[lit-ideas] Re: Hereabouts
- From: "Donal McEvoy" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> (Redacted sender "donalmcevoyuk" for DMARC)
- To: "lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2017 20:21:51 +0000 (UTC)
an ohohia is a temporary favor>
Palma could do me an ohohia by not posting messages to my private account out
of the list. I am presently receiving more messages from Palma this way than I
am receiving from all of the list (depending by what period covers "presently"
of course).
I raised this a week ago hereabouts in a post to the list - but it appears that
post may have been "helewale". I thank all those who sent me private messages
of support regarding that previous message and also all those who held back a
week to see if Palma would manage to solve the problem.
DL
From: david ritchie <profdritchie@xxxxxxxxx>
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sunday, 18 June 2017, 19:12
Subject: [lit-ideas] Hereabouts
Knowing that on the outer isles of Orkney there are sheep that have adapted to
a diet rich in seaweed, when I came across dog food with seaweed in it I
ignored the blither on the packet—“Now with Wellboost, the superfood of the
sea”—and bought some. I like this from the Wikipedia entry on the sheep, “To
reduce the chance of being stranded by an incoming tide, they graze at low tide
and then ruminate at high tide." Food for
thought.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Ronaldsay_sheep
Dinner before seeing Kevin Kline on stage in New York was itself a piece of
theater. We ate in an Italian restaurant with waiters and an owner acting like
we were in a movie about the mob. Our waiter’s tried and true line was, “Da
Bronx is one of two places dat begin with ‘da.’ What’s de udder one?” While
my mind was still translating, J. offered, “Da Vatican.”“Dat’s right!”
I mentioned to a colleague at work that the Hawaiian language has a word for
the guy who gets sacrificed when the chief dies. (Yes, the book I thought was
sold showed up again in the library’s sale rack and I bought it). My colleague
thought it might be fun to print a poster of Trump with that word on it. So
then I had to find ithe word again.
On the third pass, there it was, Moepuu, "a person slain at the burial of a
chief." What time spent with a thirty page vocabulary revealed was how
interesting it is to read only the English translations of words arranged
alphabetically in another language. If you begin, for example, at ke'oke'o,
which is an adjective meaning, "white, proud, haughty," there follow: a spur…a
mist, a rain (on Kauai)…a pillar, a mast, support, deer…the algaroba tree...
How can one word mean "a pillar, a mast, support” as well as… “deer"? Kaawe
means, "to hang by the neck, as a suicide." Einei is an interjection that
means, "I say!" Possibly you have to be British for it to mean that?
Here's a list of what else in the book caught my eye.
alaoma means to swallow greedilyapa'apa'a is a strong wind off Kohalahalahi is
a verb that means to dodge a missilehelewale is a verb that means to be naked
or to go without anypurposehokua is the back of the neck between the
shouldersholo is a verb that means to move quickly, to run, to sailhono is a
stitching, a sewing, the back of the neck, a place where the wind is reflected
backlako are sticks joining a canoe with the outriggerinehinei is
yesterdayinehinei kela la aku is the day before yesterdaykonekonea means
restored, recovered from sickness, baldliliko'i is a water lemonmaaa is a sea
breeze at Lahainamahealani is the sixteenth day of the monthmahuna is scaly
skin from drinking awa excessivelymaiele means skilled in using wordsmakeleho
refers both to haughtiness and lasciviousnessmakia refers to a pin, a bolt or a
nailmanalo is something sweet or slightly brackishmaoli is an adjective that
means indigenous, genuine or nativemau is an adjective that means "more than
one"melomelo is a heavy wood, used in fishinga muumuu is not what we think it
is; the dictionary says its a woman's undergarment or a lame personnaau refers
to the intestines, the affections, the mind, the heartohee, a verb, means to
spear a squidan ohohia is a temporary favorokohola is an adjective meaning
"whale piercing"poeleele is an adjective meaning "black, ignorant"puana are the
first words in a chant or songpunohu is ascending smokeukéké The book says this
is a Jew's harp, but Wikipedia identifies an indigenous instrument, the only
one native to Hawaii.
I was on the phone with my father. Hamish had already charged out the door
twice in his sorties against the enemy and was now lying upstairs. The
chickens came to the door, complaining. I looked out. There, bold as
anything, was a squirrel helping himself to their food. “Hamish,” I called,
“you’re wanted.”“I know,” he said, half asleep. “I’m grateful.”“No…there’s a
squirrel stealing the chickens’ food.”Greased lighting, the both of them,
Hamish flying, the squirrel flying faster. Off into the bushes.“Bothersome,”
said Mimo.“Really quite bothersome,” said Appenzeller.“Could you install kind
of early warning system?” asked Pecorino. “Radar based?”“Warning,” I asked,
“of the squirrel’s raid or Hamish’s response?”“The latter,” said Mimo.
“Squirrels are a nuisance, but fifty pounds of fast dog is the true existential
risk.”“He’s very agile…” Pecorino tried for balance.“It’s hard to complain when
he has our security at heart,” Appenzeller.“But no one likes an own goal, if
you take my meaning,” Mimo.“Friendly fire?” I said.“Oh no.” they chorused. “No
such thing as a friendly fire.”
I told the chickens I’d read that someone named Gianluigi Donnaruma was
thinking of not renewing his contract with Milan. “Will he come here?” Mimo
wanted to know.“What could we offer him?” Appenzeller asked.“Goalkeeping
practice,” said Hamish. “My favorite game.”“Goalkeepers,” Pecorino was sure of
herself, “are a breed apart. Weirdos, all of them.”I thought to challenge her
with evidence, “Peter Shilton, Gordon Banks, Gianluigi Buffon…all one
breed?”“It’s all a matter of angles,” said Hamish. “A specialized skill.”I had
to ask, “Have you been ruminating?”
David Ritchie,Portland, Oregon
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