User:Jan Pensa/a, pilin mi o
Here is my Toki Pona version of the Esperanto poem Ho, mia kor' by L. L. Zamenhof, which I wrote as bonus content for the Esperanto version of pu. It has the same meter and rhyming scheme as the original.
a, pilin mi o
a, pilin mi o tawa wawa ala,
o awen insa a lon sijelo!
tan ni la lawa mi li lawa ala,
a, pilin o!
a, pilin mi o! pali suli ni li
ken ala ken e ni: mi kama jo
e wile suli mi? o tawa lili,
a, pilin o!
Further down on this page you can find a side-by-side English translation and a comparison to the Esperanto original.
About the poem
The poem Ho, mia kor' was written by L. L. Zamenhof, the creator of Esperanto, shortly before he published Esperanto for the first time in what's now known as the Unua Libro ("first book") in 1887. This poem was included in that book, and as such it's considered to be the first piece of Esperanto literature that was ever published. Today, it is probably the most well-known poem in the Esperanto community.
The iambic rhythm is thought to imitate the very same heart beat that the poem talks about.
When I was asked to make an Esperanto translation of lipu pu, I wanted to add a couple bonus texts that would be fun for Esperantists and good practice for Toki Pona learners. This poem seemed perfect for that, because the original is very well known among Esperantists, and it uses simple language. Also, as someone a bit excited about publishing a book for the first time, it seemed very fitting to translate a poem where Zamenhof (seemingly) expressed his excitement and anxiety about publishing his language for the first time.
Translation and comparison
Here is the poem again, side by side with an English translation and the original Esperanto version, to make it easier for you to compare. (On mobile you may want to switch to landscape mode.)
| Toki Pona version | original version | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Toki Pona | English translation | Esperanto | English translation |
| a, pilin mi o tawa wawa ala, | Oh, my heart, don't move vigorously, | Ho, mia kor', ne batu maltrankvile, | Oh, my heart, don't beat restlessly, |
| o awen insa a lon sijelo! | stay inside, in [my] body! | El mia brusto nun ne saltu for! | don't jump out of my chest now! |
| tan ni la lawa mi li lawa ala, | Because of this, my head doesn't control [itself/my body], | Jam teni min ne povas mi facile, | I can already not hold myself easily, |
| a, pilin o! | oh, heart! | Ho, mia kor'! | oh, my heart! |
| a, pilin mi o! pali suli ni li | Oh, my heart! Does this big project | Ho, mia kor'! Post longa laborado | Oh, my heart! After working for [so] long |
| ken ala ken e ni: mi kama jo | enable that I obtain | Ĉu mi ne venkos en decida hor'? | will I not win in the decisive hour? |
| e wile suli mi? o tawa lili, | my grand desire? Move [only] a little, | Sufiĉe! trankviliĝu de l' batado, | Enough! Calm down from [all] the beating, |
| a, pilin o! | oh, heart! | Ho, mia kor'! | oh, my heart! |
A beautiful English adaption of Ho, mia kor' by Marjorie Boulton (titled O My Heart) can be found here.