Alan Sondheim]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:02:31 -0500
From: "tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE" <anon at fyi.net>
To: idioideo at verizon.net
Subject: Li, a language game

Li, English, a language game invented by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE
(the 2nd greatest undiscovered OuLiPoian writer) on Wednesday, December
9, 2009EV, in wch 2 words' having many meanings in many different
languages
is exploited in order to construct narrative texts using only 2 words
- the meaning being derived by then translating those words' multiple
meanings.

In the case of Li, the only 2 words to be used are Li & Po.  All texts
shd originate w/ a text of the T'ang Dynasty Chinese poet Li Po
(699-762).  In other words, a poem by Li Po (either in the original
language or in translation) is converted as closely as possible to its
original meaning only using the words Li & Po.

Variations on the game are Po, &Ou - wch are explained elsewhere.

THEREFORE, starting w/ a Li Po poem as translated into English by C. H.
Kwock & Vincent McHugh in Anthology of Chinese Literature from early
times to the fourteenth century:

On the Mountain Question and Answer

You ask me:
 		Why do I live
on this green mountain?
 	I smile
 	No answer
 			My heart serene
On flowing water
 				peachblow
 				quietly going
 				far away
 		another earth
This is
 		another sky
No likeness
 		to that human world below


This then becomes:

"Po po Li Li-Po? po Po"

Li li-po? li
 		li-po? li po
po li po li?
 	Li po
 	Po po li
 		Li po po
Po po
 			Li
 			po po
 			po po
   		po po
Li po
 		po li
Po po po
 	li li li li po


Translation:

"On the whole Hillside What-For? in exchange for Opposite"

You what-for? him
 			what-for? him to flutter
on that cool hillside?
 	Him cure
 	Opposite yes what
 				Him belly chew
On as water flowing out of a bucket
 							a plum
 							a small thing all along
 							past beyond
 		in the wake of where
That as
 		in the wake of yonder
Opposite yes in exchange for
 					to you that them at that place beneath


po = "on" in Czech, Danish (Transliterated), Kwanyama, Lithuanian,
Polish, Serbian 	(Latin Script), Slovenian, & Ukranian (Latin Script)
po= "the whole" in Tocharian (Transliterated)
li = "hillside" in Norwegian
li = "what" in Wolof
po = "for"in Czech, Ido, Sardinian (Campidanese)
po = "in exchange for" in Ido
po = "opposite" in Earth Minimal

li = "you" in Catalan
li = "what" in Wolof
po = "for"in Czech, Ido, Sardinian (Campidanese)
li = "him" in Esperanto

li = "what" in Wolof
po = "for"in Czech, Ido, Sardinian (Campidanese)
li = "him" in Esperanto
po = "to flutter" in Denya

po = "on" in Czech, Danish (Transliterated), Kwanyama, Lithuanian,
Polish, Serbian 	(Latin Script), Slovenian, & Ukranian (Latin Script)
li = "that" in Haitian Creole
po = "cool" in Kimbu
li = "hillside" in Norwegian

li = "him" in Esperanto
po = "cure" in Kimbu

po = "opposite" in Earth Minimal
po = "yes" in Albanian & Hawaiian
li = "what" in Wolof

li = "him" in Esperanto
po = "belly" in Caló
po = "chew" in Taiwanese (Transliterated)

po = "on" in Czech, Danish (Transliterated), Kwanyama, Lithuanian,
Polish, Serbian 	(Latin Script), Slovenian, & Ukranian (Latin Script)
po = "as water flowing out of a bucket" in Chewa

Li = a Chinese name that signifies or is derived from: "a plum"

po = "a small thing" in Ainu
po = "all along" in Czech

po = "past" in Lithuanian
po = "beyond" in Lithuanian

po = "in the wake of " in Lithuanian
po = "where" in Swahili

li = "that" in Haitian Creole
po = "as" in Catalan, Faroese, Icelandic, Malay, Papiamentu, & Tagalong

po = "in the wake of " in Lithuanian
li = "yonder" in Italian

po = "opposite" in Earth Minimal
po = "yes" in Albanian & Hawaiian
po = "in exchange for" in Ido

li = "to you" in Catalan
li = "that" in Haitian Creole
li = "them" in Romanian
li = "at that place" In Italian
po = "beneath" in Lithuanian


MANY THANKS TO THE
Webster's Online Dictionary with Multilingual Thesaurus Translation